宫内胎儿在17周时就可以感觉到疼痛
http://www.100md.com
2000年9月4日
Unborn babies may feel pain much earlier than previously thought, a top scientist has claimed.
could experience pain and distress at 17 weeks in the womb, which raises questions about the methods of abortion, prof Vivette Glover said.
However, prof Glover denied saying that doctors should anaesthetise all foetuses when abortions are carried out after 17 weeks.
Hard to pinpoint
Only around 10 per cent of abortions are carried out after 13 weeks in the UK. Most abortion are performed before this time because of a belief that the nervous system is not fully developed before 13 weeks, so the foetus cannot feel pain.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said that it is "not aware" of the unborn child feeling pain before 26 weeks. They did admit, however, that it is hard to pinpoint the exact moment the foetus starts to feel inside the womb.
Prof Glover, of Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London, said: "The Royal College says it is not possible for a foetus to feel pain before 26 weeks. I, and many others, feel that this is overstating the case. It may be possible, although we do not know for sure, for them to feel pain from between 17 and 18 weeks.
Some abortions could cause pain
"I am not campaigning for doctors to anaesthetise all foetuses before abortions - that is not my field, and not all methods of abortion cause pain.
"But there are some methods of abortion that could cause pain and doctors need to be aware of that and maybe think about the method they use when aborting foetuses of more than 17 weeks.", http://www.100md.com
could experience pain and distress at 17 weeks in the womb, which raises questions about the methods of abortion, prof Vivette Glover said.
However, prof Glover denied saying that doctors should anaesthetise all foetuses when abortions are carried out after 17 weeks.
Hard to pinpoint
Only around 10 per cent of abortions are carried out after 13 weeks in the UK. Most abortion are performed before this time because of a belief that the nervous system is not fully developed before 13 weeks, so the foetus cannot feel pain.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said that it is "not aware" of the unborn child feeling pain before 26 weeks. They did admit, however, that it is hard to pinpoint the exact moment the foetus starts to feel inside the womb.
Prof Glover, of Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London, said: "The Royal College says it is not possible for a foetus to feel pain before 26 weeks. I, and many others, feel that this is overstating the case. It may be possible, although we do not know for sure, for them to feel pain from between 17 and 18 weeks.
Some abortions could cause pain
"I am not campaigning for doctors to anaesthetise all foetuses before abortions - that is not my field, and not all methods of abortion cause pain.
"But there are some methods of abortion that could cause pain and doctors need to be aware of that and maybe think about the method they use when aborting foetuses of more than 17 weeks.", http://www.100md.com