Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
m decapitalise |
||
Line 1:
{{expert needed|
'''Prenatal perception''' is the study of the extent of [[somatosensory]] and other types of [[perception]] during [[pregnancy]]. In practical terms, this means the study of [[fetus]]es; none of the accepted indicators of perception are present in [[embryo]]s.
Studies in the field inform the [[abortion debate]], along with certain related pieces of legislation in countries affected by that debate.
Line 13:
In March 2010, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists submitted a report,<ref name="royalcollege">{{Cite web|url=http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/RCOGFetalAwarenessWPR0610.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002222748/http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/RCOGFetalAwarenessWPR0610.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-10-02|title=Fetal Awareness – Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice|date=March 2010|publisher=[[Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists]]|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> concluding that "Current research shows that the sensory structures are not developed or specialized enough to respond to pain in a fetus of less than 24 weeks",<ref name="royalcollege" />{{rp|22}}
<blockquote>The neural regions and pathways that are responsible for pain experience remain under debate but it is generally accepted that pain from physical trauma requires an intact pathway from the periphery, through the spinal cord, into the thalamus and on to regions of the cerebral cortex including the primary sensory cortex (S1), the insular cortex and the anterior cingulated cortex. Fetal pain is not possible before these necessary neural pathways and structures have developed.<ref name="royalcollege" />{{rp|3}}</blockquote>
The report specifically identified the [[anterior cingulate]] as the area of the [[cerebral cortex]] responsible for pain processing. The anterior cingulate is part of the cerebral cortex, which begins to develop in the fetus at week 26.
| |||