Why is it a factor?

It’s a factor because pain is generally a negative emotion, it makes the situation worse when someone feels pain rather than when they don’t. If I got shot in the foot, I’d find it much more bearable if that was completely painless. It’s bad, but I’d probably be less mad that way, and I’d likely sue the person who shot my foot for less if I didn’t feel it at all. Pain adds to the immorality of the situation, lacking it makes it less horrible. The fact that I have, or am usually capable of, feeling and thinking is what allows me a large chunk of my own…  Read more morality. A sentient, fully aware and feeling creature tends to have more moral value, as things like pain, emotions, thoughts, memories, and experiences are what gauges moral worth in some measure of the word. I’d feel less bad if an egg was broken rather than a full-grown bird, and I wouldn’t feel bad at all if something like a newly formed embryo dead suddenly, considering it was nowhere near even knowing of its own existence, let alone feeling it. These types of reasons are a part of the reason why I am more okay with abortion at earlier times, and why I’d prefer a maximum cap on abortion at 15-24 weeks if any specific ban HAS to be enacted.