“Debunking the Myth: No States Permit After-Birth Abortions”

While speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists conference, Donald Trump repeated a false claim that some states allow infanticide.

Former President Donald Trump was interviewed on July 31 at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago.

During his appearance, journalist Kadia Goba of Semafor questioned Trump about his vice-presidential candidate JD Vance’s past comments on “childless women,” divorced people, and abortion. Vance has previously indicated support for a national abortion ban.

“Do you think the Republican party is getting a little bit too judgy about people’s lives? When you think about abortion, or when you think about what JD Vance is saying?” Goba asked.

Trump responded, “I think that the Democrat Party is really the one that has the problem. I think they’re radical on abortion because they’re allowing abortion in the ninth month. They’re allowing the death, they’re allowing the death of a baby after the baby is born.”

Several of the panel moderators interrupted the former president, asserting that his statement was untrue.

Trump has made this claim multiple times, including during prior presidential debates.

THE QUESTION

Do any U.S. states allow after-birth abortions?

THE ANSWER

There are no U.S. states that allow after-birth abortions. Killing a child after birth for any reason is infanticide, which is illegal in all 50 states.

WHAT WE FOUND

No states in the U.S. allow after-birth abortions. Experts confirm it is not physically possible to perform an abortion if a woman has already gone into labor.

“Patients who are laboring at term are never having an abortion,” Sarah Prager, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington, told the AP. “They are having a delivery.”

Abortions late in pregnancy are extremely rare. In 2021, approximately 93% of abortions in the U.S. took place at or before 13 weeks’ gestation, with less than 1% occurring at 21 weeks or later, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). KFF, a health policy organization, notes that third-trimester abortions may happen due to “medical concerns such as fetal anomalies or maternal life endangerment, as well as barriers to care that cause delays in obtaining an abortion.”

Source of the misinformation

During the NABJ conference, Trump linked his comments to former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s 2019 radio show interview, wherein Northam discussed legislation to loosen restrictions on late-term abortions.

Northam, a physician, responded to a question about what might occur if a birthing person requested an abortion while in labor due to fetal deformity or non-viability. “In this particular example…the infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother,” he explained.

Following the interview, segments of Northam’s explanation circulated on social media, making it seem as though he supported after-birth abortions, which led to claims, including by Trump, that some states permit infanticide due to lenient abortion laws.

This is a completely advertising post.