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The United States is one of only seven countries that allows abortions without restrictions after 20 weeks, according to a study that’s once again gaining traction as the Supreme Court takes on an abortion case.
A 2014 study by the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that out of nearly 200 countries in the world, only around 60 allow “abortion on demand” without “restriction as to reason,” which, ironically enough, sounds a lot like the famous Gloria Steinem chant.
Out of the 59, only seven allow elective abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy without restrictions, and the US is one of those countries.
There are other countries that permit abortions after 20 weeks, but only in specific circumstances.
“In terms of gestational limits, the United States ranks among seven countries with the most permissive abortion policies,” the study stated. “The clear norm among countries that permit elective abortion is to limit abortion to before 20 weeks gestation, and elective abortion is more commonly limited to 12 weeks (the first trimester).”
Although the study was done back in 2014, there hasn’t been any dramatic, worldwide shifts in those statistics.
The study was so shocking that, in 2017, the Washington Post attempted to debunk the Trump administration for touting it, but the Post instead had to admit it was true.
“This statistic seemed dubious at first, because it seemed extreme for just seven countries out of 198 to allow elective abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but upon further digging, the data back up the claim,” the Post admitted. “We should note that some of the seven countries allow abortions after 20 weeks, but ban it after 24 weeks, and other countries have no federal limits, but legislate at the state or provincial level, similar to the United States.”
The rest of the seven countries include China, North Korea, Vietnam, Canada, the Netherlands and Singapore.
The United States is closer to China, North Korea and Vietnam when it comes to having the least restrictions.
Clinics in Canada, on the other hand, actually refer women to the US because of the latter’s looser restrictions, despite Canada being a much more progressive country.
“Abortions after 20 weeks are not always readily available for Canadians, so women are often referred to a clinic in the United States, according to an abortion rights group in Canada,” the Post added. “These procedures may be paid in full or in part by provincial governments.”
The study gained attention once again after the Supreme Court agreed to review a Mississippi ban on abortions after 15 weeks.
Ironically, the 15-week ban is still beyond the first trimester, which, as the study pointed out, is the typical, worldwide limit on elective abortions.