Tests for deformities and genetic problems aren't usually done until well into the pregnancy, and sometimes women/couples will opt to abort. The other big group is women with existing health problems, like diabetes. A friend of mine who's diabetic just had a rough pregnancy, though thankfully everything came out fine. The last example given is something going wrong during delivery. I remember reading an article by a doctor who talked about cases where the fetus would get caught in the cervix with a ruptured uterus, so basically the woman is bleeding to death pretty quickly and you have to do
something to get the fetus out of the way. (This was in regards to situations where you might have to collapse the fetal skull, the big no-no of so-called partial birth abortion.) Of course, in cases like that where I assume the baby is wanted it's a much tougher decision that the parents or woman (if she's conscious) have to make really fast. Can't be an easy thing to decide.
There are also those women who just wait to have abortions. Some of them may be young and in denial, some of them may have a difficult time finding the money/time to get an abortion, etc.
The above is a summary of what's quoted below from the following website:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_late.htmSecond trimester surgical abortions: About 140,000 second trimester abortions are performed yearly. They represent 9% of the total. Some are performed because the woman simply does not wish to remain pregnant. There are many reasons for the delay until the second trimester:
- She may be young and in denial about her pregnancy
- She may have not sought an abortion in her first trimester, but has waited until she can no longer hide her pregnancy.
- Some fetuses are found to have a serious genetic defect. Ultrasound examinations are normally given at about 17 weeks gestation, when "fetal organs have developed enough to detect such abnormalities." An amniocenteses procedure is sometimes done at this time, particularly for women over the age of 35. Either procedure can detect abnormalities that can cause the fetus:
- To die during pregnancy.
- To be born alive but die within hours or days, perhaps in pain, perhaps without gaining consciousness.
- To be born with very serious mental or physical disabilities that will severely limit their quality of life.
- Dr. Katharine O'Connell of New York's Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital commented: "If the defect is diagnosed early, to wait the months knowing what the inevitable outcome will be is much more upsetting and detrimental. This is one of the worst things a woman can go through. We want to provide her with as many options as possible." A small percentage of couples will elect to take no action, and to continue the pregnancy. Almost all couples, when faced with these prognoses, will elect to terminate the pregnancy. As of 2003-NOV-6, their options are limited to:
- Induced labor,
- "D&E" (dilation and evacuation), and
- "D&X" (dilation and extraction). This is often popularly called "Partial Birth Abortion" although that is a vague term which lacks a definitive medical definition. (removed link to more info)
President Bush has signed a bill into law which will criminalize almost all D&X abortions. Constitutional experts are divided over whether the law can survive a court challenge. A number of court injunctions have been obtained to prevent the application of the law.
Third-trimester abortions: Medical intervention to terminate pregnancies during the third trimester is quite rare. The Alan Guttmacher Institute estimates that 1% of all medical terminations of pregnancies are done at or after 21 weeks - (1994 data). It is sometimes done when the fetus has died in the womb. Termination of the life of a fetus is generally prohibited by medical societies' regulations after the 20th or 21st week of gestation. Exceptions do occur if required to save the life of the woman or avoid very serious, disabling health consequences. e.g.:
- To save the life or health of a women experiencing a deteriorating health problem. This problem can rapidly grow worse with every day in late pregnancy, and can only be reversed by terminating the pregnancy. It is most often caused by diabetes or heart disease.
- A midwifery web site quotes Dr. William F. Harrison, a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2 He wrote that "approximately 1 in 2000 fetuses develop hydrocephalus while in the womb." About 5,000 fetuses develop hydrocephalus each year in the U.S. This is not usually discovered until late in the second trimester. A fetus with severe hydrocephalus is alive, but cannot live for long; it will never achieve consciousness.
- In rare cases, the delivery of the fetus can go terribly wrong, threatening the life of the woman.
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