Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) said in a late-Monday night House Rules Committee hearing on a bill prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks that the procedure should be banned because even at as early as 15 weeks a male fetus “may have their hand between their legs” and “feel pleasure.”
“This is a subject that I do know something about,” said Burgess, a former OB/GYN, during the House hearing first reported by RH Reality Check. “There is no question in my mind that a baby at 20 weeks after conception can feel pain. The fact of the matter is, I argue with the chairman because I thought the date was far too late. We should be setting this at 15 weeks, 16 weeks.”
“Watch a sonogram of a 15-week baby, and they have movements that are purposeful,” Burgess continued. “They stroke their face. If they’re a male baby, they may have their hand between their legs. If they feel pleasure, why is it so hard to think that they could feel pain?”
This bill is scheduled for a House vote Tuesday afternoon.
