late-term abortion

"there is no precise medical or legal definition of 'late-term,' and many doctors and scientists avoid that language, calling it imprecise and misleading" (Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post, Feb. 6, 2019). A political construct, "late-term abortion" tends to refer to abortions during or after the 21st to 24th weeks of gestation (late in the second trimester). 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 (Pam Belluck, New York Times, Feb. 6, 2019). Jenn Conti, an abortion provider in San Francisco and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, calls the idea “sensationalized fake news" and believes “late-term,” which is “intentionally vague." Abortion opponents claim abortion is done "up to the moment of birth," which is absolutely false; no abortions are performed during labor or in the days leading up to the due date (Susan Rinkunas, Health.com, Oct. 27, 2020). What health professionals consider to be “late” abortions are those that take place toward the end of the second trimester. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2015 about 1.3% of abortions were performed at or greater than 21 weeks of gestation. In contrast, 91.1% percent were performed at or before 13 weeks. When writing about this term, place it in quotation marks to indicate its dubiousness, and ensure that surrounding information uses accurate medical terminology and discusses the life-saving necessity of abortions that occur later, their relative rarity, their legality, and their occurrence earlier in the pregnancy than is assumed. See also abortion, anti-abortion, contraception, pro-choice, pro-life, reproductive rights.