Gavin Oxley’s Op-Ed: ‘The 70s Called: They Want Their Science On Fetal Pain And Viability Back From The Abortion Lobby’

You’ve probably heard Students for Life Action (SFLAction) talking about the 15 weeks (about 3 and a half months) abortion compromise and why it’s bad science and political strategy for some time now. Specifically, data shows that fetal pain is possible as early as 12 weeks, and that more than nine in 10 abortions occur before 12 weeks, rendering the argument for 15 week legislation effectively both pointless and ineffective. But that hasn’t stopped pro-abortion organizations from using outdated fetal pain and fetal viability arguments to justify what is effectively medical mass murder. 

Recently, Students for Life of America Lead Operations Supervisor & Med/Law Coordinator Gavin Oxley had an op-ed published by The Daily Wire, explaining how embracing this bad science is hurting the pro-life movement and — worst of all — being used as a justification by pro-abortion extremists to end the lives of the preborn. 

Below are excerpts from the op-ed: 

“In studying fetal development, we know the physiological pain system (the cortical subplate and thalamus) is present by 12 weeks, but to study whether the preborn child actually feels pain via the developed structures this early would violate bioethical practice not only in the possible infliction of pain upon the fetus but in the invasive nature of the research upon the mother. Consequently, this is really the closest we are able to ethically get at this time. 

Unfortunately, when major medical organizations like ACOG deny such research, their misinformation affects both abortion legislation and the advancement and practice of fetal surgery. While some fetal surgeries are performed as early as 16 weeks, the myth that the preborn child cannot feel pain until 24 weeks can lead to physicians feeling they do not need to provide fetal analgesia. Even if the data on fetal pain was not as clear as it is, morality should encourage medical professionals to err on the side of caution rather than to unwittingly do harm. 

But fetal pain is not the only misinformed science propagated by the abortion lobby.“

To read Oxley’s op-ed in full, visit The Daily Wire.