Thursday, April 15, 2010

Nebraska Law Sets Limits on Abortion

Sarah Fuerst
English 122
B. Kern
15 April 2010

New York Times posted an article about Nebraska revising their law on abortion. The new law bans abortions later than 20 weeks after conception because at that point they state that the fetus can feel pain. It is sure to cause debates and outrages against the bill. It is the first law in the United States to restrict abortion for the cause of fetal pain. The law that it replaced and is similar to other states laws on abortion, prevent abortion after the fetus reaches viability or can live outside of the womb. Most found that at the earliest that is 22 weeks. The biggest issue is not that the timeline changed for abortion but the fact that it changed because of fetal pain. Fetal pain is the most intense unresovled debates amoung researches, on both sides of abortion. Nebraska also states in the law that there can be exceptions to this law if there is life threatening results of the mother.

From a non biased opinion, I think that the fetus would feel pain at 20 weeks. Although there is no possible way for researchers to conclude that but whose to say that they cannot? I think that their needs to be stricter laws on abortion in all states and I think Nebraska is the starting point in changing things concerned with abortion.

1 comment:

  1. I think abortion is wrong on all levels, whether the baby was just conceived or within 20 weeks. I understand that people might find them in a bad situation in the time of the pregnancy, but I feel that other options are available. Many couples in the world can conceive a child and would do almost anything to experience parenthood, so giving that couple the baby they always wanted could be a huge gift to them.