PIP: In light of liberalized abortion legislation, the author considers the potential for increased 3rd-trimester abortion rates in England. The paper refers specifically to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill passed by the House of Lords on October 18, 1990. The Bill allows abortion during the 1st 24 weeks of pregnancy if risk is posed to the mother or existing children's physical or mental health. The 24-week limit is not, however, applicable when the mother is a risk of grave permanent injury or death, or in the case of substantial risk of serious handicap in the child. 3rd-trimester abortion rates will not change in the former cases, while the latter involve more complex ethics and decision-making on the part of the mother and obstetrician. While screening for malformation should provide relatively definite diagnoses within 24 weeks, some structural abnormalities may only be discovered incidentally much later in term. Incurable, yet not necessarily lethal conditions such as osteochondrodysplasias, central nervous system malformation, inborn errors of metabolism, and chromosomal anomalies may present intervention dilemmas, yet remain legal grounds for abortion within the 24-week period at the wish of the mother. 3rd-trimester abortion, however, demands consideration of the expected severity of physical and mental impairment,the child's life expectation, gestation at diagnosis, the mother's obstetric history, and that active steps such as intra-cardiac injection will be needed to kill the fetus. The pediatrician, geneticist, or surgeon are recommended for inclusion in counseling. Finally, comparing England's 1989 experience with 3rd- trimester abortions to Scotland's, where restrictive legislation has not been in effect, abortion law liberalization is not expected to extensively increase the number of late terminations.