The problem of pain -- a hypothetical worth discussing

In a recent comment on girlfriday's blog, one reader talked about the interests of a 1-month-old fetus. Like many out there, she noted that a baby's ability to "feel pain" is a good way to measure the cut-off for legal abortions. Few pro-choice advocates still argue for late-term abortions. But I wonder: Is feeling pain an accurate enough indicator? I say no.

Two weeks ago I read a story a story on CNN.com about children with an extremely rare disorder called Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis (CIPA). These individuals, quite literally, cannot feel pain. This is a very dangerous condition as teething children, for instance, unknowingly gnaw on their tongues and damage them.

Surely terminating a pregnancy mid-way through the second trimester would be acceptable for a baby that doesn't even feel pain? No. Obviously, these cases are rare. But I mention this to make a point: Pain cannot be our measurement of a living being's value -- a tell-tale way of separating the killable from the livable. (We'll save viability outside the womb for another discussion.) Even if it is a proper measuring stick, who are we to decide what pain feels like, or which pain is legitimate?

From the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg, everything about a person's make-up is decided -- hair color, eye color, etc. etc. It is more than a seed of human life; it IS a human life. We put so much emphasis on a woman's nutrition and physical exertion during those early months of pregnancy, and why? Because we want the baby that's already formed to be healthy.

The fetus inside is infinitely valuable from day 1. Pain has nothing to do with it.