# Why do people get late term abortions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 23, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529 "2006-03-23T02:09:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/21 "2006-03-23T17:28:44Z")
> [@The Centers for Disease Control](#): > > The highest percentages of reported abortions were for women who were unmarried (82%), white (55%), and aged \<25 years (51%). Of all abortions for which gestational age was reported, 60% were performed at \<8 weeks’ gestation and 88% at \<13 weeks. From 1992 (when detailed data regarding early abortions were first collected) through 2002, steady increases have occurred in the percentage of abortions performed at \<6 weeks’ gestation. A\*\* limited number of abortions was obtained at \>15 weeks’ gestation, including 4.1% at 16–20 weeks and 1.4% at \>21 weeks.\*\* A total of 35 reporting areas submitted data stating that they performed and enumerated medical (nonsurgical) procedures, accounting for 5.2% of all known reported procedures from the 45 areas with adequate reporting on type of procedure. Bolding mine. Given that 1.4% of abortions occur at 21 weeks or later, which is halfway through, I’m guessing that .05% or fewer of all abortions occur in the third trimester. I’d wager that an incalculably small number of those are **not** medically necessary. Late term abortion is a bugaboo. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/22 "2006-03-23T17:38:30Z")
> [@EEMan](#): > > By the 3rd trimester you more or less have to ‘give birth’ to the fetus (or baby) dead or alive (though there are some methods that make it a bit easier); and you are normally ‘showing’ at that point; why not just give it up for adoption at birth? I don’t see a lot of people lobbying for legal abortion on demand in the 3rd trimester. Those people would be such a tiny minority, that I don’t see how their views enter the aboriton debate, at least in the US. States are free to restrict abortion after the fetus is viable, but there is still a legitimate need for some abortions after that point when the life or health of the mother is serioiusly threatened. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/23 "2006-03-23T17:49:17Z")
> [@EEMan](#): > > No it isn’t, it is an extraction (DNC verses DNX normally); though the same procedure is more or less used. > > Here is what I have never understood (perhaps someone could give me insight). > > I understand the arguements for a) health of the mother (though I’m still unaware of any health problems that can be cured by abortion this late in the cycle) and b) health of the child (such as the story we have read; thank you for sharing). > > I have never understood the socail aspect of it, the ‘i don’t want it’ aspect. > > By the 3rd trimester you more or less have to ‘give birth’ to the fetus (or baby) dead or alive (though there are some methods that make it a bit easier); and you are normally ‘showing’ at that point; why not just give it up for adoption at birth? Some of the situations in which a late term termination of pregnancy may be requested include: Late maternal presentation; Organisational delays resulting in post 20 week investigation; Difficulties in the interpretation of ultrasound abnormalities by staff and the repeat of such tests at a later stage of the pregnancy; Patients having a change of mind regarding prenatal diagnosis; Abnormalities coincidentally identified during a post 20 week ultrasound examination carried out for other reasons; Some conditions such a hydrocephaly and some skeletal dysplasias may not be detectable until after 20 weeks; Intra-uterine infection may sometimes be only confirmed post 20 weeks and Conditions recognised prior to 20 weeks may subsequently worsen. For example, renal abnormalities. (from this site: [Human Services Victoria redirection page](http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/ahs/archive/report/report7.htm)) ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Yuppie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Accidental\_Yuppie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Yuppie)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/24 "2006-03-23T18:17:05Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > Some women have very long menstrual cycles. The longest I’ve personally known is once every six months (this was her natural cycle, she was not on any sort of hormones). Since missing a period is often the first sign of pregnancy, a woman with long cycles could easily fail to notice that she’s pregnant. Some women have very irregular periods, and are inclined to skip a month or two in the normal course of events. Some women (and especially girls) simply don’t want to deal with the fact that they are pregnant, and don’t do anything about the pregnancy until it’s fairly well advanced. The girls usually don’t want to tell their parents. Some women think that their lives are going very well indeed, until they find out that their man is seeing someone else, or he gets thrown in jail, or he takes off when he finds out she’s pregnant. Some women think that they’d like to have a child, but realize that they really do not want one. Some women (and again, especially girls) think that getting pregnant is a surefire way to win a man’s affections. > > I don’t think that any woman or girl wants to deliberately have a later term abortion. Another unfortunately all too common reason is a cancer diagnosis in the mother, requiring immediate chemotherapy and/or radition treatment. I am disgusted that the hard-core pro-lifers either don’t recognize the commonality of this circumstance and/or feel that the mother STILL shouldn’t be allowed an abortion. Barbara Yes, it’s me…after many years. I’m BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/25 "2006-03-23T18:24:10Z")
> [@hildea](#): > > Here are some [statistics on late abortions from Norway](http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/03/01/20/abort_en/tab-2005-06-08-05-en.html). The English there is a bit awkward, but hopefully understandable. So, of 530 late abortions (later than 12th week) in 2004, I don’t think 12 weeks would count as “later term” by most medical standards, I guess Norway may be an exception. As mention by a previous poster, the CDC considers ‘late term’ to be 21 weeks or over. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/26 "2006-03-23T19:17:38Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > I don’t think 12 weeks would count as “later term” by most medical standards, I guess Norway may be an exception. As mention by a previous poster, the CDC considers ‘late term’ to be 21 weeks or over. I didn’t say the CDC uses that definition. Do they? That was just the last time period used in the statistics. But you bring up a good point. What is the definitino of “late term abortion”? 3rd trimester probably counts, but where does one draw the line before that? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/27 "2006-03-23T19:21:03Z")
> [@Accidental Yuppie](#): > > I am disgusted that the hard-core pro-lifers either don’t recognize the commonality of this circumstance and/or feel that the mother STILL shouldn’t be allowed an abortion. How about delivering early and trying to save both? ---
**Author:** ![EEMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a6a055/32.png) [@EEMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EEMan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/28 "2006-03-23T19:21:05Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I didn’t say the CDC uses that definition. Do they? That was just the last time period used in the statistics. > > But you bring up a good point. What is the definitino of “late term abortion”? 3rd trimester probably counts, but where does one draw the line before that? I believe it is a sliding scale around the term ‘viable’ (which I believe is commonly considered ~7th month) ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/29 "2006-03-23T19:22:42Z")
Another real-life situation: old friend of spouse showed up from San Diego - no job, no place to live, wigged-out on crystal meth. She’d been working full-time and living on other people’s couches for several years - all the money went up her nose. (She’d been doing I-don’t-remember-what-all other stuff as well.) We took her in. After some period of time, maybe a few weeks (I don’t remember exactly, this was like 15 years ago), she mentioned that she was pregnant by drug-dealer ex-boyfriend. We ended up taking her out of state to get a 2nd trimester abortion. Why? Because she was not mentally, physically, emotionally, financially, or any other-ly, capable of taking care of a baby. Ex-boyfriend wasn’t going to be any help, even if he could be tracked down from halfway across the country. Nor was she capable of bearing a baby and giving it up for adoption - her desire to have kids was part of the reason why she kept “not deciding” what to do. Spouse’d been through that experience with a sister, who still to this day (some 30-odd years later) has problems with having given her baby up for adoption. Not to mention the near-certainty of some sort of birth defects due to the prenatal conditions. Why did she wait so long? Because she was fried out of her gourd. The move back home was a last-ditch, desperation effort to get out of what she had finally realized, somewhere deep inside, was essentially slow suicide. The accidental pregnancy (she did use birth control) was part of what kicked her into gear. Once she sobered up a bit, she was able to consider her situation a little more rationally and decide what to do, even if she wasn’t really happy with any of her choices. On the bright side, she (eventually) got her act together and is now happily married and even more happily parenting. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/30 "2006-03-23T19:26:24Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I didn’t say the CDC uses that definition. Do they? That was just the last time period used in the statistics. > > But you bring up a good point. What is the definitino of “late term abortion”? 3rd trimester probably counts, but where does one draw the line before that? My bad I mis-read your post… ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/31 "2006-03-23T22:14:45Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > How about delivering early and trying to save both? I imagine that many people \*would \* choose this, if it were a viable option. I would, in fact, be surprised if this never happens. Of course, I’m assuming that you mean immediately delivering a probably viable fetus, and not expecting a sick woman to risk her own life by waiting until the fetus is viable. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Yuppie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Accidental\_Yuppie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Yuppie)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/32 "2006-03-23T23:20:00Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > How about delivering early and trying to save both? I absolutely believe in doing that if it is feasible. Most women in this situation _want_ the child they are carrying, especially since this may be her last chance to have a child (depending on the specifics of her cancer diagnosis). She should decide along with her doctor how long she has to go until the fetus is viable, if giving birth presents more risk than abortion, and she may even consider delaying treatment until viability. But these decisions should be up to her and her doctors and possibly even the ethics comittee at her hospital…her fate should not be decided by some old fat Republican guys wielding an agenda. Pro-choice means just that, it doesn’t mean pro-abortion. Abortion is such a hot button issue that lots of people on both sides feel that they can’t give an inch on anything lest they lose ground in the larger battle. But I think that anyone that advocates allowing the abortion on demand of viable fetuses is stuck too far to the left, and anyone that believes in denying a pregnant women lifesaving medical treatment because it might harm her baby (who might die anyway because Mom can’t get treatment) has fallen too far to the right. Barbara ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/33 "2006-03-24T01:10:08Z")
This is many years ago, but a relative of mine had a Catholic doctor who refused (illegally, even then, I think) to give her the results of medical tests after she had German measles during pregnancy. By the time she got another doctor, got the results, and discovered that her fetus was almost certainly seriously damaged, she was well into her second trimester, and had a late-term abortion. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/34 "2006-03-24T02:28:50Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > My bad I mis-read your post… No worries. I was just setting the record straight. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/35 "2006-03-24T04:12:27Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > 😕 What on earth provoked this? I had to re-read **AHunter3** ’s post, and I don’t think you read the same thing I did. I read his post to say, essentially, “they do it because they want to and no further discussion is necessary.” Seemed a bit arrogant, to me. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/36 "2006-03-24T04:38:16Z")
I will confess to arrogance, but while many pro-life people are arrogant and vice versa, I am a vehemently pro-choice arrogant person. And I found your post unsettling. (Oh hell, do I communicate that badly?) “Because they want to” is entirely sufficient reason. If someone is pregant and wants an abortion, you now know everything you ever need to know in order to understand that it is OK for her to have an abortion: she’s pregnant and she wants one, end of story. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/37 "2006-03-24T04:42:08Z")
Sorry, the post I found unsettling was from **this space intentionally left blank**. Who read my post and concluded that I was a pro-lifer. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/38 "2006-03-24T04:48:15Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > “Because they want to” is entirely sufficient reason. If someone is pregant and wants an abortion, you now know everything you ever need to know in order to understand that it is OK for her to have an abortion: she’s pregnant and she wants one, end of story. I suppose it is sufficient; or at least, a case can be made that it is. The arrogance comes from asserting that that knowledge is all that anyone ever need to know. Presumably, there are reasons that compell one to want a late term abortion. Also, presumably, if I want to learn more about the way the world works then I am justified in investigating such phenomena as interest me. For you to tell me that certain areas are of limits is arrogant. Who are you to limit my quest for knowledge? ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/39 "2006-03-24T05:11:04Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > How about delivering early and trying to save both? Where I work, that’s what we do all day. Unfortunately, it’s not always possile. Interesting cases from the past include (these are mostly conglomerations of cases): Early and severe Pregnancy Induced Hypertension- We would try to manage the blood pressure to get the pregnancy to viablility. Most do well, but some don’t get anywhere near viability. A fetus with no kidneys. A fetus with no brain. Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (Sometimes we can try to equalize the fluid levels by making a hole in the amniotic sacs between the kids. This has varying success. A particularly severe case went out of state for risky, expensive, state-of-the-art surgery that can only be performed in two places in the US, but unfortunately both twins went on to die - one utero and the other during a preterm delivery). A case of twins where one died in utero and the pregnancy was attempted to be preserved for the remaining twin. This is frequently surprisingly (to me) successful particularly if the demise occurs very early or very late in the pregnancy. Preterm premature rupture of membranes ( these pregnancies are at daily risk for infection and delivery, although we have had some PPROM’s last as long as 4 months or more. How the kids fare is based on amniotic fluid levels and length of the PROM. Those without fluid early on frequently simply have no lungs to work with, whether they are born at term or preterm.). A woman with 9 desired pregnancies and no living children for a variety of reasons- some fetal, some maternal, some unknown. She was made of some really tough stuff. I can certainly see why a person would want to end one of these kinds of pregnancies and perhaps try again later. My opinion is similar to AHunter3’s. I’m not living ‘your’ life and therefore I’m not interested in telling ‘you’ how to do it. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529/40 "2006-03-24T05:13:11Z")
OK, that’s reasonable. Your point is valid. I think “she wanted one, end of story” is sufficient to establish that she has sufficient reason to obtain one with the least hassle possible, but I didn’t mean to imply that it is in some way improper for someone to have curiosity and simply want to know why someone would want an abortion but only seek one so late in the game. I had a girlfriend who thought she was pregnant, and went in for tests. Tests misfired, they said “No, you’re not pregnant”. (This was before the take-home over-the-counter EPT kits). Little while later she had sufficient reason to believe they were wrong, and went back in. This time they confirmed she was pregnant, but it was later than the cutoff limit for abortions performed anywhere in the area. And more expensive. She didn’t have an abortion, she gave birth and handed baby over for adoption. Said she got more negative feedback from people over giving her baby up for adoption than if she’d had an abortion. She said if she had it to do over again she’d figure out some way to swing the abortion even if it meant traveling out of state. That would have taken yet more time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-late-term-abortions/349529.md?page=3)