The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act failed to attain the 2/3 vote it needed to pass the House. (I'm not sure why it needed 2/3 instead of a majority, does anyone know?) The premise of the bill is strange, as must be the motivations of its supporters and opponents.
Under rules that need a two-thirds vote for passage, the House failed to pass this measure that would have required doctors to notify women seeking abortions after 20 weeks of gestation that the fetus feels pain. Supporters contend research shows developing fetuses begin feeling pain around 20 weeks. Opponents contend the research is inconclusive.
The whole "feeling pain" aspect of abortion has always struck me as moot: whether or not you can kill something doesn't depend on if it feels pain, it depends on what that thing is. If the thing is merely a clump of cells, you can kill it regardless of pain; if the thing is a baby, you can't kill it even if you do it painlessly.
The supporters of the bill don't think they can ban abortion, but apparently believe that fewer women would get abortions if they knew the procedure would inflict pain on their victim. Opponents of the bill must feel likewise, and since the abortion industry makes a ton of money and gives it to the Democrats there's quite an incentive to prevent a reduction in business.
