Indeed. It is a peculiarity of fetal development that the fetus is wired with many, many nerves, far more than it needs. Towards the end of pregnancy, nerves die off until just the ones that are needed remain. One can think of nerve development in a fetus as somewhat analogous to an electrician wiring a house by connecting wires at every possible place, then removing the unneeded wires. With so many extra nerves, it is a logical conclusion that a fetus' (and a premie's) ability to feel pain is more acute than that of a full-term newborn.
Back in the 1840s, a Belgium scientist observed the infusion of a rabbit sperm into a rabbit ovum under a microscope. For the first time the process of epigenesis was observed. The theory had been around for several generation, but not until the development of cell was it possible for observers to know what they were looking for. Within a few years, the Texas Medical Association was so convinced that induced abortion was the destruction of a human being that they persuaded the legislature to prohibit doctors from doing abortions.