ABORTION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The delicate issue of third-trimester abortions has been in the news recently, with legislation in New York and Virginia sparking new controversy. The issue was amplified by comments last week from Virginia’s embattled Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. During his State of the Union address on Tuesday [2-5-19] night, President Donald Trump took on the issue with characteristically strong language, citing these recent events to push for ‘legislation to prohibit late-term abortion,’ a move sure to ignite his supporters who oppose abortion. Here’s some context to the policy moves across the country. New York The Reproductive Health Act, signed into law last month in New York, allows for abortions after 24 weeks if an authorized health care practitioner determines that “the abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s life or health” or if ‘there is an absence of fetal viability.’ New York’s new law expands access to abortions into the third trimester by loosening restrictions on when the procedure is permitted. Previously, an abortion could only be performed after 24 weeks if the physician deemed it necessary to preserve the life of the mother. Under the new law, the requirement has been expanded to include the general health of the mother.”
–Holmes Lybrand, “Trump’s abortion comments in context,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, February 6, 2019 6:06 pm