is 24 weeks to late for an abortion?

Question

i am not pregnant but my bestfriend is

Answer 1

Hey,

I have no idea what woman go through to make this massive decision, but here is the legislation.

The Abortion Act 1967
The Abortion Act of 1967 came into effect on the 27 April 1968 and permits termination of pregnancy by a registered practitioner subject to certain conditions. Regulations under the Act mean that abortions must be performed by a registered medical practitioner in a National Health Service Hospital or in a Department of Health approved location - such as British Pregnancy Advisory Service Clinics. An abortion may be approved for the following reasons:

A The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.
B The termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.
C The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.
D The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of any existing children of the family of the pregnant woman.
E There is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped, or in emergency, certified by the operating practitioners as immediately necessary-
F To save the life of the pregnant woman; or
G To prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.


Later in 1990 amendments to the 1967 Abortion Act came into force through the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Act.




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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990(HFEA).
Section 37 of the HFEA later made changes to the 1967 Abortion Act in making the time limit of abortion 24 weeks under statutory grounds C and D. Statutory grounds A, B and E are now without time limit.

regards

matt

Answer 2

I totally agree with a woman's right to choose.. but 24 weeks does seem a bit late - probably too late. A premature baby born at 24 weeks has something like a 39 per cent chance of survival. That's pretty high when you think about it.

If your best-friend doesn't want to be a mother, I think the only other option for her right now would be to consider giving it up for adoption. She will have to go through with the pregnancy though - as far as I know. And it seems only right that she does, this late on. Who knows, maybe she'll change her mind about keeping the baby once she sees it, and could become a great mother.

It's so easy and natural to be scared at times like this. The best thing you can do is just be there for her, and show your support, no matter what she decides later on. :-)

Answer 3

babies can be born and survive at 24 weeks. if your friend terminated her pregnancy she would be given medication to bring on her labour, go through full labour and give birth and then they would leave the baby to die and throw it in the bin.she will then have the same physical and emotional feelings as someone who had had a full term baby, ie her milk will come in, and she will have all the hormones rushing around her body and have to cope with the enormity of what she has just done. i have read about a girl who had a late abortion who had given birth and the baby had been alive and crying, and when they begged the hospital staff to help save the baby they were told no you chose to have an abortion. if your friend waits a couple of months she will go through the same pain and birth, but will then have a choice when she sees the baby she may change her mind and decide to keep it. if she then still doesnt want it she could give it up for adoption and let it be raised by one of thousands of childless couples desperate for a baby.
give your friend support and love, she will need it no matter what choice she makes, all you can do is give her our advice and be there for her.
i just did a search to find an image of a 24 week baby and found this article that went with it.i was appalled as i didnt know this could happen too.please read this it and see the photo of what a baby looks like at 24 weeks.
http://www.sanctuarygc.org/Arated/abortion.html

Answer 4

Why did she wait so long?

What is the longest a person can wait before getting an abortion?"

That depends on where you live. In the United States, each state is allowed to make their own rules regarding abortion. There are a lot of states where you have to be less than 12 weeks from the first day of your last normal period (LMP, all weeks are based on the LMP, not when you got pregnant). Other states go up to 20 weeks, 22 weeks, 24 weeks, or even later. Generally, abortion procedures after 24 weeks are only done if there are severe problems with the pregnancy or severe risks to the mother's life or health.

Here in Iowa, abortion providers are allowed to perform abortions up until 20 weeks from the woman's last period. The Emma Goldman Clinic is the only clinic that performs elective abortions to that upper limit.

It is MUCH better to get in before you get anywhere near those upper limits. Ideally, you want to get in to see your provider (regardless of your state's laws) before you reach 12 weeks from your last period. Even if you live where you have access to a clinic that will see you after that point, abortions past 12 weeks get incredibly expensive. Besides the cost of the procedure itself, you often have to spend 2 days (3 days if you are past 20 weeks) at the clinic, so you have to find somewhere to stay overnight. While the post-12 week procedures are still safe, they do have higher risks than the procedure before you are 12 weeks from your last period.

Even if you don't think you will be able to get the abortion until later, you should still contact facilities as soon as you know that you are pregnant, if you want an abortion. While talking on the phone, you will be able to find out your state's laws, the cost of the procedure, and the dates you would have to be seen by. Some clinics are able to help you find financial assistance to put together the cost of the abortion. Try visiting the National Abortion Federation's website at www.prochoice.org. That website will help you find the clinics nearest you, as well as letting you know the restrictions on abortion in your state. You can also visit the website of the National Network of Abortion Funds, www.nnaf.org. Their website will help you find abortion funds (organizations that help women put together the cost of an abortion procedure) in your area.

Maybe she could give the baby up for adoption. Whether she gives the baby up or somehow does have an abortion shes needs to get on birth control afterwards so she dosen't let this happen again..

why wasn't she on birth control and not using condoms?

Answer 5

The baby weighs about 780 grams and measures about 280 mm (11 inches) from head to toe. 24 weeks is the gestational time limit for abortion in Britain under grounds C and D, as specified in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. There is no time limit on all other grounds. However you might like to tell your friend that if her baby was born now it has a 39% chance of survival. "By 30 days, just two weeks past [the] mother’s first missed period, the baby – one quarter of an inch long – has a brain of unmistakable human proportions, eyes, ears, mouth, kidneys, liver, an umbilical cord and a heart pumping blood he has made himself". All of the child’s organs are present at least in a basic form, including the retina of the eye and the canals in the ear. His or her head, arms, legs, muscles and skin have all begun to take shape from 8 weeks and the brain and nervous system begin to function. He or she can produce complex facial expressions and even smile. The baby sleeps and wakes, and can be woken by loud noises or movement.
So, tell all this to your friend and see if she still wants to terminate a well formed baby. If she doesn't want it, remind her that adoption is available.

Answer 6

The legal limit is 24 weeks, but PLEASE ask your friend to reconsider.

I had an abortion myself 4 years ago at 22 weeks and have since come to regret it terribly. At the time I felt I had no choice - it was safer for me and better for the baby if it wasn't born as my ex boyfriend was very unstable and violent, but if I'd known then what I now know I would have found another way.

I have since gone on to meet a lovely man and we have a healthy 5 month old baby girl. Until I was pregnant with her I thought I had dealt with the abortion and got over it, even though I read lots of horror stories about them afterwards, but nothing could prepare me for the way I felt when I read all the pregnancy books about how the baby develops. When you have an unwanted pregnancy you do "switch off" and de-humanise the baby, but it can and does come back to haunt you later on. I love my daughter so much, and I feel so lucky to have her, and it breaks my heart to know that I effectively "killed" another baby who wasn't much smaller than she was when she was born.

At 22 weeks, my baby couldn't have survived outside the womb, but at 24 weeks, your friend's could. Ask her to think about how much worse it would be to know that her baby might have survived...

Adoption isn't an easy option, but at least she wouldn't have to live with that guilt. A friend of mine found out she was pregnant at 7 months and decided to put the baby up for adoption - she changed her mind and her son is now 4 and the centre of her universe. At least if your friend decided to put the baby up for adoption she'd have the option to change her mind when the baby arrives....

(For the record, I'm still pro-choice, though I'd never have an abortion myself again. I do however believe that the legal and moral limit should be 12 weeks, before the baby is fully developed.)

Answer 7

Really think about what you are considering. If you have anxities and fears about the baby and being pregnant, they will all go away once you have the baby, I promise. Having an abortion as early as the 1st trimister can to as late as the 3rd timister can ruin your chances of ever having kids at all. It can be done but the cost goes as high as $5000. Having a baby is expensive, but I rather undergo the love and expense of a baby than the emotional scarring and damage to your body in the future. As for adoption, as bad as foster homes are in the united states and there is no guantee your baby will be adopted it's better than other countries. Think about this .... how would you like it if your own flesh and blood was being raise by perfect strangers you know nothing about? Would you actually kill yourself because that is what you are doing at 24 weeks and on...the baby is no longer a cell but a developing baby growng in you.

Answer 8

at 24 weeks your not just pregnant you have a living baby inside you/your friend, and to have an abortion would be an horrifice experiance at this late stage, i think she would have to deliver her baby as if she was giving birth to a full term baby. They just don't make it go away you have to deliver this baby dead or alive. if she doesn't want a baby there are other options,
look up some for your friend. she will need a lot of help with this.If she does go ahead with an abortion she will need lots of help too.let her know she mustn't go through it on her own,you sound like a good friend.

Answer 9

yes it is way to late also illegal without the permission of two separate doctors on the grounds of causing a severe mental health problem to the mother if the birth went ahead or serious birth defects such as downs at 24 weeks it is no longer an embryo or a cluster of cells it is a human being who didn't ask to be conceived. The only options are adoption or taking responsibility for what she has allowed to happen

Answer 10

Yes morally but probably not legally. Children have been born alive and survived at 7 months (admittedly with special care) It is not pleasant for the operating team to do this kind of abortion and many will not from religious convictions. If the child is not wanted for whatever reason then there are many couples who would love it.