Late-term abortions are abortions which are performed during a later stage of pregnancy. Late-term abortion is more controversial than abortion in general because the fetus is more developed and may even be viable. A pregnant woman near the end of her term Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. ... Abortion in the United States is a highly-charged issue with significant political and ethical debate. ... Human fetus at eight weeks. ... Human fetus at eight weeks. ...

Definition of "late-term"

A late-term abortion often refers to an induced abortion procedure that occurs after the 20th week of gestation. However, the term is not a medical term, and the exact point when a pregnancy becomes late-term is not clearly defined. Some sources define an abortion after 12 completed weeks' gestation as "late".^{[1] [2]} Some sources define an abortion after 16 weeks as "late".^{[3] [4] [5]} Three articles published in 1998 in the same issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association could not agree on the definition. Two of the JAMA articles chose the 20th week of gestation to be the point where an abortion procedure would be considered late-term.^[6] The third JAMA article chose the third trimester, or 27th week of gestation.^[7] Gestational age is age of a fetus (or newborn infant) from presumed conception. ... Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... JAMA, published continuously since in 1883, is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal published 48 times per year. ... The human gestation period of approximately 40 weeks between the time of the last menstrual cycle and delivery is traditionally divided into three periods of three months, or trimesters. ...

The point at which an abortion becomes late-term is often related to the "viability" (ability to survive outside the uterus) of the fetus. Sometimes late-term abortions are referred to as post-viability abortions. However, viability varies greatly between pregnancies. Nearly all pregnancies are viable after the 27th week, and almost no pregnancies are viable before the 20th week. Everything in between is a "grey area".^[7] Human fetus at eight weeks. ... The uterus or womb is the major female reproductive organ of most mammals, including humans. ... Human fetus at eight weeks. ... Gray Area n. ...

Incidence of later abortion

Data source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Canada: During the year 2003, 6.5% of induced abortions were performed between 13 to 16 weeks, 2.2% between 17 to 20 weeks, and 0.8% over 20 weeks. This sample included only those procedures carried out in hospitals. ^[8]

• England and Wales: In 2004, 10.7% of abortions occurred between 13 to 19 weeks, while 1.5% occurred at or over 20 weeks. ^[9]

• New Zealand: In 2003, 2.03% of induced abortions were done between weeks 16 to 19, and 0.56% were done over 20 weeks. ^[10]

• Norway: In 2005, 2.28% of induced abortions were performed between 13 to 16 weeks, 1.24% of abortions between 17 and 20 weeks, and 0.20% over 21 weeks. ^[11]

• Scotland: In 2004, 6.12% of abortions were done between 14 to 17 weeks, while 1.65% were performed over 18 weeks. ^[12]

• Sweden: 0.85% of abortions were carried out at or greater than 18 weeks in 2004. ^[13]

• United States: In 2002, from data collected in those areas that sufficiently reported gestational age, it was found that 9.9% of abortions were conducted from 13 to 20 weeks, and 1.4% at or after 21 weeks. ^[5] Because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's annual study on abortion statistics does not calculate the exact gestational age for abortions performed past the 20th week, there is no exact data for the number of abortions performed after viability. ^[5] In 1997, the Guttmacher Institute estimated the number of abortions in the U.S. past 24 weeks to be 0.08%, or approximately 1,032 per year.^[14]

Image File history File links USAbortionbyGestationalAgeChart2002. ... Image File history File links USAbortionbyGestationalAgeChart2002. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... This article is about the country. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots3 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  -  First Minister Jack McConnell... Gestational age is age of a fetus (or newborn infant) from presumed conception. ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, is recognized as the leading United States agency for protecting the public health and safety of people. ... The Guttmacher Institute (formerly the Alan Guttmacher Institute) is a research institute that provides global and U.S.-specific demographic statistics on reproductive matters such as birth control and abortion. ...

Reasons for later abortion

See also: Reasons for abortions.

Reasons commonly given for having a late-term abortion include: Abortion in the United States is a highly-charged issue with significant political and ethical debate. ...

• A deteriorating financial situation
• A change in relationship with the father
• A lack of awareness of the pregnancy until its later stages
• Discovery of the pregnancy by others who persuade an abortion, for example, the parents of a minor
• Inability to have an abortion earlier in the pregnancy (possibly due to a lack of funds, lack of transportation, or a legal restriction)
• Discovery of a fetal abnormality, undetectable earlier in the pregnancy
• The pregnancy becomes a risk to the mother's life or health

There is very little data on how common each of these reasons are. In 1987, the Alan Guttmacher Institute collected questionnaires from 1,900 women who were at abortion clinics procuring abortions. Of the 1,900, 420 had been pregnant for 16 or more weeks. These 420 women were asked to choose among a menu of reasons why they had not obtained the abortions earlier in their pregnancies. Two percent (2%) said "a fetal problem was diagnosed late in pregnancy". 71% responded "did not recognize that she was pregnant or misjudged gestation", 48% said "found it hard to make arrangements", and 33% said "was afraid to tell her partner or parents". The report did not indicate that any of the 420 abortions after 16 weeks were performed because of maternal health problems.^[3]

Legal restrictions on later abortion

As of 1998, among the 152 most populous countries, 54 either banned abortion entirely or permitted it only to save the life of the pregnant woman.^[15] In contrast, another 44 of the 152 most populous countries generally banned late-term abortions after a particular gestational age: 12 weeks (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Rep., Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Kazakstan, Kyrgyz Rep., Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Norway, Russian Fed., Slovak Rep., Slovenia, South Africa, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Yugoslavia), 13 weeks (Italy), 14 weeks (Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Germany, Hungary, and Romania), 18 weeks (Sweden), viability (Netherlands and to some extent the United States), and 24 weeks (Singapore).^[15] Gestational age is age of a fetus (or newborn infant) from presumed conception. ...

United States

The United States Supreme Court decisions on abortion, including Roe v. Wade, allow states to impose more restrictions on post-viability abortions than during the earlier stages of pregnancy. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Holding Texas law making it a crime to assist a woman to get an abortion violated her due process rights. ...

As of April 2007, 36 states had bans on late-term abortions that were not facially unconstitutional (i.e. banning all abortions) or enjoined by court order.^[16] In addition, the Supreme Court in the case of Gonzales v. Carhart ruled that Congress may ban certain late-term abortion techniques, "both previability and postviability". The majority of information on this page is speculative. ...

Some of the 36 state bans are believed by pro-choice organizations to be unconstituational.^{[17] [18]}The Supreme Court has held that bans must include exceptions for threats to the woman's life, physical health, and mental health, but four states allow late-term abortions only when the woman's life is at risk; four allow them when the woman's life or physical health is at risk, but use a definition of health that pro-choice organizations believe is impermissibly narrow.^[16] Assuming that one of these state bans is constitutionally flawed, then that does not necessarily mean that the entire ban would be struck down: "invalidating the statute entirely is not always necessary or justified, for lower courts may be able to render narrower declaratory and injunctive relief."^[19]

Also, 13 states prohibit abortion after a certain number of weeks' gestation (usually 24 weeks).^[16] The U.S. Supreme Court held in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services that a statute may create "a presumption of viability" after a certain number of weeks, in which case the physician must be given an opportunity to rebut the presumption by performing tests.^[20] Therefore, those 13 states must provide that opportunity. Because this provision is not explicitly written into these 13 laws, as it was in the Missouri law examined in Webster, pro-choice organizations believe that such a state law is unconstitutional, but only "to the extent that it prohibits pre-viability abortions".^[17] Holding The Court approved a Missouri law that imposed restrictions on the use of state funds, facilities and employees in performing, assisting with, or counseling on abortions. ...

Ten states require a second physician to approve.^[16] The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a requirement of "confirmation by two other physicians" (rather than one other physician) because "acquiescence by co-practitioners has no rational connection with a patient's needs and unduly infringes on the physician's right to practice".^[21] Pro-choice organizations such as the Guttmacher Institute therefore interpret some of these state laws to be unconstitutional, based on these and other Supreme Court rulings, at least to the extent that these state laws require approval of a second or third physician.^[16]

Nine states have laws that require a second physician to be present during late-term abortion procedures in order to treat a fetus if born alive.^[16] The Court has held that a doctor's right to practice is not infringed by requiring a second physician to be present at abortions performed after viability in order to assist in saving the life of the fetus.^[22]

Procedures used in later term

There are at least three medical procedures associated with late-term abortions:

• Dilation and evacuation (D&E)
• Early induction of labor
• Intact dilation and extraction (IDX or D&X), commonly known as Partial-birth abortion

Abortions done for fetal abnormality are usually performed with induction of labor or with IDX; these procedures result in an intact body that the parents can hold and take pictures of as part of their mourning process. Elective late-term abortions are usually performed with D&E. Dilation and evacuation is a form of abortion using dilation and evacuation. ... Induction is a way of artificially bringing on labour in a woman. ... Intact dilation and extraction (IDX or Intact D&X), is a surgical abortion wherein an intact fetus is removed from the womb via the cervix. ...

References

Holding ... Court membership Case opinions Laws applied NH Parental Notification Prior to Abortion Act (N.H. Rev. ... Doe v. ...

External links

• Gina Gonzales as told to Barry Yeoman, "I Had An Abortion When I Was Six Months Pregnant," Glamour