For You From The Word
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
(Philippians 2:4, NIV)
For You To Think About
A woman who has discovered she is pregnant – when she did not plan to be – may be so distracted by her situation that she is unaware that there is one even more defenseless than she is.
Her baby is overwhelmingly sensitive to pain. Surgeons entering the womb to perform corrective procedures on the unborn have seen babies flinch and recoil from sharp objects and incisions. “On occasion we need to administer anesthesia directly to the fetus (during in utero surgery),” said David Birnbach, M.D., president of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology. “Even at these early gestational ages the fetus moves away from the pain of the stimulation.”
Further, a baby at 20 weeks development actually feels pain more intensely than an adult. This acute sense of touch means even a single human hair drawn across the unborn’s palm causes him to make a fist. “The pain system is fully established, yet the higher level pain-modifying system has barely begun to develop,” says Dr. Paul Ranalli, neurologist at the University of Toronto.
Given this information, we cannot fathom an unborn’s pain during termination.
Is a woman you know aware of the pain factor as she makes decisions during an unplanned pregnancy? Perhaps she has not considered the baby’s interests. Tell her. You might be the very means God uses to help prevent untold pain – for both the woman and her child.
For You To Pray
Heavenly Father,
Pregnancy is a uniquely vulnerable time. Allow pregnant women and expectant men to understand how their babies rely on them for protection from the pain of abortion. Assure them of Your strength to provide what they need to choose life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
More on The Unborn
An Unborn Baby’s Journey, Part 1: Weeks 1-8