Giandomenico Iannetti, expert in pain research, strongly denies that his findings support the idea that fetuses feel pain before 24 weeks.
A researcher from University College London has expressed frustration over how his scientific work has been distorted by anti-abortion lawyers in the United States to argue against the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Giandomenico Iannetti, an expert in pain research, stated that his studies on the brain’s response to pain were misused to support anti-abortion claims.
The controversy emerged after a leaked draft opinion revealed that a majority of U.S. Supreme Court judges are leaning toward overturning Roe v. Wade, which could lead to 26 states banning abortion. The court is currently deliberating a case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, challenging Mississippi’s law prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks.
Anti-abortion lawyers referenced Iannetti’s research to argue that scientific advancements suggest fetuses may feel pain earlier than previously thought, challenging the 1973 ruling that stated fetuses do not feel pain before 24 weeks. They based their claim on a 2020 paper by Dr. Stuart Derbyshire, which draws on some of Iannetti’s work.
The paper speculates that the absence of a fully developed cerebral cortex in fetuses under 24 weeks does not necessarily prevent them from experiencing pain. However, Iannetti rejected this interpretation, asserting that his findings do not support the idea that a cortex is unnecessary for pain perception. He expressed distress over how his research had been misrepresented to further a political agenda.
Iannetti was unaware that his work was being used to advocate for changes to Roe v. Wade until colleagues in the U.S. reached out to express their shock. Despite helping U.S. scholars draft a response to the misinterpretation, he feels powerless to stop the continued misuse of his findings.
