While abortions after 20 weeks are often described as rare in percentage terms, the available evidence shows they are neither negligible in number nor exceptional in circumstance. Framing the issue purely around percentages can be misleading. Even a small percentage of total abortions still translates into thousands of later abortions each year in the United States.
It is also commonly assumed that abortions after 20 weeks occur mainly because of severe fetal anomalies or serious threats to the mother’s life. However, the data cited here point in a different direction. Arizona state data collected over a five-year period found that about 80% of abortions performed at 21 weeks or later were not due to maternal or fetal health issues. This challenges the idea that later abortions are overwhelmingly driven by medical emergencies.
National research supports this pattern. A 2013 study found that women obtaining abortions at or after 20 weeks cited reasons that were remarkably similar to those given by women obtaining first-trimester abortions, with no significant differences between the two groups. More recently, a June 2022 publication concluded that the circumstances leading someone to seek a third-trimester abortion are not exceptional, further undercutting the claim that later abortions are extremely unusual or limited to rare cases.
Taken together, the evidence suggests that while later abortions make up a smaller share of total abortions, they occur with enough frequency—and for reasons similar to earlier abortions—that they cannot accurately be described as “almost never happening.”
Key Takeaways
Even when labeled “rare,” abortions after 20 weeks still involve thousands of unborn lives each year, making their moral and legal significance substantial rather than marginal.
The majority of abortions after 21 weeks are not driven by medical emergencies, weakening the argument that broad late-term abortion access is medically necessary.
Research shows no meaningful difference in reasons between early and late abortions, suggesting gestational age alone does not change the underlying motivations.
If later abortions are “not exceptional,” this raises ethical concerns about routine termination of viable or near-viable unborn children, strengthening the case for stronger protections later in pregnancy.