Foetus

15 Aug 2006

Seven weeks: able to feel and respond to stimulus.
Sixteen weeks: able to hear even whilst the pinna is still forming.
Seventeen weeks: skin sensitivity in most of body.

Twenty-four weeks: legal abortion in NSW, Australia, without any need for proof of danger to mother or child.

We know the seventeen weeks figure for skin sensitivity from testing on ‘aborted’ (but still alive — and interestingly acknowledged as “living”) foetuses. Seriously. I don’t know how the experiments go exactly, but I reckon it’s something along the lines of “hey, let’s prod the unborn child and see what happens!” (semi-sarcastic tone). Sigh.

Half of this education course seems to be about the best way(s) to scar and kill children. It’s interesting in a really scary kind of way.