Rebecca Cohen's account of ending her wanted pregnancy in the second trimester is yet another example of why later term abortion should remain available to all women. The proposed 20-week ban recently defeated in the US Senate aims to prevent women like Rebecca from accessing the care that they need. Diagnosis of a fetal abnormality often does not take place until a screening that occurs during the second trimester of pregnancy, often leaving women with very little time in which to make a difficult decision. Although, as Rebecca points out, fewer than 1% of abortions take place after 20 weeks, a ban on abortion after this date would leave those women without safe and legal options for their pregnancies and families.
References:
Cohen, R. (2015) Why I had an abortion after 20 weeks. Washington Post