Abortion

Rep. Trent Franks Plays From His Own Set of “Facts”

There is a medical consensus on fetal pain, but it's not the one Franks is pushing.

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D.C. Mayor… oops! I mean Arizona GOP Congressman Trent Franks has a whole lotta abortion regulation on his mind.  So-called fetal pain bans, so-called prenatal “non-discrimination” acts, it’s almost like he thinks of nothing but abortion all the time.

According to his home state, that’s pretty much the case. Calling him the “quintessential single-issue politician,” The Arizona Republic notes that even at the beginning of his legislative career Franks “was known almost exclusively as a one-note, anti-abortion politician.”

Now, he’s starting to get a little huffy about the accusation, and about critics questioning his motives.  Responding to a local Arizona columnist, Franks justifies his actions in forcing his own agenda on residents that didn’t elect him with bravado and a whole lot of lies.

“Congress has the seminal and incontrovertible responsibility for making legislative policy in the District of Columbia. Those who pretend to question that are in fact trying to direct attention away from the true purpose of this bill, which is to help prevent unborn children beginning at the sixth month of pregnancy and beyond from being subject to the agonizing process of being aborted.

“If Congress does not pass this law, DC could become a safe-haven for late-term abortionists across the country, including those who have been stripped of their licenses for negligence or ethics violations in the states.  Many states have passed this bill already, and I believe that most states will pass it in the near future, including my state, Arizona.   

Medical science proves that the unborn feel pain by at least 20 weeks and perhaps much earlier.  There is no disagreement in the medical community as to this point.  My office can furnish much incontrovertible research to support this finding.” [emphasis added]

He’s right that the medical community sees no disagreement on fetal pain, but it’s not in his favor.  Multiple studies, as well as reviews of multiple studies, all confirm there is no evidence that fetuses have the capacity to feel pain until the third trimester.

Still, what else do you expect from a man who brought in three witnesses from the medical community who stated under oath that their belief that a fetus can feel pain prior to 20 weeks was the “majority view” of medical professionals, and that the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Royal College of Obstetritians and Gyneacologists were the minority view. I mean, whadda they know, right?