Yes, you can get an abortion at 24 weeks in some parts of the United States, but your options depend heavily on where you live. Twenty-four weeks sits right at the threshold of fetal viability, which makes it one of the most legally and medically significant cutoff points in abortion law. Around 27 states plus Washington, D.C. currently permit the procedure at or near this gestational age, though access varies widely in practice.
Where Abortion at 24 Weeks Is Legal
Abortion law in the U.S. is now a patchwork, and the rules shift dramatically from state to state. Broadly, there are three categories that matter if you’re at 24 weeks.
Nine states and Washington, D.C. have no gestational limit at all: Alaska, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont. In these states, abortion is legally available at 24 weeks and beyond, though finding a provider willing and equipped to perform the procedure at later gestations can still be difficult.
Eighteen states set their gestational limits at or near viability, which is generally defined as around 24 weeks. These include Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Whether “at or near viability” means you can access care at exactly 24 weeks depends on how each state defines and measures the cutoff, and how individual clinics interpret it. Some providers in these states stop scheduling procedures a week or two before the legal limit to avoid any ambiguity.
The remaining states have bans that take effect well before 24 weeks, some as early as conception or six weeks. If you live in one of these states, getting an abortion at 24 weeks would require traveling to a state with later limits.
Why 24 Weeks Is a Legal Threshold
The number 24 comes from the medical concept of viability: the point at which a fetus could potentially survive outside the womb with intensive medical support. Major obstetric organizations define the “periviable” period as 20 weeks through 25 weeks and 6 days, with 24 completed weeks representing a significant shift in survival odds.
National data on more than 47,000 infants born at 24 completed weeks shows a survival rate of about 71.6%, up from 68.4% in earlier years to 73.3% by 2018. Below 24 weeks, survival drops sharply to around 24%. This steep difference is a major reason so many state laws cluster their limits around this point. It’s worth noting, though, that survival data doesn’t capture long-term health outcomes. Many infants born this early face serious complications, and national studies have not yet tracked how these children develop over time.
Medical Exceptions After the Limit
Even in states with gestational bans, exceptions typically exist for certain medical situations. Most states with restrictions allow abortion when continuing the pregnancy poses a serious risk of substantial and irreversible harm to a major bodily function. Some also permit the procedure when the fetus has a lethal anomaly that would prevent survival after birth.
These exceptions sound clear in principle but are often vague in practice. Few states provide specific clinical definitions of which conditions qualify, leaving doctors to interpret broad legal language under the threat of criminal penalties. Alabama, for example, requires a psychiatrist to formally diagnose a “serious mental illness” and document that the person is likely to engage in behavior that could result in death. This kind of requirement adds layers of delay and complexity to time-sensitive decisions. The ambiguity in exception language has made many providers cautious, sometimes declining cases that might technically qualify.
What the Procedure Involves
At 24 weeks, the standard approach is a surgical procedure called dilation and evacuation (D&E). Unlike a first-trimester abortion, which can often be completed in a single short visit, a D&E at this stage typically takes two days. On the first day, your cervix is gradually dilated using small devices and, in some cases, medication. This preparation visit usually lasts about two and a half hours. The procedure itself happens the following day and takes roughly four to five hours total, including recovery time. An overnight hospital stay is not usually required.
Some clinics offer induction-based procedures at this gestational age, where medication causes labor. This approach takes longer and is more common in hospital settings. Your provider will recommend one method over the other based on your specific medical situation.
Complication Rates
Abortion in the second trimester carries higher risks than earlier procedures, though it remains safe overall. A large audit of over 2,100 surgical abortions found a total complication rate of 2.17%. For pregnancies past 20 weeks, the rate was 4.19%, compared to 1.71% for those under 20 weeks. Most of the increased risk came from minor complications. The rate of major complications showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups, sitting at about 0.55% overall.
The most common complications include heavy bleeding, infection, and incomplete removal of tissue requiring a follow-up procedure. Serious outcomes like uterine perforation or the need for a blood transfusion are rare. The risk profile increases with each additional week of gestation, which is one reason providers emphasize getting care as early as possible once the decision is made.
Cost and Logistics
Later abortions cost significantly more than earlier ones. Planned Parenthood estimates that a procedure later in the second trimester runs between $1,500 and $2,000, compared to around $715 earlier in the second trimester. Clinics that specialize in later procedures may charge more, and these estimates don’t include travel, lodging, childcare, or lost wages if you need to go out of state.
If you need to travel, the logistical burden adds up quickly. A two-day procedure means at least two nights away from home. Many later-abortion clinics are concentrated in a handful of states, and wait times for appointments can stretch days or weeks, pushing you further into pregnancy. Several national abortion funds help cover procedure costs and travel expenses, and most clinics can connect you with these resources when you call to schedule.
Insurance coverage varies. Medicaid covers abortion in 17 states, and some private insurance plans include it depending on state law and plan type. In states with bans, insurance restrictions often mirror the legal restrictions, meaning coverage may only apply to the narrow medical exceptions allowed by law.
Why People Seek Abortion at 24 Weeks
Abortions at this stage are uncommon, making up roughly 1% of all procedures in the U.S. The reasons people reach 24 weeks before ending a pregnancy are varied and often layered. Some involve fetal anomalies that weren’t detectable until the 20-week anatomy scan, with additional diagnostic testing and specialist consultations adding weeks. Others involve people who faced barriers to earlier care: inability to afford the procedure sooner, trouble finding a provider, state-mandated waiting periods, or not recognizing pregnancy symptoms until later (which is more common in adolescents and people with irregular cycles).
Changes in life circumstances, such as domestic violence, loss of a partner, or a new medical diagnosis, also play a role. In states with earlier bans, the time spent arranging travel, funding, and childcare can itself push a pregnancy past the first trimester and into later territory.