In the heart of Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, a new clinic is pushing abortion access to a disturbing extreme. Hope Clinic Chicago proudly advertises “all-trimester” abortions — offering procedures up to approximately 34 weeks. As Chicago Tribune reports, it’s “the only standalone clinic in the Midwest to offer to kill babies in the third trimester,” and one of just a few in the entire country. 

This isn’t about health care. It’s about a culture where the sanctity of life is no longer honored, even as babies approach full term.  

What Does “All-Trimester” Really Mean? 

The clinic’s own messaging explains that women seek late-term abortions for various reasons — some medical, but many not. Hope Clinic lists reasons including “financial hardship,” “delays in recognizing pregnancy,” and most chillingly: “They just don’t want to be pregnant.” 

“You get to change your mind and make decisions that are right for you,” the clinic states. “And they don’t have to be on anyone else’s timeline.” 

But what does that timeline look like at 34 weeks? At this stage, a baby is fully formed, weighs around 4 to 5 pounds, and has functioning organs. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, “the survival rate for 24 weeker babies is 56.6% and for 25 weekers is 72%.” That’s a full 10–12 weeks earlier than the abortions Hope Clinic now provides.  

Legal Loopholes — A Dangerous Gray Area 

Illinois’ law allows abortion after viability if a provider determines it is “necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient.” But what constitutes a health risk? The law is disturbingly broad in defining the “health of the patient” as “all factors that are relevant to the patient’s health and well-being, including, but not limited to, physical, emotional, psychological, and familial health and age.”

One critic warned: “They make the definition of medical reasons so incredibly vast and vague that any woman could find herself in a doctor’s office convincing that doctor she has a medical reason … even if the threat to her life does not exist. And that’s political.” 

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul called the state an “oasis for safe and effective abortion access,” pledging to protect those who provide abortions.  

But when law protects the act of ending a viable child’s life, we must ask: Who is protecting the child? 

What the Data Really Shows About Late-Term Abortion 

The idea that late-term abortions are rare and only done for medical reasons is a myth. In a peer-reviewed study titled “Who Seeks Abortions at or After 20 Weeks?,” pro-abortion researchers Diana Greene Foster and Katrina Kimport found that most of these abortions are not due to anomalies or danger. 

“Most women seeking later terminations are not doing so for reasons of fetal anomaly or life endangerment,” they wrote. One woman aborted at 24 weeks because she feared it would compromise her care for an older child. Another said, “I couldn’t afford another child. The dad didn’t want to be with me.” 

Late-term abortion is widely available in the U.S. At the publishing of this blog, 21 states “allow legal abortions throughout the entirety of the pregnancy … for nearly any reason, including the mental or emotional health of the mother.”  

10,000 Lives Lost Every Year 

According to the Guttmacher Institute, over one million abortions occurred in the United States in 2023. The CDC estimates that 1% of those abortions occur at or after 21 weeks, which translates to 10,000 late-term abortions annually. 

As researcher Katrina Kimport summarized: “One percent of [total U.S. abortions] is not nothing … It’s small from a data analysis or statistical perspective, but when you’re thinking about that as real people, that’s a pretty big number.” 

The Reality of Late-Term Procedures 

Abortions after 13 weeks typically involve Dilation and Evacuation (D&E), a gruesome procedure where the unborn child is dismembered and removed piece by piece. One provider admitted these procedures often led to “stress, nightmares, and relationship problems” among staff. 

And some babies survive. When that happens, many are left to die without care. These realities are rarely mentioned in mainstream coverage — but they are tragically real. 

A Blueprint for Radical Abortion Access 

With over 35,000 out-of-state abortions performed in Illinois in 2024 alone, the state has become what Eric Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League calls “the abortion capital of the United States.” Hope Clinic expects over half its clients to travel from other states. 

Backed by state-funded programs like the Complex Abortion Regional Line, Illinois is not just allowing late-term abortion — it’s leading the way. 

Final Word: This Is a Defining Cultural Moment 

Once marketed as “safe, legal, and rare,” abortion is now celebrated by some as a right at any time, for any reason — even when the baby is capable of life outside the womb. 

Hope Clinic Chicago is a warning, not just a news story. Roe v. Wade may be overturned, but our work is far from over.  

Every life is a gift. Every baby deserves a chance. And as God’s people, we are called to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. 

Abortion should be unthinkable at any stage of pregnancy. Let’s keep working and praying to make it so.