A Sky News report today tells us that unborn babies
can show pain in the womb and that they also practice facial expressions
showing pain while they are in the womb.
This news report suggests that babies are only practicing for when they are born rather than accepting that they can actually feel pain in the womb. It will be interesting to see what the actual report says when it becomes available.
We reported in 2008 on the Work of Professor Jeronima Teixera who carried out
groundbreaking research into foetal sentience, specifically
the capacity of the unborn baby to experience pain. Her research, the first
of its kind provided compelling evidence that the unborn baby is capable of
feeling pain from as early as six weeks gestation.
The Sky report tells us:
Researchers from Durham and Lancaster Universities say a
foetus' ability to show pain through facial expressions is a developmental
process which helps the unborn baby prepare for life after birth.
The research was carried out by creating scans of 15 healthy
foetuses, and could give doctors another index of the health of an unborn baby.
The study showed a foetus is capable of making simple
one-dimensional expressions at 24 weeks, such as the ability to move the lips
to form a smile.
By the time a mother is 36 weeks into her pregnancy, a
foetus can perform complex multi-dimensional expressions which can be
recognised as showing pain.
Lead researcher Dr Nadja Reissland, of Durham University's
Department of Psychology, said:
"It is vital for infants to be able to show pain as soon as they are born so that they can communicate any distress or pain they might feel to their carers."Our results show that healthy foetuses 'learn' to combine the necessary facial movements before they are born."This suggests that we can determine the normal development of facial movements and potentially identify abnormal development too. This could then provide a further medical indication of the health of the unborn baby."
The study is due to be published in the academic journal
PLOS ONE.
