“I don’t know that [a one-year-old experiences pain] because I don’t know that a one-year-old experiences consciousness.”
An expert witness called in court for Planned Parenthood claimed that toddlers and infants may not feel pain or be "conscious beings" during court testimony, according to a report from Townhall.
The court case—in which Planned Parenthood has sued the state of Missouri over a trigger law banning abortion after the Dobbs decision—Planned Parenthood expert witness, maternal fetal medicine doctor Dr. Steven Ralston, claimed that a one-year-old is unlikely to feel pain, and said that they may not be "conscious beings."
Planned Parenthood sued after the voters in Missouri voted the “Reproductive Freedom Initiative” into the state constitution in 2024, which enshrines abortion as state law.
Ralston stated in court: “I don’t know that [a one-year-old experiences pain] because I don’t know that a one-year-old experiences consciousness.” Ralston also could not tell the court when consciousness begins, stating: “I think it’s different for different individuals," per Townhall.
The case has been taking place at a Jackson County, Missouri courthouse, where Planned Parenthood has sued in order to "restore abortion access in the state," according to a press release from Planned Parenthood concerning the lawsuit.
"The lawsuit was filed by Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, represented by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the ACLU of Missouri, and the American Civil Liberties Union. In the lawsuit, reproductive health care providers seek to block a number of state laws" that the abortion company claims are in "conflict with the Missouri Constitution."
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