At 26 weeks gestation, a baby’s eyes open for the first time. An uptick in neural oscillations means that the two-pound fetus, probably now taller than a foot, can respond to noises. Even though three more months of pregnancy ideally remain, a baby born at this last week of the second trimester has an 80% to 90% chance of survival.

Americans hold all sorts of conflicting opinions about abortion at early stages of pregnancy, but this irrefutable science of personhood is why fewer than three in ten Americans support legal second trimester abortion, and only 13% support legal third trimester abortion. Even two out of three pro-choice Americans oppose third trimester abortion.