health
Is birth really the only dividing line? Facing the moral reality of late abortion
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA) this week signed a law removing all gestational limits on abortion, aligning her state with nine others and the District of Columbia that allow abortions throughout pregnancy.
TL;DR
- Massachusetts has removed all gestational limits on abortion, allowing it throughout pregnancy.
- There is a lack of official statistics on the frequency and specifics of late-term abortions.
- Guttmacher Institute reported 6,747 abortions beyond 21 weeks in 2023, with limited detail on how late they occurred.
- Reasons cited for abortions after 20 weeks include women raising children alone, dealing with depression or substance use, partner conflict, decision-making difficulties, and younger women without children.
- The new Massachusetts law changes the exception criteria from a doctor's "medical judgment" to "professional judgment."
- Late abortions in Massachusetts have been increasing, with 41 procedures at or beyond 24 weeks in 2022 and 81 in 2023.
- The article calls for transparent data and a moral examination of late-term abortions, questioning the societal distinction between a life worthy of protection and one that is not based solely on birth.