At the end of this month, a law passed by Utah
State Legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Gary R. Herbert, will
require that women terminating a pregnancy at 20 weeks or more be given
anesthesia or painkillers. Not for them—it’s called “fetal anesthesia.”
Researchers disagree about when exactly a fetus is capable of feeling physical pain, but most agree that they probably don’t have the neurological connections necessary until further along in the pregnancy. The New York Times reports that doctors are angered by vague restrictions on their practice that complicate already difficult decisions:
Comments