James M. Talent: “It is the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act. It is based on the scientific evidence, which I think is a matter of common…”

“It is the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act. It is based on the scientific evidence, which I think is a matter of common sense as well, that children in gestation, unborn children in the womb, do at a certain point acquire the capability of feeling pain. What the bill says is that before an abortion can be performed on a child who has been in the womb for 20 weeks or longer, the abortion doctor has to inform the mother that the child will feel pain and will, in fact, feel intense pain if the procedure is performed, and then inform her that if she wants to go ahead anyway, the child can be given an anesthetic so that that pain is not felt. Apart from the fact that the scientific evidence indicates children at this point can feel pain, I have a personal stake, if you will, in this. Before we were blessed with the three children we have, my wife had several miscarriages in a row. It was pretty obvious what was growing inside of her was a person.”