• Abortion was the first widely performed outpatient procedure.Abortion procedures have barely tripled in price from the early 70's. In the 70's an early abortion was about $150. Now they are about $400. Name any other medical procedure that's only tripled in cost in the past 35 years. You can't.
• Abortion clinics were some of the first medical providers to mandate informed consent. And the consent is very detailed, unlike the general consent you sign in a hospital.
• Abortion clinics were some of the first medical providers to openly advertise directly to consumers.
• Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures performed. It's 8-12 times safer than childbirth. The mortality rate is very low.

Who are the women who delay into the second and third trimester? There are several characteristics:

• In general, they are younger.
• They are less educated.
• They are more rural, where healthcare is more inaccessible.
• They tend to be poorer than women who get early abortions.
• And they have more lifestyle and emotional issues. Oftentimes, the unintended pregnancy is the easiest of their problems to solve.

Now, I'm sure your first concern is Why. Why would a woman wait so long? Here's a few of the many reasons why women delay getting abortions:

• Money. Many women don't have $400 sitting around in a savings account to pay for an early abortion. Delay happens in raising the money, borrowing it, pawning stuff for it, etc.

• Denial. Many young women especially so want not to be pregnant that they deny their obvious symptoms of pregnancy and attribute them to other causes. They're missing their period because they're irregular. They're gaining wait because they've been eating too much. They've got the flu. Many young women even hide their pregnancies from their parents with big baggy shirts, fake periods, etc.
• Fetal anomalies.
  

Without a doubt, the number one reason for abortions past 24 weeks is the late discovery of a fetal anomaly incompatible with life. I've talked with many women who find themselves in this situation and it is always an extremely difficult and heart-wrenching situation. Many women even underwent infertility treatments to become pregnant. But, when the pregnancy goes horribly awry, a Mercy Abortion is the best solution in a no-win situation. These are women who need abortion more than many others. Therefore, it's ironic that they are the ones being punished by focusing on the procedures that are life-saving for them.

One of the reasons for this is that many of these anomalies aren't apparent in pregnancy until the later stages. Also, most women get a sonogram paid for by insurance in the early weeks of pregnancy, but don't get another one until well after 20-22 weeks.

Imagine if you can that you are happily carrying a baby that you've wanted all your life. You've had the baby showers and decorated the room already. Then comes the devastating news that the baby is anencephalic. That means that the baby has no brain and will die a horrible death shortly after birth.

You say. "This is just an isolated instance." Oh no... this scenario is played out every day. And many of the families that this happens to are anti-abortion. But, at that moment where they are told that the pregnancy is flawed, many choose the Mercy Abortion to alleviate their suffering and the suffering of their child.