Gestation is a complex process. Things can go terribly wrong and sometimes the development of a fetus is not complete. I know from experience. Perhaps the anomalies that affected my child could now be detectable at an earlier stage, but they may not be. Some severe problems are not fully detectable until later than 20 weeks. I was pregnant with twins and lost one twin at the usual early miscarriage stage of 8 weeks. The pregnancy was different from my first and my doctor was not particularly engaged. I was in pain when the baby stirred and I was quite small. The baby didn’t have any kidneys and his lungs were severely underdeveloped. If I had aborted a non viable fetus after 20 weeks it would have been heartbreaking. But to go to 8 months only with my instincts telling me something was terribly wrong was devastating. It wasn’t until a few days before the premature birth that I was told that the child wouldn’t survive, and it was only because I had insisted that I needed an ultrasound. It was then I was told of the anomalies. The child suffocated within an hour of the birth. I obviously changed doctors. These late term abortions are not for capricious reasons. They are tragic situations that are best handled by the people involved. I went back to my original doctor whose hospital was a half hour from our new home and discussed what had happened and what options I would have going forward. I don’t think I could have handled another “blind” pregnancy without the option to terminate. Within a year we welcomed our son and completed our family. I had the support of a compassionate, competent doctor who I could trust. I wish every woman could be supported by someone like him. These situations are not black and white or simple. They’re best left to the professionals and the families involved.