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FACT BRIEF

Does the Democratic Party officially support abortions at 34 weeks and beyond for any reason?

By Carmela Guaglianone
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NO

The official platform adopted by the Democratic Party does not include a provision universally supporting abortions at or after 34 weeks. Democratic officials generally support exceptions for cases of rape and incest, fetal anomalies or conditions jeopardizing the life or health of the mother. 

Since a 2022 Supreme Court vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, which protected a federal right to abortion, 13 states have voted to ban abortion and 28 others restrict abortion after a certain gestational period. Each state allows exceptions to protect the life of the pregnant person. 

Just over 20% of abortions each year are performed after a gestational age of 9 weeks, according to the most CDC data available, which covers the period from 2012-2021. Less than 1% of all abortions in 2021 were performed after 21 weeks. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Democratic Party Democratic Party Platform
KFF Policy Tracker: Exceptions to State Abortion Bans and Early Gestational Limits
KFF A Review of Exceptions in State Abortion Bans: Implications for the Provision of Abortion Services
Centers for Disease Control Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2021
Guttmacher Institute State Bans on Abortion Throughout Pregnancy
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Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.