Posted on sun, jul. 17, 2005
doctors question new fetal-anesthesia law
abortion: medical officials say the
requirement is unclear on many fronts.
Associated press
st. Paul - minnesota doctors were trying
to figure how to implement the new "unborn
child pain prevention act," which requires
physicians who perform abortions to offer
anesthesia for late-term fetuses.
Abortion foes applauded the passage of the
act last week by the minnesota legislature
as part of a major health bill, but it has
raised many questions for doctors
specializing in prenatal medicine.
"i think we're all in favor of making sure
a fetus doesn't feel pain, but it's not
such a simple issue," said Dr. Daniel
landers, director of maternal and fetal
medicine at fairview-university medical
center in minneapolis.
For example, he said it hasn't been
scientifically determined when fetal pain
begins, nor is there an accepted
definition of fetal pain.
"we don't have enough information on how
to regulate or diminish pain in a fetus,
in terms of drugs, dosing, methods of
administration and ability to discern its
effectiveness," landers said.
The law also doesn't say what sort of
medical specialist should deliver the
anesthesia, give a way to measure
effectiveness, or explain why a late-term
fetus should get anesthesia but remain
silent about in utero surgery or forceps
deliveries.
Scott fischbach, executive director of
minnesota citizens concerned for life,
said that by the 20th week of pregnancy,
all the biological systems are in place
for a fetus to feel pain.
He said the new law builds on the state's
"women's right to know" law, which
requires abortion providers to give
certain information to women seeking the
procedure. A woman's right to request
anesthesia will now be among that
information.
"women already are being told that the
baby can feel pain," fischbach said. "now
they're given the option to alleviate that
pain."
minnesota is the second state to adopt a
fetal-pain law, fischbach said. Arkansas
was the first.
Some abortion-rights advocates say the law
is another way to discourage women from
having abortions, and fischbach doesn't
deny it.
"clearly, we want to prevent the pain," he
said, "but it's another opportunity for us
to talk about the humanity of the child."
nonetheless, unlike many other parts of
the abortion debate, the fetal-pain law
got bipartisan support at the state
capitol.
Naral pro-choice minnesota didn't actively
oppose it and the minnesota medical
society dropped its protests after
language was removed that would have
allowed doctors to be charged with a
felony if they failed to offer the
anesthesia.
Under the current law, they could instead
face civil penalties.
The law will most directly affect
hospitals that abort late-term fetuses due
to abnormalities, because most abortion
clinics in the state don't perform
abortions after the first trimester.
For example, sarah stoesz, executive
director of planned parenthood of
minnesota, said her group has 22 clinics
but only one performs abortions, and only
during the first trimester or pregnancy.
Of the 13,788 abortions performed last
year in minnesota, only 171 were on
fetuses 20 weeks old or older.
Http://www.Duluthsuperior.Com/mld
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