Q for ‘Pro-Lifers’: How many kids have you ADOPTED from

[riderinthestorm]

190. Nope, docs and ethicists are universal that "brain dead" people are fair game for termination right?

When people, including physicians, talk about "brain waves" and "brain activity" they are referring to organized activity in the cortex. While no embryo or fetus has ever been found to have "brain waves," extensive EEG studies have been done on premature babies. A very good summary of their findings can be found in Pain and its effects in the human neonate and fetus," a review article (often cited by "pro-lifers" writing about fetal pain, but not about brain development) by K.J.S. Anand, a leading researcher on pain in newborns, and P.R. Hickey, published in NEJM:

"Functional maturity of the cerebral cortex is suggested by fetal and neonatal electroencephalographic patterns...First, intermittent electroencephalograpic bursts in both cerebral hemispheres are first seen at 20 weeks gestation; they become sustained at 22 weeks and bilaterally synchronous at 26 to 27 weeks."

Which means that a fetus is essentially, legally, "brain dead" until 20 weeks by any medical or legal definition. It's not an arbitrary line in the sand. Right now 1st trimester abortions are what most people are talking about. Anything after that is usually reviewed by hospital ethicists with informed consultation by the family, the family doctor and others.

This isn't some random line. It's legal. It's got history and precedent.