Late-Term Abortion 

What Is a Late Termination of Pregnancy and When Is It Legal?

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• Late-term abortion refers to any abortion performed after the first trimester. This is a colloquial rather than a medical term.
• In most areas, exceptions allow for abortions until birth, such as rape, incest, and the mother's health.
• Late-term abortions require methods other than those used within the first 12 weeks.

📖 This article provides information on late-term abortions (e.g., gestational limits and abortion methods).

• ⚖️ Wondering whether to have an abortion or not? – Take the Abortion Test

Fetal-Defect Abortion – Your Self-Assessment

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What Are Late-Term Abortions and How Late in Pregnancy Can You Have One?

A late-term abortion is understood as an abortion that takes place after the first trimester (i.e., after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy). Theoretically, abortions are possible up until birth. A distinction is usually made between:

• Second-trimester abortions - ending at viability at around 24 weeks
• And third-trimester abortions - starting around week 25.

When Is It Legal to Have a Late-Term Abortion?

If you live in an area with a threshold restriction for late-term abortions, specific reasons must be provided that allow for an exception.

Conditions for Late-Term Abortions

If a doctor deems an abortion necessary to save the mother's life, abortion is permitted in most countries, even where abortion is illegal. Other indications that may allow for a late abortion are socioeconomic, the health of the mother, fetal anomalies, rape, or incest.

This table provides you with information on late-term abortion exceptions in your country. The numbers indicate the time limit for abortion in weeks of gestation (LMP) according to the specific reason provided.

• Legal parameters for abortions are usually given with the mother's well-being in mind. The risk of a late-term abortion is weighed against the trauma of the abortion indicator. Therefore, socio-economic reasons and general health concerns are commonly accepted as abortion indicators in early pregnancy only. Conversely, saving the mother's life usually trumps all late-term abortion restrictions.
• The severity of fetal defects is usually considered. Abortions are often limited to defects that would drastically shorten the child's lifespan.

Birth Defect Abortion – Your Self-Assessment

Are you dealing with this subject on a personal level? Unsure which way to go? Take the self-assessment by answering three multiple-choice questions and receive an immediate evaluation.

Process of Late-Term Abortions

Should a woman fall within the spectrum of exceptions and choose to pursue a late termination of pregnancy, the following steps can be expected:

• It is usually necessary for a doctor to diagnose a medical indication for abortion.
• Frequently, informed consent is required. In this case, a state-mandated counselor will present you with information on all your options to ensure that your decision is given due deliberation.
• Unless urgent medical intervention is necessary, state-regulated waiting periods of three to seven days are often implemented.
• A blood test and an ultrasound are often performed at a preliminary appointment.

Late-Term Abortion Methods

Late terminations of pregnancy, performed after the first trimester, require their own methods. Neither medical abortions via the abortion pill, D&Cs, or vacuum aspirations are used past the first 12 - 14 weeks.

Three methods are used for late-term abortions:

• Dilation and Evacuation – D&E (Uterine Suction Curettage)
  • Second Trimester

This is a surgical procedure using vacuum aspiration. A suction catheter removes the amniotic fluid. Using forceps, the fetus is then dismembered and extracted in pieces from the womb. Finally, suction and curettage is performed to ensure that all fetal material has been removed.

• Induction Abortion
  • Second and Third Trimester

Medications are used to start the process of labor and delivery. If the fetus has passed the threshold of viability, an injection is given to induce fetal demise.

• Dilation and Extraction – D&X
  • Second and Third Trimester

The baby is delivered feet first, with the head remaining inside the woman’s body. Scissors are inserted in the back of the baby’s neck creating a hole. The baby’s brain is then suctioned out and the head collapsed, reducing the head circumference for removal.

• 94-98% of second-trimester abortions and 92% of abortions under 20 weeks are performed via D&E (UpToDate 2022).
• Induction abortions account for most other second and third-trimester abortions (2-6% of late-term abortions). Unlike the other abortion methods, which are outpatient, inductions usually require a two to three-day hospital stay.

Pregnant After the First Trimester and So Many Concerns…

You may be facing the decision of whether to have a late-term abortion. Your pregnancy may have taken an unexpected turn. This is something you could not have foreseen. Or perhaps you only just found out you were pregnant. Since you are already beyond the first three months of pregnancy, you are now considering a late termination of pregnancy…

You are under immense pressure right now. Many women in your shoes have had the experience that the people around them felt at a loss for words and did not know how to respond.

You were probably also met with a sense of helplessness, given unsolicited advice, or received some harsh judgment. In all likelihood, your worries have fallen on deaf ears. You have not been given a safe place to voice your concerns, fears, and aspirations.

Our desire for you is that you would not be left stranded but that you would receive the care you deserve. That is why we have compiled resources that are tailor-made for your situation.

• ⚖️ Late-term abortion: Yes or no? Take the Abortion Test and receive an immediate evaluation.
• 💡 Your greatest concern - Take the Solutions Finder Test

The Stats: Late-Term Abortions

It is estimated that 10-15% of abortions worldwide happen after the first trimester (Reproductive Health Matters 2010).

In 2018, 6.9% of abortions in the US were performed in the second trimester, and 1% of abortions were performed within the third trimester (CDC, MMWR, 2020, 69 (7)).

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Disclaimer:

While we strive to provide you with the most up-to-date information possible, abortion regulations are constantly shifting. profemina takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the numbers provided.