The 20 Week Abortion Rule

[Rattrap]

Here's an article discussing how the idea that fetuses can feel pain has been used to great effect in curbing abortion rights across the country:

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It challenges four decades of constitutional doctrine and is based on disputed scientific theories.

Yet a push to ban abortion at 20 weeks after conception, on the theory that the fetus can feel pain at that point, has emerged as a potent new tactic of the anti-abortion movement.

Interesting to know on the subject if you didn't already:

In the standard laid out by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade in 1973 and elaborated on in later decisions, women have a right to an abortion until the fetus is viable outside the womb, around 24 weeks into pregnancy.

The Supreme Court, including Justice Kennedy, has repeatedly affirmed viability as the point at which the state’s interest in protecting life outweighs a woman’s right to control her body, Ms. Northup noted.

Although I would never vote to control a woman's body, the issue of pain I think can be an important one. However it appears that the 20-week benchmark concerning that is disputed by most of the scientific community, and irregardless I agree with many of the commentators of the article that these measures are really just thinly-veiled, incremental implementations of control - to lead on to stricter and stricter control, naturally.