View source for Medicine:Late termination of pregnancy

{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox medical intervention
| Name = Late termination of pregnancy
| synonyms = Postviability abortion, third trimester abortion, induced termination of pregnancy (ITOP),<ref name=Reporting_Duke>{{cite journal |last1=Duke |first1=C. Wes |title=Challenges and Priorities for Surveillance of Stillbirths: A Report on Two Workshops |journal=Public Health Rep |date=September 2009 |volume=124 |issue=5 |pages=652–659 |pmc=2728657 |pmid=19753943|doi=10.1177/003335490912400507 }}</ref> late-term abortion
| Image =<!--Please don't add an image here unless it achieves consensus at Talk:Abortion/Lead image-->
| Caption =
| Field = [[Medicine:Obstetrics|Obstetrics]] and gynecology
| ICD10 = {{ICD10|O|04||o|00}}
| ICD9 = {{ICD9|779.6}}
| DiseasesDB =
| ICDO =
| OMIM =
| MedlinePlus = 002912
| eMedicineSubj =
| eMedicineTopic =
| MeshID = D000028
}}
'''Late termination of pregnancy''', also referred to as '''third trimester abortion''',<ref name="nyt-wrong">{{cite news | work = {{wipe|The New York Times}} | title = What Is Late-Term Abortion? Trump Got It Wrong | date = February 6, 2019 | first = Pam | last = Belluck | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/health/late-term-abortion-trump.html | quote=Late-term abortion is a phrase used by abortion opponents to refer to abortions performed after about 21 weeks of pregnancy. It is not the same as the medical definition obstetricians use for 'late-term,' which refers to pregnancies that extend past a woman's due date, meaning about 41 or 42 weeks.}}</ref> describes the termination of [[Medicine:Pregnancy|pregnancy]] by induced [[Medicine:Abortion|abortion]] during a late stage of gestation.<ref name=Hab2009>{{cite journal |last1=Habiba |first1=M |last2=Da Frè |first2=M |last3=Taylor |first3=DJ |last4=Arnaud |first4=C |last5=Bleker |first5=O |last6=Lingman |first6=G |last7=Gomez |first7=MM |last8=Gratia |first8=P |last9=Heyl |first9=W |last10=Viafora |first10=C |title=Late termination of pregnancy: a comparison of obstetricians' experience in eight European countries |journal=BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology |date=September 2009 |volume=116 |issue=10 |pages=1340–1349 |doi=10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02228.x |pmid=19538409|s2cid=205615540 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In this context, ''late'' is not precisely defined, and different medical publications use varying gestational age thresholds.<ref name=Hab2009/><!-- Quote = Currently, there is no gestational age distinction between early and late termination --> {{As of|2015}} in the United States, more than 90% of abortions occur before the 13th week, 1.3% of abortions in the United States took place after the 21st week,<ref name=MMWR2018>{{cite journal |last1=Jatlaoui |first1=Tara C. |last2=Boutot |first2=Maegan E. |last3=Mandel |first3=Michele G. |last4=Whiteman |first4=Maura K. |last5=Ti |first5=Angeline |last6=Petersen |first6=Emily |last7=Pazol |first7=Karen |title=Abortion Surveillance – United States, 2015 |journal=MMWR. Surveillance Summaries |date=23 November 2018 |volume=67 |issue=13 |pages=1–45 |doi=10.15585/mmwr.ss6713a1 |pmid=30462632 |pmc=6289084 }}</ref> and less than 1% occur after 24 weeks.<ref name=NYT2019>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/health/late-term-abortion-trump.html|title=What Is Late-Term Abortion? Trump Got It Wrong|last=Belluck|first=Pam|date=2019-02-06|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-05-16|issn=0362-4331|quote=Abortions after 24 weeks comprise less than one percent of all abortions. When they occur, it is usually because the fetus has been found to have a fatal condition that could not be detected earlier, such as a severe malformation of the brain, or because the mother's life or health is at serious risk.}}</ref><ref>2023 Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment; 62nd Edition; Edited by Maxine Papadakis et al., 2023, McGraw Hill, {{ISBN|978-1-264-68774-9}}</ref>

<!-- Reasons and health effects -->
Reasons for late terminations of pregnancy include circumstances where a pregnant woman's health is at risk or when [[Medicine:Birth defect|birth defect]]s, such as lethal fetal abnormalities, have been detected.<ref name=ACOG2019>{{cite web|url=https://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/ACOG-Departments/Government-Relations-and-Outreach/Facts-are-Important-Abortion-Care-Later-in-Pregnancy-is-Important-to-Womens-Health|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729144416/https://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/ACOG-Departments/Government-Relations-and-Outreach/Facts-are-Important-Abortion-Care-Later-in-Pregnancy-is-Important-to-Womens-Health|archive-date=July 29, 2019|title=Facts are Important: Abortion Care Later in Pregnancy is Important to Women's Health|publisher=ACOG|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref><!-- Quote = The need for an abortion later in pregnancy could arise for a number of reasons, including fetal anomalies or complications that threaten a woman's health... Many abortions that occur later in pregnancy involve fetal anomalies incompatible with life --><ref name=Scot2019/><!-- Quote = Late-term abortions, which are extremely rare and generally performed when the fetus has been found to have defects incompatible with extrauterine life --> 

In the United States, the [[Mortality rate|mortality rate]] for legal abortions overall is less than 1:100,000. The rate of mortality and morbidity increases with the gestational age of the fetus, so patients who have decided to have an abortion are strongly encouraged to get it early.<ref>2023 Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment; 62nd Edition; Edited by Maxine Papadakis et al., 2023, McGraw Hill, {{ISBN|978-1-264-68774-9}} "Overall, legal abortion in the United States has a mortality rate of less than 1:100,000. Rates of morbidity and mortality rise with length of gestation… If abortion is chosen, every effort should be made to encourage the patient to seek an early procedure."</ref> Still, later abortion is not associated with any greater net negative physical or mental health outcomes (including mortality) than full-term pregnancy and childbirth in the United States.<ref name=Char2008>{{Cite journal|last1=Charles|first1=Vignetta E.|last2=Polis|first2=Chelsea B.|last3=Sridhara|first3=Srinivas K.|last4=Blum|first4=Robert W.|date=December 2008|title=Abortion and long-term mental health outcomes: a systematic review of the evidence|journal=Contraception|volume=78|issue=6|pages=436–450|doi=10.1016/j.contraception.2008.07.005|pmid=19014789}}</ref><ref name=Scot2019>{{cite journal |last1=Stotland |first1=NL |title=Update on Reproductive Rights and Women's Mental Health. |journal=The Medical Clinics of North America |date=July 2019 |volume=103 |issue=4 |pages=751–766 |doi=10.1016/j.mcna.2019.02.006 |pmid=31078205|s2cid=153307516 |quote=Abortion carries far less risk of physical and psychological morbidity and mortality than childbirth}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems |date=2012 |publisher=World Health Organization |isbn=978-92-4-154843-4 |page=21 |edition=2 |url=https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/70914/;jsessionid=77A66776BAB80D9547B917E773811B6D?sequence=1 |access-date=June 6, 2019}}</ref>

<!-- Society and culture -->
Late termination of pregnancy is more controversial than abortion in general. All countries in Europe only permit abortion later in pregnancy (after 10-14 weeks in most countries, 18 weeks in Sweden and Iceland, and 24 weeks in the Netherlands and Great Britain) if specific circumstances are present, generally when the pregnancy represents a serious danger to the life, or to the physical or mental health of the woman, or when a serious malformation or anomaly of the [[Biology:Fetus|fetus]] is diagnosed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Abortion Legislation in Europe |url=https://www.loc.gov/law/help/abortion-legislation/europe.php |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=June 6, 2019 |date=January 2015}}</ref>

==Definition==
A late termination of pregnancy often refers to an induced ending of pregnancy after the 20th week of gestation, i.e. after a fetal age (time since conception) of about 18 weeks. The exact point when an abortion is considered late-term, however, is not clearly defined.  In three articles published in 1998 in the same issue of the ''Journal of the American Medical Association'' (JAMA), two chose the 20th week of gestation and one chose the 28th week of gestation as the point where an abortion procedure would be considered late-term.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sprang |first1=M. L. |last2=Neerhof |first2=M. G. |year=1998 |title=Rationale for banning abortions late in pregnancy |journal=Journal of the American Medical Association |volume=280 |issue=8 |pages=744–747 |doi=10.1001/jama.280.8.744 |pmid=9728651 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Grimes |first=D. A. |year=1998 |title=The continuing need for late abortions |journal=Journal of the American Medical Association |volume=280 |issue=8 |pages=747–750 |doi=10.1001/jama.280.8.747 |pmid=9728652 }}</ref><ref name="Jama2">{{cite journal |last1=Gans Epner |first1=J. E. |last2=Jonas |first2=H. S. |last3=Seckinger |first3=D. L. |year=1998 |title=Late-term abortion |journal=Journal of the American Medical Association |volume=280 |issue=8 |pages=724–729 |doi=10.1001/jama.280.8.724 |pmid=9728645 }}</ref> The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines a late term pregnancy as 41 weeks 0 days through 41 weeks 6 days, which differs from how the term is used in the abortion context.<ref>{{cite journal|date=November 2013|title=ACOG Committee Opinion No 579: Definition of term pregnancy|journal=Obstetrics and Gynecology|volume=122|issue=5|pages=1139–1140|doi=10.1097/01.AOG.0000437385.88715.4a|issn=1873-233X|pmid=24150030|doi-access=free}}</ref>

In the United States, the point at which an abortion becomes late-term is often related to fetal viability (ability of the [[Biology:Fetus|fetus]] to survive outside the [[Biology:Uterus|uterus]]). Thus, late-term abortions are sometimes referred to as post-viability abortions.<ref>2023 Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment; 62nd Edition
Edited by Maxine Papadakis et al., 2023, McGraw Hill, {{ISBN|978-1-264-68774-9}} "If abortion is chosen, every effort should be made to encourage the patient to seek an early procedure. In the United States, while numerous state laws limiting access to abortion and a federal law banning a rarely used variation of dilation and evacuation have been enacted, abortion remains legal and available until fetal viability (definition varies by state), under Roe v. Wade." (note the part of the quote referring to Roe is no longer good law.)</ref>

===Viability===
There is no sharp limit of development, age, or weight at which a fetus becomes viable.<ref name="developinghuman2">Moore, Keith and Persaud, T. [https://books.google.com/books?id=dbRpAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Prematurity+is+one+of+the+most+common+causes+of+morbidity%22 ''The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology''], p. 103 (Saunders 2003).</ref> A 2015 study found that even with active treatment, no infants born at less than 22 weeks survived, but an infant born at 21 weeks and one day in April of 2021 did survive his premature birth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UAB Hospital delivers record-breaking premature baby |url=https://www.uab.edu/news/health/item/12427-uab-hospital-delivers-record-breaking-premature-baby |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=UAB News}}</ref> At 23 weeks survival without severe impairment is less than 2%, and at 25 weeks, up to 30% might survive without severe impairment.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Rysavy|first1=Matthew A.|last2=Li|first2=Lei|last3=Bell|first3=Edward F.|last4=Das|first4=Abhik|last5=Hintz|first5=Susan R.|last6=Stoll|first6=Barbara J.|last7=Vohr|first7=Betty R.|last8=Carlo|first8=Waldemar A.|last9=Shankaran|first9=Seetha|date=2015-05-07|title=Between-Hospital Variation in Treatment and Outcomes in Extremely Preterm Infants|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|volume=372|issue=19|pages=1801–1811|doi=10.1056/NEJMoa1410689|issn=0028-4793|pmc=4465092|pmid=25946279}}</ref><ref name="MoD">{{cite web|url=http://www.marchofdimes.org/loss/neonatal-death.aspx|title=Neonatal Death|publisher=March of Dimes|date=October 2017|access-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref> According to studies between 2003 and 2005,<ref>{{cite journal | author = The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists | title = ACOG Practice Bulletin: Clinical Management Guidelines for Obstetrcian-Gynecologists: Number 38, September 2002. Perinatal care at the threshold of viability | journal = Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 100 | issue = 3 | pages = 617–624 | date = September 2002 | pmid = 12220792 | doi = 10.1016/S0029-7844(02)02260-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Luke B, Brown MB | title = The changing risk of infant mortality by gestation, plurality, and race: 1989–1991 versus 1999–2001 | journal = Pediatrics | volume = 118 | issue = 6 | pages = 2488–2497 | date = December 2006 | pmid = 17142535 | pmc = 3623686 | doi = 10.1542/peds.2006-1824 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Tyson JE, Parikh NA, Langer J, Green C, Higgins RD | title = Intensive care for extreme prematurity – moving beyond gestational age | journal = The New England Journal of Medicine | volume = 358 | issue = 16 | pages = 1672–1681 | date = April 2008 | pmid = 18420500 | pmc = 2597069 | doi = 10.1056/NEJMoa073059 }}</ref> 20 to 35 percent of babies born at 24 weeks of gestation survived, while 50 to 70 percent of babies born at 25 weeks, and more than 90 percent born at 26 to 27 weeks, survived.<ref name="MoD"/> Because the chance of survival is variable based on interventions available and the weight and sex of the fetus, there is no consensus on viability. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reports that 23% of abortion providers offer abortions at 20 weeks of gestation and later, most often using a method called dilation and evacuation (D&E).<ref>{{Cite journal|date=June 2013|title=Practice Bulletin No. 135|journal=Obstetrics & Gynecology|volume=121|issue=6|pages=1394–1406|doi=10.1097/01.aog.0000431056.79334.cc|pmid=23812485|s2cid=205384119|issn=0029-7844}}</ref>

==Incidence==
[[Image:UK abortion by gestational age 2019 histogram.svg|thumb|[[Histogram|Histogram]] of abortions by gestational age in England and Wales during 2019.]]
[[Image:US abortion by gestational age 2016 histogram.svg|thumb|Abortion in the United States by gestational age, 2016. (Data source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)]]

*'''Australia:''' {{as of|2015}}, South Australia is the only Australian state or territory to keep reliable abortion statistics. During 2012, 92% of abortions were performed before 14 weeks' gestation, 6% between 14 and 20 weeks, and 2% (n=96) at a later stage. Of the 96 abortions carried out beyond 20 weeks, 53 were due to actual or probable fetal abnormality.<ref>Pregnancy Outcome Unit,
SA Health. (2014). [http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/Public+Content/SA+Health+Internet/About+us/Health+statistics/Pregnancy+outcome+statistics/Pregnancy+outcome+statistics]. Retrieved July 10th, 2015.</ref>
*'''Canada:''' During the year 2019, approximately 87% of abortions occurred by 12 weeks, with 1.17% occurring after 21 weeks.<ref>Abortion Statistics in Canada. (2019) [https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/statistics-abortion-in-canada.pdf]. Retrieved January 7th, 2022.</ref>
*'''England and Wales''': In 2015, 8% of abortions occurred after 12 weeks; 0.1% occurred at or over 24 weeks.<!--See Table 7b and item 2.28--><ref>Government Statistical Service for the Department of Health. (May 17, 2016). [https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/report-on-abortion-statistics-in-england-and-wales-for-2015 Abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2015]. Retrieved October 20, 2016.</ref>
* '''New Zealand''': In 2003, 2.03% of induced abortions were done between weeks 16 and 19, and 0.56% were done over 20 weeks.<ref>Statistics New Zealand. (January 31, 2005). '' [http://www2.stats.govt.nz/domino/external/pasfull/pasfull.nsf/web/Hot+Off+The+Press+Abortions+Year+ended+December+2004?open Demographic Trends 2004] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927235913/http://www2.stats.govt.nz/domino/external/pasfull/pasfull.nsf/web/Hot+Off+The+Press+Abortions+Year+ended+December+2004?open |date=2007-09-27 }}.'' Retrieved April 19, 2007.</ref>
*'''Norway:''' In 2005, 2.28% of induced abortions were performed between 13 and 16 weeks, 1.24% of abortions between 17 and 20 weeks, and 0.20% over 21 weeks.<ref>Statistics Norway. (April 26, 2006). [http://www.ssb.no/abort_en/tab-2006-04-26-05-en.html Induced abortions, by period of gestation and the woman's age. 2005]. Retrieved January 17, 2006.</ref> Between February 15, 2010, and December 1, 2011, a total number of ten abortions were performed between 22 and 24 weeks. These have been declared illegal by The Norwegian Directorate of Health. Women who seek an abortion after the 12-week time limit must apply to a special medical assessment board – called an "abortion board" (Norwegian: {{Lang|no|abortnemnd}} or {{Lang|no|primærnemnd}}) – that will determine whether or not to grant them an abortion.<ref>The Norwegian Directorate of Health. (May 7, 2012). [http://www.helsedirektoratet.no/Om/nyheter/Sider/senaborter-etter-22-uke.aspx Senaborter etter 22. uke] Retrieved September 05, 2019.</ref>
*'''Scotland:''' In 2005, 6.1% of abortions were done between 14 and 17 weeks, while 1.6% were performed over 18 weeks.<ref>ISD Scotland. (May 24, 2006). [http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/info3.jsp?pContentID=1919&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show& Percentage of abortions performed in Scotland by estimated gestation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928000937/http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/info3.jsp?pContentID=1919&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show& |date=2007-09-28 }}. Retrieved May 10, 2007.</ref>
*'''Sweden:''' In 2005, 5.6% of abortions were carried out between 12 and 17 weeks, and 0.8% at or greater than 18 weeks.<ref>Nilsson, E., Ollars, B., & Bennis, M.. The National Board of Health and Welfare. (May 2006). [http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/NR/rdonlyres/A15D144C-EE18-4CA0-B141-48EED8D6F7B6/5496/Publ200506422.pdf Aborter 2005] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704011240/http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/NR/rdonlyres/A15D144C-EE18-4CA0-B141-48EED8D6F7B6/5496/Publ200506422.pdf |date=2007-07-04 }}. Retrieved May 10, 2007.</ref>
*'''Switzerland:''' In 2016, 10% of abortions performed after the legal term were carried out after week 21 (a total of 36 cases).<ref name=Sie2017>{{cite web |url=https://www.parlament.ch/de/ratsbetrieb/suche-curia-vista/geschaeft?AffairId=20173554/ |title=Rechtslage zu Abtreibungen und Spätabtreibungen in der Schweiz |last=von Siebenthal |first=Erich |date=15 June 2017 |access-date=5 September 2019 |language=de |trans-title=Legal situation regarding termination of pregnancy in Switzerland}}.</ref> Of these cases 86% were carried out due to physical problems with the child or mother.<ref name=Sie2017/>
*'''United States:'''  In 2003, from data collected in those areas that sufficiently reported gestational age, it was found that 6.2% of abortions were conducted between 13 and 15 weeks, 4.2% between 16 and 20 weeks, and 1.4% at or after 21 weeks.<ref name="cdc2003">Strauss, L.T., Gamble, S.B., Parker, W.Y, Cook, D.A., Zane, S.B., & Hamdan, S. (November 24, 2006). [https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5511a1.htm Abortion Surveillance – United States, 2003]. ''Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 55 (11),'' 1–32. Retrieved May 10, 2007.</ref> In 2014, the CDC reported that 1.3% of reported abortions (5,578) were performed at 21 weeks of gestation or later.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jatlaoui|first1=Tara C.|last2=Shah|first2=Jill|last3=Mandel|first3=Michele G.|last4=Krashin|first4=Jamie W.|last5=Suchdev|first5=Danielle B.|last6=Jamieson|first6=Denise J.|last7=Pazol|first7=Karen|date=2017-11-24|title=Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2014|journal=MMWR. Surveillance Summaries|volume=66|issue=24|pages=1–48|doi=10.15585/mmwr.ss6624a1|pmid=29166366|issn=1546-0738|pmc=6289084}}</ref>

== Reasons==

===United States===

Reasons for late terminations of pregnancy include when a pregnant woman's health is at risk or when [[Medicine:Birth defect|lethal fetal abnormalities]] have been detected.<ref name=ACOG2019/><!-- Quote = The need for an abortion later in pregnancy could arise for a number of reasons, including fetal anomalies or complications that threaten a woman's health... Many abortions that occur later in pregnancy involve fetal anomalies incompatible with life --><ref name=Scot2019/><!-- Quote = Late-term abortions, which are extremely rare and generally performed when the fetus has been found to have defects incompatible with extrauterine life -->

A 2013 study found, after excluding abortion "on grounds of fetal anomaly or life endangerment", that women seeking late abortions "fit at least one of five profiles: They were raising children alone, were depressed or using illicit substances, were in conflict with a male partner or experiencing domestic violence, had trouble deciding and then had access problems, or were young and nulliparous". The study concluded that "bans on abortion after 20 weeks will disproportionately affect young women and women with limited financial resources".<ref name=Foster2013>{{cite journal| last1=Foster| first1=Diana| first2=Katrina |last2=Kimport |title=Who Seeks Abortions at or After 20 Weeks?|journal=Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health| date=December 2013| volume=45| issue=4| pages=210–218| doi=10.1363/4521013| pmid=24188634| url=https://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/4521013.html| access-date=9 September 2014| doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== England and Wales ===
The NHS records the reasons given for abortions at all stages of development. In 2015, 2,877 abortions were performed at 20 weeks or above, and only 230 of these at or beyond 24 weeks gestation. Of all abortions at 20 weeks or above, 23 (0.8%)<!-- Ground A (alone, or with B, C, D) or F or G  --> were performed to save the life of the pregnant woman, 1,801<!-- C (alone) --> (63%) were performed for mental or physical health reasons, and 1046<!-- Ground E (alone, or with A, B, C or D)  --> (36%) were performed because of fetal abnormalities.<ref>{{Cite report|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/529344/Abortion_Statistics_2015_v3.pdf|title=Report on abortion statistics in England and Wales for 2015|last=Department of Health|date=17 May 2016|page=31 (Table 7b)|access-date=2016-10-24}}</ref>

==Legal restrictions==<!-- This section is linked from Intact dilation and extraction -->
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.<ref name="Global">Anika Rahman, Laura Katzive and Stanley K. Henshaw. [http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2405698.pdf A Global Review of Laws on Induced Abortion, 1985–1997], International Family Planning Perspectives (Volume 24, Number 2, June 1998).</ref>

On the other hand, as of 1998, 49 of the 152 most populous countries allowed abortion without restriction as to reason, but 44 of these required specific justification after a particular gestational age:<ref name="Global" />

* 12 weeks (Albania, [[Place:Armenia|Armenia]], [[Place:Azerbaijan|Azerbaijan]], {{wipe|Belarus}}, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, [[Place:Czech Republic|Czech Republic]], {{wipe|Denmark}}, Estonia, [[Place:Georgia (country)|Georgia]], Greece, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, {{wipe|Norway}}, {{wipe|Russia}}, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, {{wipe|South Africa}}, {{wipe|Ukraine}}, Tajikistan,  Tunisia, [[Place:Turkey|Turkey]], Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan)
* 13 weeks (Italy)
* 14 weeks ({{wipe|Argentina}}, Austria, Cambodia, {{wipe|France}}, {{wipe|Germany}}, Hungary, Romania and {{wipe|Spain}})
* 18 weeks (Sweden)
* 22 weeks (North Macedonia)
* 24 weeks ([[Place:Singapore|Singapore]], Netherlands<ref name=":0" />)
* viability (to some extent the {{wipe|United States}})
* no limit unless the child is born during said attempted abortion ({{wipe|Canada}}, some states in the United States, {{wipe|China}}, and North Korea)

Dutch Criminal Code defines the "viability" of a fetus to 24 weeks, but doctors ''de facto'' limit on-request abortions to 22 weeks as a margin of error.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Zaken|first=Ministerie van Algemene|date=2015-05-11|title=What is the time limit for having an abortion?|url=https://www.government.nl/topics/abortion/question-and-answer/what-is-the-time-limit-for-having-an-abortion|language=en-GB}}</ref>

As of 2011 among those countries that allowed abortion without restriction as to reason, the gestational limits for such abortions on request were: 37 countries set a gestational limit of 12 weeks, 7 countries of 14 weeks, 4 did not set limits, 3 at viability, 3 at 10 weeks, one at 90 days, one at 8 weeks, one at 18 weeks, and one at 24 weeks. In addition, Abortion in Australia, and, to a certain extent, Abortion in the United States, is regulated at state/territory level, and laws vary by region.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reproductiverights.org/sites/crr.civicactions.net/files/documents/AbortionMap_2011.pdf |access-date=30 June 2019 |title=The World's Abortion Laws 2011 |publisher=Center for Reproductive Rights}}</ref>

In these countries, abortions after the general gestational age limit are allowed only under restricted circumstances, which include, depending on country, risk to the woman's life, physical or mental health, fetal malformation, cases where the pregnancy was the result of [[Medicine:Rape|rape]], or poor socio-economic conditions. For instance, in Italy, abortion is allowed on request up until 90 days, after which it is allowed only if the pregnancy or childbirth pose a threat to the woman's life, a risk to physical health of the woman, a risk to mental health of the woman; if there is a risk of fetal malformation; or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or other sexual crime.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ippfen.org/NR/rdonlyres/2EB28750-BA71-43F8-AE2A-8B55A275F86C/0/Abortion_legislation_Europe_Jan2007.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313162004/http://www.ippfen.org/NR/rdonlyres/2EB28750-BA71-43F8-AE2A-8B55A275F86C/0/Abortion_legislation_Europe_Jan2007.pdf |archive-date=2013-03-13 }}</ref> Denmark provides a wider range of reasons, including social and economic ones, which can be invoked by a woman who seeks an abortion after 12 weeks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/population/abortion/Denmark.abo.htm|title=Denmark|work=harvard.edu|access-date=13 October 2015}}</ref>

Abortions at such stages must in general be approved by a doctor or a special committee, unlike early abortions which are performed on demand. The ease with which the doctor or the committee allows a late term abortion varies significantly by country, and is often influenced by the social and religious views prevalent in that region.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

Some countries, like Canada, China (Mainland only) and Vietnam have no legal limit on when an abortion can be performed.<ref name="Global" />

===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.

As of December 2014, forty-two states had bans on late-term abortions that were not facially unconstitutional under ''Roe v. Wade'' or enjoined by court order.<ref name="state">Guttmacher Institute. (April 1, 2007). [http://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_PLTA.pdf State Policies on Later-Term Abortions]. ''State Policies in Brief.''  Retrieved April 19, 2007.</ref> 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",<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Annas|first1=George J.|title=The Supreme Court and Abortion Rights|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|date=24 May 2007|volume=2007|issue=356|pages=2201–2207|doi=10.1056/NEJMhle072595|pmid=17476003|url=https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/1294}}</ref> as it had done in banning intact dilation and extraction with the [[Social:Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act|Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hern|first1=Warren M.|title=Did I violate the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban?|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2003/10/did_i_violate_the_partialbirth_abortion_ban.html|access-date=27 October 2017|work=Slate.com|date=22 Oct 2003}}</ref>

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 abortion-rights organizations believe is impermissibly narrow.<ref name="state" />  Note that just because a portion of a state's law is found to be unconstitutional does not mean that the entire law will be deemed unconstitutional: "[I]nvalidating the statute entirely is not always necessary or justified, for lower courts may be able to render narrower declaratory and injunctive relief," meaning the court could declare that only those parts of the law that are violative of the Constitution are invalid (declaratory relief), or that the court can prohibit the state from enforcing those portions of the law (injunctive relief).<ref>''Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood'', [http://laws.findlaw.com/us/000/04-1144.html 546 U.S. 320] (2006).</ref>

Eighteen states prohibit abortion after a certain number of weeks' gestation (usually 22 weeks from the last menstrual period).<ref name="state" />  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.<ref>''Webster v. Reproductive Health Services'', [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=492&invol=490 492 U.S. 490] (1989).</ref> Because this provision is not explicitly written into these state laws, as it was in the Missouri law examined in ''Webster'', abortion-rights organizations believe that such a state law is unconstitutional, but only "to the extent that it prohibits pre-viability abortions".<ref name="Delaware">NARAL Pro-Choice America. (2007). "[http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/choice-action-center/in_your_state/who-decides/state-profiles/delaware.html?templateName=lawdetails&issueID=3&ssumID=2516 Delaware]."  ''Who Decides? The Status of Women's Reproductive Rights in the United States.'' Retrieved April 19, 2007.</ref>

Ten states (although Florida's enforcement of such laws are under permanent injunction) require a second physician's approval before a late-term abortion can be performed.<ref name="state" />  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".<ref>''Doe v. Bolton'', [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=410&invol=179 410 U.S. 179] (1973).</ref> Abortion-rights organizations, such as the Guttmacher Institute, posit that some of these state laws are 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.<ref name="state" />

Thirteen 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.<ref name="state" /> 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 the case of a living fetus.<ref>''Planned Parenthood Ass'n v. Ashcroft'', [http://supreme.justia.com/us/462/476/case.html 462 U.S. 476], 486–490 (1983).</ref> It is not common for live infants to be born after an abortion at any stage in pregnancy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2019/03/the-facts-on-the-born-alive-debate/|title=The Facts on the Born-Alive Debate|last=Robertson|first=Lori|date=2019-03-04|website=FactCheck.org|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-29}}</ref>

===Live birth===

In 2019, a US Senate Bill entitled the "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act" raised the issue of live birth after abortion.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2019/03/the-facts-on-the-born-alive-debate/|title=The Facts on the Born-Alive Debate|last=Robertson|first=Lori|date=4 March 2019|website=FactCheck.org|access-date=5 August 2019}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/health/abortion-bill-trump.html|title='Executing Babies': Here Are the Facts Behind Trump's Misleading Abortion Tweet|last=Grady|first=Denise|date=26 February 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=5 August 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The bill would mandate that medical providers resuscitate neonates delivered showing signs of life during an abortion process.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":12" /> During the debate around this issue, US Republicans alleged that medical providers "execute" live-born babies. Existing US laws would punish execution as homicide. Furthermore, US abortion experts refute the claim that a "born-alive" fetus is a common event and oppose enactment of laws that would mandate resuscitation against the wishes of the parents.<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jatlaoui|first=Tara C.|date=2018|title=Abortion Surveillance – United States, 2015|journal=MMWR. Surveillance Summaries|volume=67|issue=13|pages=1–45|doi=10.15585/mmwr.ss6713a1|pmid=30462632|pmc=6289084|issn=1546-0738}}</ref>

Only 1.3% of abortions occur after 21 weeks of pregnancy in the US. Although it is very uncommon, women undergoing surgical abortion after this gestational age sometimes give birth to a fetus that may survive briefly.<ref name="RCOG_2nd-trimester2">{{cite web |date=November 2011|title=The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion. Evidence-Based Clinical Guideline no. 7|url=https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/abortion-guideline_web_1.pdf|url-status=live|website=Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151114063300/https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/abortion-guideline_web_1.pdf|archive-date=14 November 2015|access-date=31 October 2015|quote=Recommendation 6.21 Feticide should be performed before medical abortion after 21 weeks and 6 days of gestation to ensure that there is no risk of a live birth.}}</ref><ref name="Labor_Induced_Abortionb2">{{cite journal|last1=Society of Family Planning|date=February 2011|title=Clinical Guidelines, Labor induction abortion in the second trimester|url=http://www.contraceptionjournal.org/article/S0010-7824(11)00057-6/pdf|journal=Contraception|volume=84|issue=1|pages=4–18|doi=10.1016/j.contraception.2011.02.005|pmid=21664506|quote=Transient survival with misoprostol for labor induction abortion at greater than 18 weeks ranges from 0% to 50% and has been observed in up to 13% of abortions performed with high-dose oxytocin.|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Fletcher_Ethics2">{{cite journal|author1=Fletcher|author2=Isada|author3=Johnson|author4=Evans|date=August 1992|title=Fetal intracardiac potassium chloride injection to avoid the hopeless resuscitation of an abnormal abortus: II. Ethical issues|journal=Obstetrics and Gynecology|volume=80|issue=2|pages=310–313|pmid=1635751|quote=following later abortions at greater than 20 weeks, the rare but catastrophic occurrence of live births can lead to fractious controversy over neonatal management.}}</ref> The periviable period is considered to be between 20 and 25 weeks gestation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Obstetric-Care-Consensus-Series/Periviable-Birth?IsMobileSet=false|title=Periviable Birth – ACOG|website=www.acog.org|access-date=14 July 2019}}</ref> Long-term survival is possible after 22 weeks.<ref name="RCOG_Term2">{{cite web |date=May 2010|title=Termination of Pregnancy for Fetal Abnormality|url=https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/terminationpregnancyreport18may2010.pdf|url-status=live|website=Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists|pages=29–31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222135512/https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/terminationpregnancyreport18may2010.pdf|archive-date=22 December 2015|access-date=26 October 2015}}</ref> However, odds of long-term survival between 22 and 23 weeks are 2–3 percent and odds of survival between 23 and 24 weeks are 20 percent.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last1=Younge|first1=Noelle|last2=Goldstein|first2=Ricki F.|last3=Bann|first3=Carla M.|last4=Hintz|first4=Susan R.|last5=Patel|first5=Ravi M.|last6=Smith|first6=P. Brian|last7=Bell|first7=Edward F.|last8=Rysavy|first8=Matthew A.|last9=Duncan|first9=Andrea F.|date=16 February 2017|title=Survival and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes among Periviable Infants|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|volume=376|issue=7|pages=617–628|doi=10.1056/NEJMoa1605566|issn=0028-4793|pmid=28199816|pmc=5456289}}</ref> "Intact survival", which means survival of a neonate without subsequent damage to organs such as the brain or bowel is 1% at 22 weeks and 13% at 23 weeks.<ref name=":02" /> Survival odds increase with increasing gestational age.<ref name=":02" />

If medical staff observe signs of life, they may be required to provide care: emergency medical care if the child has a good chance of survival and palliative care if not.<ref name="Nuffield_Bioethics2">{{cite web |website=Nuffield Council on Bioethics|date=2007|title=Critical care decisions in fetal and neonatal medicine: a guide to the report|url=http://nuffieldbioethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/CCD-Short-Version-FINAL.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040916/http://nuffieldbioethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/CCD-Short-Version-FINAL.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=29 October 2015|quote=Under English law, fetuses have no independent legal status. Once born, babies have the same rights to life as other people.}}</ref><ref name="US_Ethics2">{{cite journal|author1=Gerri R. Baer|author2=Robert M. Nelson|date=2007|title=Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention. C: A Review of Ethical Issues Involved in Premature Birth|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11389/|url-status=live|journal=Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Understanding Premature Birth and Assuring Healthy Outcomes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231190458/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11389/|archive-date=31 December 2015|quote=In 2002, the 107th U.S. Congress passed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2001. This law established personhood for all infants who are born "at any stage of development" who breathe, have a heartbeat, or "definite movement of voluntary muscles", regardless of whether the birth was due to labor or induced abortion.}}</ref><ref name="BAIPA2">{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/107/hr2175|title=H.R. 2175 (107th): Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002|last1=Chabot|first1=Steve|date=5 August 2002|website=govtrack.us|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151114063301/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/107/hr2175|archive-date=14 November 2015|url-status=live|access-date=30 October 2015|quote=The term "born alive" is defined as the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of that member, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of the voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut, and regardless of whether the expulsion or extraction occurs as a result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced abortion.|ref=Pub.L. 107-207}}</ref> Induced fetal demise before termination of pregnancy after 20–21 weeks gestation is recommended by some sources to avoid this and to comply with the US [[Social:Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act|Partial Birth Abortion Ban]].<ref name="ACOG_2nd2">{{cite journal|date=June 2013|title=Practice Bulletin: Second-Trimester Abortion|url=http://blog.utp.edu.co/maternoinfantil/files/2012/04/135-Aborto-2-trimestre.pdf|url-status=live| journal=Obstetrics & Gynecology|volume=121|issue=6|pages=1394–1406|doi=10.1097/01.AOG.0000431056.79334.cc|pmid=23812485|s2cid=205384119|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151114063257/http://blog.utp.edu.co/maternoinfantil/files/2012/04/135-Aborto-2-trimestre.pdf|archive-date=14 November 2015|access-date=30 October 2015|quote=With medical abortion after 20 weeks of gestation, induced fetal demise may be preferable to the woman or provider in order to avoid transient fetal survival after expulsion.}}</ref><ref name="SFP_Demise2">{{cite journal| first1=Justin |last1=Diedrich| first2= Eleanor |last2=Drey |date=June 2010| title=Clinical Guidelines: Induction of fetal demise before abortion| url=http://www.societyfp.org/_documents/resources/InductionofFetalDemise.pdf| url-status=live| journal=Contraception| volume=81| issue=6| pages=462–473| doi=10.1016/j.contraception.2010.01.018|pmid=20472112|s2cid=12555553 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123065302/http://www.societyfp.org/_documents/resources/InductionofFetalDemise.pdf|archive-date=23 November 2015|access-date=26 October 2015| quote=Inducing fetal demise before induction termination avoids signs of live birth that may have beneficial emotional, ethical and legal consequences.}}</ref><ref name="ACOG_demise2">{{cite journal|last1=Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women|date=November 2014|title=Committee Opinion 613: Increasing Access to Abortion| url=http://www.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Health-Care-for-Underserved-Women/Increasing-Access-to-Abortion?IsMobileSet=false|url-status=live|journal=Obstetrics & Gynecology|volume=124| issue=5|pages=1060–1065| doi=10.1097/01.aog.0000456326.88857.31| pmid=25437742|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028182952/http://www.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Health-Care-for-Underserved-Women/Increasing-Access-to-Abortion?IsMobileSet=false|archive-date=28 October 2015|access-date=28 October 2015|quote="Partial-birth" abortion bans – The federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 (upheld by the Supreme Court in 2007) makes it a federal crime to perform procedures that fall within the definition of so-called "partial-birth abortion" contained in the statute, with no exception for procedures necessary to preserve the health of the woman...physicians and lawyers have interpreted the banned procedures as including intact dilation and evacuation unless fetal demise occurs before surgery.}}</ref><ref name="NAF_20152">{{cite journal|date=2015|title=2015 Clinical Policy Guidelines|url=http://prochoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2015_NAF_CPGs.pdf|url-status=live|journal=National Abortion Federation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812220053/http://prochoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2015_NAF_CPGs.pdf|archive-date=12 August 2015|access-date=30 October 2015|quote=Policy Statement: Medical induction abortion is a safe and effective method for termination of pregnancies beyond the first trimester when performed by trained clinicians in medical offices, freestanding clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, and hospitals. Feticidal agents may be particularly important when issues of viability arise.}}</ref><ref name="FIGO_Ethical2">{{cite journal|author=Milliez Jacques|date=2008|title=FIGO Committee Report: Ethical aspects concerning termination of pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis|journal=International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics|volume=102| issue=1|pages=97–98|doi=10.1016/j.ijgo.2008.03.002|pmid=18423641|s2cid=39838077|quote=Termination of pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis after 22 weeks must be preceded by a feticide.}}</ref> Induced fetal demise does not improve the safety of an abortion procedure and may incur risks to the health of the woman having the abortion.<ref name="SFP_Demise2" />

== Methods ==
There are at least four medical procedures associated with late-term abortions:
* Dilation and evacuation (D&E)
* Early [[Medicine:Labor induction|labor induction]] (sometimes called "induction abortion")
* Intact dilation and extraction (IDX or D&X), sometimes referred to as "''partial-birth abortion''"
* Hysterotomy abortion

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{wikimedia|Abortion|collapsible=true}}



{{Reproductive health}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Late-Term Abortion}}
[[Category:Medical ethics]]

{{Sourceattribution|Late termination of pregnancy}}