Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act rejected

The U.S. House of Representatives failed to obtain the two-thirds majority to pass the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2006 (HR 6099). This was good news for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: After all, the bill's defeat means that physicians will not be required to provide women who are considering an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy with a brochure stating that there is "a substantial body of evidence to show that a fetus feels pain," according to ACOG's government affairs newsletter, Inside Scoop (12/8/2006). ACOG had opposed the bill, noting that it knows "of no legitimate scientific data or information that supports the statement that a fetus experiences pain."