Why aren’t aborted foetuses given painkillers?

In a UK first last year, doctors at University College London operated on two unborn babies with spina bifida, a birth defect characterised by a gap in the spinal cord which can cause paralysis of the legs and incontinence. Around 1,000 foetuses a year develop spina bifida in the UK; of these, 80 per cent or so are subsequently aborted. The number of pregnancies terminated each year can be expected to drop with the arrival of this new surgery which will be made available on the NHS. And yet, far from rejoicing, pro-life advocates have been whipped into a frenzy over it. The reason? While foetuses – aged between 20 and 26 weeks – receiving these spinal corrections will be given painkillers, pain relief is not given to foetuses before they are aborted.

This is a glaring inconsistency given that abortion, if the foetus is 22 weeks or older, involves an injection of potassium chloride.