Abortion Later in Pregnancy
Abortions later in pregnancy are rare, but they do happen. Later abortions are mired in stigma and misinformation, and folks who seek later abortions are often demonized by abortion opponents.
This resource will explore later abortions, why they happen, and why it’s essential that we not only support later abortion seekers and oppose any and all gestational age abortion bans, but remove the myriad barriers to access that they face.
What is a later abortion?
Later abortions are relative. As WhoNotWhen puts it, “For someone seeking an abortion, it is when the gestation of a pregnancy becomes a factor in whether or how they are able to access abortion care. 41 states ban abortion at some point in pregnancy, so ‘later’ often depends on where you live.” Some consider later abortions any that take place after 21 weeks. Fewer than one percent of all abortions occur after 21 weeks.
We use the phrase “later abortion” instead of the term “late-term abortion” because the latter isn’t an actual medical phrase, but instead a creation of abortion opponents to stigmatize and demonize these types of abortions. Anytime you see that term, know that it isn’t the scientific term for abortions that occur after 21 weeks; it’s an anti-abortion slur.
What is a gestational age ban?
A gestational age ban is a ban on abortion at some point in pregnancy. When the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973’s landmark decision Roe v. Wade, they allowed states to restrict abortion after the point of “fetal viability”, typically considered 24-28 weeks. Soon after, most states banned abortion at that point in pregnancy.
In the years leading up to the Dobbs decision, conservative states started passing legislation that banned abortion before fetal viability, an explicit challenge to Roe in an attempt to give the Supreme Court a chance to overturn it. In total, 41 states ban abortion at some stage in pregnancy. Twelve of those states have total bans on abortion.
Gestational age bans serve to perpetuate the myth of a “good” abortion, stigmatizing folks who need later abortions for whatever reason. They aren’t grounded in science or medical expertise, but are a political tool meant to erode our most basic right to bodily autonomy.
Why do later abortions happen?
Later abortions happen for a variety of reasons, from structural inequities to individual experiences. We don’t believe that later abortion patients have to justify their abortion to anyone; rather, we share some common reasons to counter anti-abortion misinformation about later abortion seekers.
Don’t know they’re pregnant until later: The Turnaway Study, a comprehensive research project on abortions seekers, found that nearly half of the individuals they surveyed who obtained an abortion after 20 weeks did not suspect they were pregnant until later in pregnancy.
Learned new information about their pregnancy: According to a 2022 study, many later abortion seekers report that they sought a later abortion only after finding out some new information regarding the viability of their pregnancy or their health risks as a pregnant person.
Barriers to earlier access to abortion: Studies have also shown that barriers to abortion accessibility, including abortion bans, increasing travel distances, cost of travel and the procedure, and childcare accessibility and costs can lead to people getting abortions later in pregnancy than if those barriers didn’t exist.
Limited access to later abortions
There is a very small number of later abortion providers in the U.S., making later abortion difficult to access. One hundred percent of abortion providers that provide care after 26 weeks are at independent clinics, which lack the name recognition and political connections that organizations like Planned Parenthood have.
Because only nine states and Washington, D.C. have no gestational limit on abortion, abortion after 24-26 weeks can only be provided in those areas. Some later abortion patients are required to travel thousands of miles to access care, which will include transportation, lodging, and other costs. Add to that the much higher cost of a later abortion, which is a far more medically invasive endeavor than a first trimester medication abortion, for example, and a later abortion could potentially cost tens of thousands of dollars, prohibitive for most abortion seekers. If abortion care isn’t covered by a seeker’s health insurance, that would all have to be out of pocket.
Further resources for later abortion seekers
The Brigid Alliance, a national PSO and a member of the Apiary Hivemind, prioritizes abortion seekers after 15 weeks specifically because of the barriers to care for later abortion seekers. They provide logistical assistance like travel, food, lodging, and much more. For more information, visit their website.
In case you want more information on why terms like “late-term abortion” are propaganda and deeply deceptive, The Root lays it all out here:
Later abortion seekers have shared their stories publicly to attempt to dispel the myths and misconceptions. Four folks shared with TODAY their later abortion stories.
Who Not When, a people-centered resource from Patient Forward for understanding abortions later in pregnancy. For more information, visit their website.