Rep. Boozman: Unborn children feel pain.

Rep. Boozman: Unborn children feel pain.

- U.S. Representative John Boozman (R-AR) today stood to save unborn children from severe pain, calling for the passage of H.R. 6099, the Unborn Baby Awareness Act.

The bill, scheduled for a suspension vote on Wednesday, was introduced in September by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). It requires abortion providers to inform women requesting an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy of the intense pain their unborn child would feel during the procedure of "dilation & extraction," also known as partial-birth abortion.

If a woman still decides to have an abortion, she would then sign a consent form indicating that she has received the requisite information and indicating whether or not she has requested anesthesia for the unborn child.

"I think when you take the emotion out of this and just use common sense and the science that is available; truly, these individual children are feeling pain," Boozman said. "It makes sense to offer the ability at 20 weeks and beyond to give the mother the knowledge that she needs to understand that and also the ability to give anesthesia to remedy that situation.

"I appreciate Rep. Smith's efforts on this bill and thank him so much for bringing up the fact unborn children feel pain," Boozman added.

Under the rules of the House of Representatives, since H.R. 6099 is being brought to directly to the floor, bypassing the committee process, the legislation would require a two-thirds majority to pass.

http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=53907