Bans on Abortion at 20 Weeks

Congress is preparing to vote on a bill that would impose a nationwide ban on abortion at 20 weeks. This dangerous, out-of-touch legislation is nothing more than yet another attempt to restrict access to safe, legal abortion.

Nearly 99% of abortions occur before 21 weeks, but when they are needed later in pregnancy, it’s often in very complex circumstances. For example, severe fetal anomalies and serious risks to the pregnant person's health — the kind of situations where patients and their doctors need every medical option available.

20-week bans are also highly unpopular throughout the country. 61% of all voters say abortion should be legal after 20 weeks. Plus, Democrats (78%), Republicans (62%), and Independents (71%) say this is the wrong issue for lawmakers to be spending time on.

Here's the rundown on everything you need to know about the attempts to ban abortion at 20 weeks or later:

20-week bans are part of an agenda to ban all abortion. Beginning with attempts like these to ban abortion after 20 weeks, anti-abortion politicians in Congress and in state legislatures are pushing their agenda, bit by bit, to ultimately outlaw abortion completely.

Beginning with attempts like these to ban abortion after 20 weeks, anti-abortion politicians in Congress and in state legislatures are pushing their agenda, bit by bit, to ultimately outlaw abortion completely. 20-week bans are unconstitutional. Banning abortion after 20 weeks is a clear attempt to erode Roe v. Wade. In fact, 20-week ban proponents are outspoken about their goal to challenge the 1973 Supreme Court decision protecting the right to safe and legal abortion.

20-week bans are opposed by doctors. Both Physicians for Reproductive Health and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists condemn these bans.

20-week bans criminalize doctors. Politicians shouldn’t have the right to take options away from doctors in dangerous medical situations or prevent them from informing patients about all their health care options.

Nobody should have to justify their personal medical decisions.

These are the stories of three women who made the deeply personal decision to have a safe, legal abortion later in pregnancy. This life-saving decision would be taken away with a 20-week ban.

Julie’s Story

This has nothing to do with politics. This has to do with the choices my husband and I needed to make.



Evelyn’s Story

It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make. Whether or not to have an abortion is a decision that should always be made between a woman, her family, her doctor, and her god. You never think the worst is going to happen.



Christie’s Story