Yes, indeed, and I don't want to diminish in any way the value of mourning the dead. My point is just that that value accrues to the living, not to the dead.

Yes, indeed, and I don't want to diminish in any way the value of mourning the dead. My point is just that that value accrues to the living, not to the dead. So there may well be value in minimizing the pain of infants even if they don't actually experience pain. The policy decisions do not turn exclusively on the answer to the philosophical question. But it's not a no-op either, because if you are going to (say) administer anesthetic to a baby you'd better be sure that the net benefits outweigh the costs to the baby.