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Fetal Pain (cont.)
It seems that the info in this article's Fetal Pain section is different from the information on the Fetal Pain page.  I propose changing our section to reflect what is on the fetal pain page.  The following is taken from the fetal pain page directly (though edited for summary form):

Fetal pain, its existence, and its implications are debated politically and academically, particularly in regards to the abortion debate.  

A 2005 American study, conducted by neurobiologists and pediatricians concluded that ""...fetal perception of pain is unlikely before the third trimester. Little or no evidence addresses the effectiveness of direct fetal anesthetic or analgesic techniques.""""Fetal Pain: A Systematic Multidisciplinary Review of the Evidence"" JAMA. 2005;294:947-954. Susan J. Lee, JD; Henry J. Peter Ralston, MD; Eleanor A. Drey, MD, EdM; John Colin Partridge, MD, MPH; Mark A. Rosen, MD  With the encouragement of President Ronald Reagan, in 1984 a small group of physicians argued that the ability of a fetus to feel pain appears as early as seven weeks after conception.Robinson, B.A. (2006). Can a fetus feel pain?. Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance. Retrieved December 14, 2005.  Most medical researchers agree pain cannot be felt until the third trimester of pregnancy or until after birth.""Study: Fetus feels no pain until third trimester"" MSNBC

There may be an ""emerging consensus among developmental neurobiologists that the establishment of thalamocortical connections"" (at about 26 weeks) is a critical event with regard to fetal perception of pain.  Nevertheless, because pain can involve sensory, emotional and cognitive factors, it is ""impossible to know"" when painful experiences may become possible, even if it is known when thalamocortical connections are established.Johnson, Martin and Everitt, Barry.  Essential reproduction (Blackwell 2000): ""The multidimensionality of pain perception, involving sensory, emotional, and cognitive factors may in itself be the basis of conscious, painful experience, but it will remain difficult to attribute this to a fetus at any particular developmental age.""  Retrieved 2007-02-21.  According to Arthur Caplan, ""there is no consensus among the medical and scientific experts about precisely when a fetus becomes pain-capable.  Some put the point at 28 weeks. Others say 26 or 24 and still others younger still.""Caplan, Arthur.  Testimony to U.S. Congress, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. ""Oversight Hearing on Pain of the Unborn.""  (2005-11-01). Retrieved 2007-03-10.  "