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In November, voters in at least will vote on ballot initiatives seeking to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions. Voters and in consider abortion to be one of the most important issues in this election.听听听

For this and other reasons, it is critical that the public be informed about the issue. Here are five myths about abortion in America, compared to the reality.听听听

MYTH #1: Many women are having abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy, including in the ninth month or later.听听

REALITY: The vast majority of abortions (93%) occur in the first trimester of pregnancy, according to the . So-called 鈥渓ate-term abortions鈥� performed at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy are extremely uncommon and less than 1% of all abortions in the U.S. They generally occur because of the discovery of a fatal condition affecting the fetus or serious risks to the life or health of the mother. The claim that abortions happen 鈥渕oments before birth鈥� or even 鈥渁fter birth鈥� is false. In no state is it legal to kill a baby after it has been born.听听听

MYTH #2: The overturning of Roe v. Wade has led to fewer abortions.听

REALITY: The number of abortions that occurred in the U.S. by 11% in 2023, the first full year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, compared with 2020 levels. This increase was driven primarily by the greater availability of medication abortion pills and privately financed funds that supported women seeking abortions. 听

MYTH #3: Because abortion totals have not declined, women cannot have been harmed by abortion bans and restrictions.听

REALITY: Although many women living in states with abortion bans have been able to circumvent those bans by traveling to another state or by obtaining medication abortion pills using telehealth and the mail, others have not been so lucky. So even though abortion rates have increased, on balance, it鈥檚 still the case that many women who wanted abortions have been .听

In addition, abortion restrictions are putting women鈥檚 lives and health at risk. The same procedures used for terminating unintended pregnancies are also for addressing a number of other situations, including miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and severe fetal abnormalities.听听

Federal authorities have documented where pregnant women have been refused emergency medical treatment because doctors in ban states fear criminal prosecution. This has resulted in women having miscarriages in public restrooms, bleeding out in their cars, or experiencing delays in receiving care that have led them to develop infections or sustain bodily harm.听听

Already, a woman in Georgia named Amber Thurman from infection after doctors delayed performing a routine procedure out of fear of criminal liability under the state鈥檚 abortion ban. The state鈥檚 maternal mortality review committee called Thurman鈥檚 death 鈥減reventable鈥� and said the delay in care had a 鈥渓arge鈥� impact in causing her death. similarly tragic stories are sure to emerge once state review committees begin to publicize their findings, which operate with a lag.听听

MYTH #4: Depending on who is elected, there will be a federal law either banning or legalizing abortion nationwide.

REALITY: It is highly unlikely the election will change the composition of Congress enough to give either party sufficient votes to pass a federal law either banning or legalizing abortion nationwide.

Vice President Harris has consistently supported abortion rights over the course of her political . As the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris has said she legislation that would restore the protections established by Roe v. Wade. She has not answered the question about whether she opposes any restrictions on abortion. Under Roe v. Wade, states could only restrict abortion after the point of fetal viability, or about 22 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases where abortions were necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant person.

Former President Trump鈥檚 position on a national abortion ban has significantly over time. As president, Trump supported a 2018 bill that would have banned abortion after of pregnancy nationwide. Earlier this year, Trump signaled support for a and then a abortion ban. His is that the legality of abortion should be left to the states. During the presidential debate against Vice President Harris, Trump whether he would veto a national ban if he were reelected.

To enact legislation that would protect or ban abortion nationwide, the party that won the presidency would also need to secure majorities in both the House and Senate. All three are shaping up to be tight races. Because it is highly unlikely either party will secure sufficient support in this election, including the 60 votes needed to overcome the Senate , neither will be able to pass a federal law codifying abortion policy nationwide. This means those in favor of protecting reproductive rights need to do so through the kind of measures that will be on the ballot in many states.听

MYTH #5: Women living in states where abortion is legal will not be affected by the outcome of the 2024 election.

REALITY: Federal regulation, largely determined by executive agencies operating under the authority of the president, plays a major role in determining access to abortion.

In recent years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made multiple to its policy toward mifepristone (one of the two drugs used in medication abortion) that have made medication abortion far more accessible. These pills are now , accounting for nearly two-thirds of all abortions nationwide.

If Trump were reelected, he the use of these abortion pills by appointing a new head of the FDA or Health and Human Services (HHS) who could reverse the FDA鈥檚 revised policies toward mifepristone or override the agency鈥檚 approval of the drug completely.

Trump could also direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to enforce a 151-year-old federal law known as the that bans the shipment of abortion-related materials. In 2022, the DOJ under the 麻豆官网首页入口免费-Harris administration issued a stating that the Comstock Act does not prohibit the mailing of abortion drugs even to recipients in states where abortion is banned. Trump could direct the DOJ to reverse this position to instead outlaw and prosecute the interstate shipment of abortion pills, or other materials related to abortion.

The Heritage Foundation, as part of its initiative, has called for a potential future Trump administration to end medication abortion and prosecute those who ship and transport abortion pills and supplies using these . As Jonathan Mitchell, an anti-abortion advocate and key architect of Project 2025, to the New York Times, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 need a federal ban when we have Comstock on the books.鈥� Trump has sought to distance himself from the Project 2025 plan whose authors include many former members of his administration.

When asked about these issues during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in August, Trump he was receptive to using his authority as president to revoke access to abortion pills. A couple of weeks later, Trump that he 鈥済enerally speaking would not鈥� use the Comstock Act to outlaw the shipment of abortion pills.