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As we investigate the life of the unborn, we continue to find evidence that babies in utero share characteristics with their newborn siblings. A recent study even found that babies in their mothers' womb can actually cry. The study was carried out to assess the effects of exposure to tobacco and cocaine on fetal response to noise and movement. The unborn babies were startled enough to begin crying. This was seen on ultrasound, and recorded on video. The researchers describe "an initial exhalation movement associated with mouth opening and tongue depression, followed by a series of three augmented breaths, the last breath ending in an inspiratory pause followed by an expiration and settling." Anyone who has ever seen a baby cry can recognize this for what it is; the startled cry of a baby. In the past, four behavioral states have been recognized in unborn babies that are comparable to those of newborns: 1F (quiet sleep). 2F (active state), 3F (quiet awake) and 4F (active awake). State 5, or crying, was not previously considered to have a fetal correlate. However, the researchers excitedly report that "This is the first report/video documenting these behaviors and suggesting the possibility of a state 5F." Is anyone—aside from those who would dehumanize the unborn—really surprised that unborn babies can cry? The revelation that unborn babies cry makes it even harder for those people who advocate abortion to say that the fetus is only "tissue". Tissue does not cry; only humans cry -- even little unborn humans. (The above information was excerpted from Population Research Institute Review, Vol. 15 #5, Nov-Dec 2005.) |