Emma Harcourt

Background Misinformation about abortion and pregnancy is common. Restrictions on abortion access at and beyond 20 weeks are frequently justified using the claim that a fetus can experience pain before the third trimester. The current medical consensus is that it is unlikely that fetal pain perception is possible before the 29th or 30th weeks of pregnancy. Aims To examine the relationship between abortion attitudes and beliefs about when a fetus develops the capacity to perceive pain in utero.