How Late Can You Get an Abortion in Oregon: Procedures and Costs

Oregon law sets no gestational limit on abortion, so the answer to how late you can get an abortion in Oregon is, legally, at any point in pregnancy. There is no viability cutoff, no mandatory waiting period, no required counseling, and no ultrasound mandate.¹ The harder question is practical: which providers actually perform abortions at the stage you’re at, what the procedure looks like, and what it costs. Those answers shift a lot between six weeks and twenty-six.

Why There’s No Legal Deadline

Oregon never enacted the kinds of gestational bans or method restrictions that most other states have. The Oregon Department of Justice states plainly that “Oregon does not have any legal restrictions on abortion,” including no gestational limits and no restrictions on receiving medication abortion pills by mail.¹ The timing of an abortion is a decision between you and your provider.

One statute is worth knowing about, because it affects where later procedures happen. Under ORS 435.475, private hospitals in Oregon can adopt policies refusing to admit patients for abortion, and if they do, they must inform the patient. Hospitals operated by the state or a political subdivision cannot refuse.² For later-term procedures that require a hospital, this is why public institutions like OHSU are central to access.

What Procedure You’ll Have at Each Stage

The procedure changes as pregnancy advances, and not every clinic offers every option. The rough map below reflects standard practice in Oregon; individual providers set slightly different cutoffs.

Medication Abortion: Up to About 11 Weeks

Two drugs, mifepristone followed by misoprostol, taken in sequence. The FDA has approved this regimen through 10 weeks of gestation, meaning 70 days from the first day of the last menstrual period.³ Oregon providers, including OHSU, commonly offer medication abortion through 11 weeks (77 days), reflecting established clinical practice beyond the FDA label.⁴ The first pill is taken at a clinic or during a telehealth visit; the second is taken at home.

Telehealth medication abortion is available throughout Oregon with pills mailed to your home, and there is no in-person visit requirement.¹ OHSU and Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette both offer it, and some services now offer same-day pharmacy pickup.⁵

Aspiration Abortion: Roughly 6 to 14 Weeks

Also called suction or vacuum aspiration. It’s an in-clinic procedure that uses gentle suction to empty the uterus. At OHSU, pregnancies under 12 weeks are usually handled in a single visit. From 12 weeks on, one or two visits may be needed so the cervix can be gradually prepared beforehand.⁴

Dilation and Evacuation: Roughly 14 to 24 Weeks

D&E is the standard second-trimester procedure. The cervix is dilated over one or two days, then the provider removes pregnancy tissue using specialized instruments and suction. It’s performed in a clinic or outpatient surgical setting, and the preparation lengthens as gestational age increases.

Induction and Hospital Procedures: Beyond 24 Weeks

Past roughly 24 weeks, the procedure moves into a hospital and resembles induced labor. Medications cause the uterus to contract and deliver. OHSU notes that later medication abortions are done in the hospital using a different process than the pill regimen used in early pregnancy.⁴ These cases are uncommon and almost always involve serious fetal diagnoses or threats to the patient’s health. Very few facilities anywhere in the country perform procedures at this stage, and wait times for an appointment can be significant.

Why Later Is Harder Even Though It’s Legal

This is where Oregon’s policy and Oregon’s reality diverge, and it catches people off guard. As gestational age increases, the number of providers willing and equipped to perform the procedure drops sharply. A first-trimester abortion can be scheduled at numerous clinics across the state. A procedure after 24 weeks may mean an appointment at OHSU or travel out of state to one of a handful of specialized facilities nationwide.

Wait times compound the problem. Even at facilities that perform later procedures, availability may be limited, and the multi-day preparation required for D&E and induction means the process itself takes longer from first call to completion. If you’re considering an abortion later in pregnancy, contact a provider as early as you can so you understand the actual scheduling picture.

What It Costs

Most people with insurance in Oregon pay nothing out of pocket. The Reproductive Health Equity Act, passed in 2017, requires state-regulated private health plans to cover abortion at no cost to the member, including individual, small group, and fully insured large group plans. The Oregon Health Plan (OHP) covers abortions regardless of citizenship or immigration status and can help pay for transportation to and from appointments.⁶

RHEA does not reach every plan. Exemptions include self-funded large group plans (common with large employers), Medicare, High Deductible Health Plans (where you must meet the deductible first), HSA-eligible plans, and plans offered by Providence Health Plan.⁶ For people on Providence or religious-employer plans that don’t cover abortion, Oregon created the Abortion Access Plan to fill the gap.⁷

Without insurance, cost tracks with how far along the pregnancy is. OHSU charges a flat $432 for a medication abortion virtual visit, plus up to $125 for the medications.⁴ Telehealth-by-mail services tend to run $150 to $400. Second-trimester procedures jump considerably: early second-trimester procedures average around $715, while later second-trimester procedures can reach $1,500 to $2,000. Third-trimester procedures cost substantially more and are typically quoted case by case.

Help With Costs and Travel

Several organizations help cover procedure and travel expenses. The Northwest Abortion Access Fund assists patients in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Idaho. The Cascades Abortion Support Collective provides travel, lodging, childcare coordination, and meals during multi-day procedures. OHP enrollees can also get help with transportation and, in some cases, lodging and meals.⁸ These supports matter most for later-stage care, when patients often need to travel and stay near a specialized provider for several days.

Finding a Provider

The Oregon Health Authority maintains a list of clinics offering abortion services, including Lilith Clinic, OHSU Center for Women’s Health, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, and Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon.⁵ That list is not exhaustive. Primary care doctors and OB-GYNs sometimes offer abortion services without advertising them, so asking directly is worthwhile. The OHA also maintains a broader clinic finder for reproductive health services.⁹

National directories recommended by the OHA include abortionfinder.org and ineedana.com, both of which let you search by location and gestational age.⁵ Searching by gestational age matters more the further along you are, because that’s what filters out clinics that can’t help at your stage.

A Note on Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Crisis pregnancy centers present themselves as medical offices, using clinical signage, intake forms, and staff in lab coats, but do not provide or refer for abortions. They are not bound by the same medical privacy standards as licensed clinics, and their goal is to discourage patients from terminating a pregnancy. If you’re searching online for an abortion provider, start with the OHA’s verified list rather than a general search, which can surface these facilities alongside real clinics. A real abortion provider will clearly state the services they offer and will not pressure you toward a particular decision.

1
Oregon Department of Justice. Q and A – Abortion Law in Oregon
2
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 435.475 – Refusal to Admit Patient for Termination of Pregnancy
3
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Information About Mifepristone for Medical Termination of Pregnancy Through Ten Weeks Gestation
4
OHSU. Abortion – Frequently Asked Questions
5
Oregon Health Authority. Where to Get an Abortion
6
Oregon Health Authority. Paying for an Abortion
7
Oregon Health Authority. Abortion Access Plan
8
Oregon Health Authority. Abortion Support
9
Oregon Health Authority. Find a Clinic