A Slam to Abortion Fanatics

[NewGuy]

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/may/04051707.html

Science Reveals Unborn can Dream, Smell, Hear, Remember Events and Feel Pain

ROME, May 17, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Zenit news reported Friday an interview with Italian neonatal specialist Dr. Carlo Bellieni, who wrote the book Dawn of the I: Pain, Memory, Desire, Dream of the Fetus. The partial-birth abortion ban trials have brought to fore the question of the humanity of the unborn, specifically their ability to feel pain. Bellieni has worked for years in the Department of Neonatal Intensive Therapy of the Le Scotte University Polyclinic of Siena, where he has studied the issue of fetal suffering.

When asked by Zenit, "Does the fetus feel pain?" Bellieni replies: "Indeed."

He also describes the advanced development of a baby at an age legal to be killed by abortionists, "Today, we know that the fetus inside the maternal womb perceives scents and tastes, hears sounds, and remembers them after birth."

Bellieni illustrates that a "fetus, at 30 weeks of gestation, is able to dream. All these characteristics allow us to appreciate the human dimensions."

The neonatal specialist emphasizes that the scientific evidence for the humanity of the unborn is "immense. We cannot understand how it can be thought that it becomes a person at a certain point, perhaps when coming out of the uterus. From the physical point of view, at the birth very little really changes: Air enters the lungs, the arrival of blood from the placenta is interrupted, the type of circulation of blood in the heart changes, and not much more," he explains. "As I often say, only blind faith in magic arts or some strange divinity can lead one to think that there is a 'human' quality leap at a given moment -- certainly not science."

He concludes, ". . .I think one should say 'enough' to that anti-scientific attitude that regards prenatal life as a second-class life. And the paradox is that instead the Church is accused of retarding progress. In reality, the Church has an attitude of protection of health."

Read the full interview at: Zenit.org

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage: "UK Research Shows Conclusively That Fetuses Feel Pain," at: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/1998/aug/98081102.html

 

[DKSuddeth]

The fetus recognizes scents? SCENTS????? How in the world does the olfactory nerves work in a sac of fluid? one that the environment never changes?

dreams at 30 weeks? I'm surprised that its that late actually.

I consider this more theory, although it at least backs some of it up with good science and evidence

 

[JohnGalt]

As more and more research is done, I think alot of us will be surprised at how wrong abortion is...

 

[acludem]

I think abortion is wrong as well...I just don't think the government should be making that difficult a decision for a woman, especially when HER life is on the line. Some of this person's theories sound like poppycock to me. I have a hard time believing he can actually tell if a fetus in utero is actually having a dream.

acludem

 

[freeandfun1]

Originally posted by acludem
I have a hard time believing he can actually tell if a fetus in utero is actually having a dream.

acludem

Actually, that one seems the easiest to me.... brainwaves.....

 

[fuzzykitten99]

Actually, a fetus can recognize scents, because when I was prego with my son, there were certain things that when I smelled them, he would move and kick. These things were chocolate, ANY citrus fruit, esp. oranges, spaghetti and garlic. No matter what time of day, if I smelled these, he would move and kick. They don't smell them through their nose. It is through the mother's oxygen that it learns to recognize this stuff. I read a study in a parenting magazine (i would have to do a search to find it) where Dr's had women who were 8 months pregnant, smell certain objects every day through pregnancy till birth, and they had other women avoid the smell. when the babies were born, at 2 months old, they placed the scents in front of the babies, and the ones that had not 'smelled' the scents in utero, did not react when presented with them. The ones that reacted (turning head, trying to grab item, pulling item toward them, etc.) were the ones that 'smelled' the items in utero