Late termination of pregnancy, also referred to as late-term abortion in political contexts, describes the termination of pregnancy by inducing labor during a late stage of gestation. In this context, late is not precisely defined, and different medical publications use varying gestational age thresholds. As of 2015, in the United States, more than 90% of abortions occur before the 13th week, 1.3% take place after the 21st week, and less than 1% occur after 24 weeks.2023 Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment; 62nd Edition; Edited by Maxine Papadakis et al., 2023, McGraw Hill, While little data exists on abortions done after 26 weeks, one study from 1992 estimated the rate at 0.02%.

Reasons for late terminations of pregnancy include cases where a pregnant woman's health is at risk, when birth defects, such as lethal fetal abnormalities, have been detected, or when barriers to receiving abortion cause delays.

In the United States, the mortality rate for legal abortions overall is less than 1 in 100,000 procedures performed. 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.2023 Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment; 62nd Edition; Edited by Maxine Papadakis et al., 2023, McGraw Hill, "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." 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.

Late termination of pregnancy is more controversial than abortion in general. All countries in Europe do not permit abortion later in pregnancy (after 10–14 weeks in most countries, 18 weeks in Sweden, Denmark and Iceland, and 24 weeks in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) unless 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 fetus is diagnosed.

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.

In the United States, the point at which an abortion becomes late-term is often related to fetal viability (ability of the fetus to survive outside the uterus). Thus, late-term abortions are sometimes referred to as post-viability abortions.2023 Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment; 62nd Edition Edited by Maxine Papadakis et al., 2023, McGraw Hill, "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.)

Viability There is no sharp limit of development, age, or weight at which a fetus becomes viable.Moore, Keith and Persaud, T. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, p. 103 (Saunders 2003). 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. At 23 weeks survival without severe impairment is less than 2%, and at 25 weeks, up to 30% might survive without severe impairment. According to studies between 2003 and 2005, 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. 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).

Incidence

Australia: , 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.Pregnancy Outcome Unit, SA Health. (2014). . Retrieved July 10th, 2015. Canada: During the year 2019, approximately 87% of abortions occurred by 12 weeks, with 1.17% occurring after 21 weeks.Abortion Statistics in Canada. (2019) . Retrieved January 7th, 2022. England and Wales: In 2015, 8% of abortions occurred after 12 weeks; 0.1% occurred at or over 24 weeks.Government Statistical Service for the Department of Health. (May 17, 2016). Abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2016. New Zealand: In 2003, 2.03% of induced abortions were done between weeks 16 and 19, and 0.56% were done over 20 weeks.Statistics New Zealand. (January 31, 2005). Demographic Trends 2004 . Retrieved April 19, 2007. 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.Statistics Norway. (April 26, 2006). Induced abortions, by period of gestation and the woman's age. 2005. Retrieved January 17, 2006. 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: or ) – that will determine whether or not to grant them an abortion.The Norwegian Directorate of Health. (May 7, 2012). Senaborter etter 22. uke Retrieved September 05, 2019. Scotland: In 2005, 6.1% of abortions were done between 14 and 17 weeks, while 1.6% were performed over 18 weeks.ISD Scotland. (May 24, 2006). Percentage of abortions performed in Scotland by estimated gestation . Retrieved May 10, 2007. Sweden: In 2005, 5.6% of abortions were carried out between 12 and 17 weeks, and 0.8% at or greater than 18 weeks.Nilsson, E., Ollars, B., & Bennis, M.. The National Board of Health and Welfare. (May 2006). Aborter 2005 . Retrieved May 10, 2007. Switzerland: In 2016, 10% of abortions performed after the legal term were carried out after week 21 (a total of 36 cases).. Of these cases 86% were carried out due to physical problems with the child or mother. 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.Strauss, L.T., Gamble, S.B., Parker, W.Y, Cook, D.A., Zane, S.B., & Hamdan, S. (November 24, 2006). Abortion Surveillance – United States, 2003. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 55 (11), 1–32. Retrieved May 10, 2007. In 2014, the CDC reported that 1.3% of reported abortions (5,578) were performed at 21 weeks of gestation or later. While little data exists on abortions done after 26 weeks, one study from 1992 estimated the rate at 0.02%.

Reasons

United States

Reasons for late terminations of pregnancy include when a pregnant woman's health is at risk, when lethal fetal abnormalities have been detected, or when barriers to receiving abortion cause delays.

A 2013 study found, after excluding abortion "on grounds of fetal anomaly or life endangerment", that women seeking abortions between 20-28 weeks "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".

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%) were performed to save the life of the pregnant woman, 1,801 (63%) were performed for mental or physical health reasons, and 1046 (36%) were performed because of fetal abnormalities.

Legal restrictions 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.Anika Rahman, Laura Katzive and Stanley K. Henshaw. A Global Review of Laws on Induced Abortion, 1985–1997, International Family Planning Perspectives (Volume 24, Number 2, June 1998).

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:

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

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.