a problem of pain...

while at work i was skimming over some google news articles, as i often do, and i came across an interesting story. apparently an article was recently published in the journal of the american medical association (jama) that reviewed the current understanding of fetal pain perception. in essence, the reviews concluded that it's quite possible that a fetus is incapable of feeling pain until after 20 weeks of gestation. naturally this caused quite a stink and i guess a lot of conservatives out there are on the attack, trying to take up issue with the authors. clearly this is a bit of an over-reaction, something ultra-conservatives are good at, given that the article is simply just a review of previously published data.

but this isn't really what caught my attention. the most startling part for me was the fact the there actually exists legislation in some states that abortions performed after 20 weeks are required to administer fetal anesthesia. the paper's argument was simply that fetal anesthesia, in abortions as well fetal surgeries, is not necessary. but lets back this train up here! before an abortion post 20 weeks a doctor must administer anesthesia?! yeah, this makes sense.

lets think about this. why do we use anesthesia? to ease pain during surgery so that patients don't suffer unnecessarily during the process. so then why would someone performing an abortion care about lessening the suffering on an unborn fetus? this implies that a fetus can/may perceive pain and the use of anesthesia makes the process more 'humane.' what?! don't pro-choicers argue that a fetus isn't really alive? or a person? or however they justify it? how can an unborn, non-living thing (a bundle of cells!) experience pain? it doesn't seem reasonable to me that someone can both support the need for fetal anesthesia during an abortion and hold the view that a fetus is not alive and deserving of basic rights.

the funny thing about the ability to perceive pain is that it takes me back to my environmental ethics class and our discussion of animal rights. arguments are put forth that it's the ability to experience pain and suffering that bestows animals with basic rights that must be honored. thus, if a fetus can feel pain, then it too must possess some rights as well; even above an beyond those of animals that many activists fight so hard for.

but what if the reviews from jama are right and a fetus really does lack the ability to perceive pain? (assuming that such a conclusion can be accurately made) if the perception of pain bestows rights and responsibilities… does the absence of this sensory ability take it away? what about people in vegetative or degenerative states? can they sense pain… sometimes not. just look at all the fuss that surrounds them as their families and doctors make the decision to continue or end their lives.

so ultimately; to support fetal anesthesia… supports fetal perception of pain… which bestows a fetus with intrinsic moral rights/value that must be recognized… and therefore abortion is a breach of those intrinsic rights and must be MURDER.

One year down and only ____ more to go!

it's now late august, days are getting shorter and east lansing traffic is getting more hectic as all the damn undergrads return to town. this can only mean that class will be starting again soon only adding to my insanity. i'm now officially a second year graduate student, but what the hell does that mean? yeah, i've taken some courses and i've worked on four different research projects, but have i really made any progress?

in a 'glass is half full' manner, lets consider the positive first. i think i've really become accustomed to life out there on my own. with a few minor exceptions, i'd like to think i've done rather well at managing my finances, keeping my apartment clean, getting along with my roommate, making friends, drinking beer, eating/cooking healthy, and even getting my butt to church on a weekly basis. i enjoy 'visiting' my parents in wv and 'returning home' to lansing. this was my first chance to really be faced with some of this stuff, and so far i've lived to talk about it and i'd consider that a good thing.

that's all well and good but i'm here for school right, so shouldn't that be a bit more important? i'm always over critical and even pessimistic at times, so i find it hard to label this past year as a true "success." i came here a year ago, overwhelmed by the switch from a small catholic college of 1,400 students to a monstrous state university of 45,000+. my area of research fell within the vague realm of "environmental biochemistry" as i liked to call it, whatever the hell that is! at the time, to be honest, i had no freaking clue either! all i knew was i had a BS degree in biochemistry AND environmental chemistry and i wanted the two to work together. my graduate program advisor was a bit skeptical, but figured he'd let me give it a shot. so after two semesters of course work and three laboratory rotations, i hadn't found anyone that i could do "environmental biochemistry" with at MSU. i was left with the summer to reevaluate my research interests and find an advisor willing to support a confused student such as myself. fortunately for me, and my bank account, i was able to come up with another area of research that had interested me; evolutionary biology. because this whole process really deserves it's own entry to do it justice, i'll refrain from further elaboration now and come back to this some time later.

but now back to the present, staring at an opaque cup trying to decide how much chocolate milk is in there. the independent lifestyle that i've developed seems to be working, mostly, but this school-thing still needs more time for me to figure out. twelve months have elapsed and i still don't understand what my scientific interests are or even if a PhD is what i need to really explore them. i still don't know for certain i'm even in the right place doing the right thing.

but it's only been a year, a rather fast one i might add. so maybe i'm just reaching for an unreasonable level of understanding and direction about my educational track. maybe. maybe not. all these ideas certainly require further attention though. we'll see what happens.

Introduction

For the first post on my new blog it seems necissary to take an opportunity to provide some sort of introduction to explain who I am and why I'm writing my thoughts down here. I can't really say that I'm anything extraordinary, but rather just a regular dorky graduate student. My chosen field of study of biochemistry and molecular biology, though some days I'm not sure why. But I don't like to think of my current position as the only defining characteristic of who I am.

Hopefully as I sort through my daily thoughts and ideas in the form of rambling postings on this blog site, a more clear picture will surface of who I am and where I'm coming from. I promise that my future postings will offer a unique mix of insightfulness and humor that can only be described as the twisted way in which I view and think about the world.