Testimony to House Subcommittee Details Preborn Children's Pain

On May 17, members of a U.S. House subcommittee heard graphic testimony on a bill prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy within the District of Columbia, explaining the extent to which preborn children feel the pain of being aborted, WORLD News Service reports. In D.C., abortions are currently allowed up until the moment of natural birth. H.R. 3803, heard by the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the House Judiciary Committee, would end those performed after 20 weeks. Three doctors, including a former abortionist, testified. Dr. Anthony Levatino, a gynecologist who estimates he performed more than 1,200 abortions before becoming pro-life, described in graphic terms abortions performed at the 22nd week. At that stage, a baby is about 10 inches long. Levatino said he would use a 13-inch-long stainless steel clamp with locking jaws to "pull hard" in order to dismember the baby and remove it -- piece by piece -- from the mother's body. "If you refuse to believe this procedure inflicts severe pain on that unborn child, please think again," he said. H.R. 3803 has not yet been scheduled for a hearing before the full House Judiciary Committee.