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OMAHA — Bolstered by the passage of unique abortion restrictions in his home state, Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns is pushing for a new federal discussion of the notion of fetal pain.
The Nebraska law that takes effect today bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the idea of fetal pain, a departure from the standard of viability — when the fetus could survive outside the womb, generally considered to be between 22 and 24 weeks — established by the 1973 ruling in Roe vs. Wade.
Legislation recently reintroduced by Johanns doesn’t go that far. It would require women seeking abortions after 20 weeks to be told the fetus could feel pain and allow them to request anesthesia for the fetus.
