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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 13, 2021
Contact: Mallory Quigley, [email protected], 202-223-8073

It’s Time to Modernize Our Laws

Washington, D.C.  – The abortion lobby has filed its response brief in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a U.S. Supreme Court case involving Mississippi’s 15-week abortion limit.

In response to the brief, the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List released the following statement:

“The abortion lobby is desperate to distract America from the humanity of unborn children, a reality revealed by science. They insist there is ‘nothing to see here,’” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “But we know that by 15 weeks, an unborn baby’s heart has beat nearly 16 million times. She already shows a preference for her right or left hand, responds to taste, and can feel pain. Fifty years of unworkable jurisprudence has tied the hands of state lawmakers to follow the science and enact the will of their people in law. The United States is one of only seven countries in the world – including China and North Korea – that allow abortion on demand for any reason up to birth. Americans overwhelmingly agree that this status quo is too extreme.

“We proudly stand with Attorney General Lynn Fitch and her team and with Mississippi as they unflinchingly make the case for life. It is time to unshackle the states and modernize our laws.”

In the Dobbs late abortion case, the Supreme Court is set to consider whether all pre-viability limits on abortion are unconstitutional. Oral arguments will be heard next term, which begins this fall.

To help the public, members of the media, and lawmakers follow the science, Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) recently released 15 Facts at 15 Weeks, a new report from neuroscientist and CLI Associate Scholar Dr. Katrina Furth highlighting 15 amazing scientific facts about unborn babies at 15 weeks’ gestation, including:

• By 15 weeks of pregnancy, every major organ has grown and most are functional.
  • The heart pumps 26 quarts of blood per day.
  • The intestines have started the lifelong contractions that propel food through the digestive system.
  • The kidneys already filter toxins.
• The unborn baby prefers sucking his right or left thumb.
  • By studying ultrasounds, scientists have determined that 85% of unborn babies prefer moving their right hand over their left hand.  About 85% of adults prefer their right hand, too.
  • If a twin, the unborn baby moves more gently when reaching toward her twin’s face.
• The baby responds to taste.
  • Flavors from the mother’s food seep into the amniotic fluid, peaking after about 45 minutes.
  • If the amniotic fluid tastes sweet because of an injection of saccharin, the baby swallows more fluid.  If the amniotic fluid tastes bitter, the baby swallows less.
• The baby’s heart has already beat approximately 15,800,000 times.
  • A baby’s heart starts beating about 22 days after fertilization.
  • In total, a baby’s heart beats about 54 million times between conception and birth.
• The baby’s body responds to both touch and pain.
  • The baby responds to light touches over most of the body.
  • If something touches the palm of the baby’s hand, the baby will bend his or her fingers as if to grasp the object.
  • Neurotransmitters specific to pain processing appear between 10- and 14-weeks’ gestation.  The spinal nerves needed to transmit pain to the thalamus have formed by 15 weeks’ gestation.

Previously, 79 pro-life women state legislators representing 45 states joined Susan B. Anthony List in filing an amicus brief urging the Court to uphold Mississippi’s 15-week abortion limit and give greater deference to state legislatures to make abortion policy.

Charlotte Lozier Institute also filed a separate amicus brief in the Dobbs case. CLI’s brief details 12 specific lines of new scientific evidence since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that demonstrate the humanity of unborn children, including their capacity to feel pain well before “viability.” Additionally, CLI research shows that 47 out of 50 European nations limit elective abortion prior to 15 weeks.

Public opinion polls consistently show a strong majority of Americans reject pro-abortion extremism. Earlier this year, SBA List launched a nationwide campaign asserting the humanity of unborn children.

SBA List is a network of 900,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.

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