Obviously, abortion for the life/health of the woman can be allowed anytime. The number of abortions for "social" reasons performed after 20 weeks is so negligible, that it is almost not worth talking about -- the vast majority are for medical reasons. Access to early abortion is the main way to prevent late abortions. 24 weeks is reasonable anyway, and remember that before 26 or 28 weeks, serious medical intervention is necessary for survival. I guess my view is that at about 25 weeks, if for some reason a woman decides she does not want to be pregnant anymore, the fetus should perhaps be delivered, and if someone is willing to pay for the artificial incubation and take respsonbility if it lives, then do it.

this is not entirely accurate. Viability is a statistical measure, measuring not the chances of the individual neonates (infants) but the chances of all neonates around that same gestational age. Viability is the probability that at least 50% of .A.L.L neonates born at that time will survive. (though nearly all of them require medical care, some extreme medical care). It is not an indication that your specific fetus will be able to survive.

However, I feel that the words "viability" and "viable" are deceptive because many times it is not explained how they are being used. Because true viability only refers to that time when 50% of .A.L.L neonates (infants) survive, many people mistakenly believe that if their pregnancy reaches that stage they are garaunteed to have a live child. In reality, if a pregnancy is ended at viability, they only have a statistic chance of 50% or less survival of their child. Their individual child may survive and yet they may also die. A child born at this stage requires extensive medical care and may have long lasting medical problems. Good indications of survival are: weight (the more the better), general health of the mother during the pregnancy, nutrition during the pregnancy (just because you gain 35 pounds doesn't mean you're necessarily eating the right things), any genetic problems, and the actual problem with the pregnancy that led to the premature birth.

In industrialized nations, if we did not have the access to the level of medical care that we do, far fewer children would survive their premature births. Therefore, viability is often misleading because the pregnancy only has a 50% chance of resulting in a live child when access to proper medical care is available. In developing nations, women and children are still dying from pregnancy complications that are easily treated in other locations. Viability in a developing nation is far later than it is for industrialized nations simply because we have access to health care and they do not.

People also mistakenly use the term "viable" to describe a pregnancy that has reached viability. However, the only pregnancies that can be said to be "viable" are those that result in a live infant (and actually a truly viable pregnancy is one that results in a live infant who survives two full years). So, even if you reach viability with your pregnancy, there is no gaurantee that the pregnancy is actually viable. In the case of third trimester abortions, the pregnancies were wanted and most of the women believed they had "viable" pregnancies because of the length of time. However, some problems we can only test for late in pregnancies and these problems can necessitate in an abortion even at that stage. Just because true viability has been attained, it does not mean that the actual pregnancy is viable.

Well, I had an abortion at 5months. I guess it's ok through the 2nd trimester, but after that it should only be done for emergency reasons.

I voted no, only because I think abortion should be until 20 weeks.

she's allowed her own opinion. Stop attacking pro-choice. It's idiodic.

Lol tyna.

Shawney bean, can I ask why did you have an abortion at 5 months.

If u want to reply. Reply on the abortion forum. Nice people do go there, when theres something new.

:)

i haven't seen any proof otherwise. She aborted, and she just so hapens to have a limit on when she thinks abortion should be legal. She still thinks the woman should have the choice to abort, and that's what pro-choice is.

that is still pro-choice. Just because she feels that the time period she had her abortion in is a bad time, doesn't mean she isn't pro-choice. This issue isn't black and white- there are vrying degrees of pro-choice people and varying degrees of pro-life people.

thats true tyna, if she wasnt pro-choice then she would have came on here being all abusive, and she hasnt even came back since...Sooo...

I voted up to birth but largely for a theoretical purpose.

I believe in the fundamental right of every woman to choose an abortion for any reason. Rights do not have time limits or borders.

I voted yes. The time a foetus has been inside the female makes no difference in my eyes. Whether it is ten weeks old or twenty nine, it is still occupying the mother's body as a parasite and she [the mother] has the right to choose what lives in and from her own body. Simple as that. It's beyond me why people feel a need to have a limit.

Kypros.