I presume two of the major reasons to get an abortion are to avoid births of babies with Down's Syndrome and Spina Bifida. Examination of the literature shows that both of these conditions can be detected prior to the third trimester (starting at 26 wks). I conclude that prohibition of abortions in the third trimester could be avoided except in certain cases of threats to the life of the mother. In the case of most complications, the baby could be born by cesarean section or maybe induced birth.
This is significant because a state like New York recently passed a bill allowing abortion up until birth:
In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the Reproductive Health Act on Jan. 22, the 46th anniversary of the Roe decision. The new law permits abortion after the 24th week of a pregnancy when there is “an absence of fetal viability, or the abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s life or health.”
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A law introduced by a Democratic lawmaker in Virginia would also have reduced restrictions on late-term abortions to protect the mother’s health, and would have decreased the number of physicians whose opinions were required to approve an abortion, to one from three. The bill was set aside in committee.
(https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/us/abortion-laws.html)
Below are brief descriptions of Down's Syndrome and Spina Bifida:
Can Down's Syndrome be identified prior to birth? I think the answer is yes*, prior to the third trimester, although the most successful tests are expensive.
According to the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), the test is nearly 100 percent accurate in diagnosing Down syndrome prenatally. What's more, it can distinguish between complete trisomy 21, translocation Down syndrome, and mosaic Down syndrome.*
People with down's syndrome can work and sort of read although only a few graduate from high school The life expectancy is 60 years. Their ability to work independently is limited. One successful job I know of was delivering mail in an office building. they could get their routes down cold and when they came down the hall with their carts, you'd better get out of the way. I knew of wone case of a person doing bagging at a supermarket, but he had a supervisor sitting off to the side to help out when needed so that is not exactly working independently. I cannot find evidence of low IQ people working 40 hrs a week. Financial support will therefore be required for many decades.
Spina Bifida
Life expectancy is 30-40 yrs. It makes a difference where on the spine the spina bifida occurs and whether the spina bifida occurs with hydrocephalus. IQ tends to be normal (42% have IQs above 90.) though hand-eye coordination may be low indicating difficult in writing. If the spina bifida is low on the spine (e.g. lumbar), patients may walk with crutches, braces, or walkers with some needing no assistance. A high percentage have trouble with bladder control and some with bowel problems. If it is high on the spine, the legs may be paralyzed. Spina bifida can bed detected in the second trimester.
All but 2% of the study individuals received some type of education. The majority (54%) received special education, and the remaining 44% received regular education. Only 8% of patients achieved college degrees.
At the time of the followup, 56% of the individuals were unemployed and 36% worked full-time. Employment was related to IQ ***
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Seventy percent of the individuals lived with their parents or in an institution; 30% lived independently at the time of followup. At the time of our study, 76% of the individuals were not married or in intimate relationships.***
* https://www.verywellhealth.com/diagnosing-down-syndrome-1120396
** https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1017/S0012162206000259
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/spinabifida/infant.html
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Spina-Bifida-Fact-Sheet
*** https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3069297/
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