American progressives look to Western Europe as the model of what America should be.

So, here's an area of European social policy that progressives will definitely want to examine more closely.

Europe's attitude toward abortion.

It happens to be much more restrictive than that of the United States.

That's right.

Western Europeans, as progressive and secular as they are, have a much more conservative attitude about abortion than American progressives do.

Here is what Emily Matcher wrote in the Atlantic magazine in 2013.

Quote,

I assumed that Western Europe would be the land of abortion on demand.

But, as it turns out, abortion laws in Europe are both more restrictive and more complicated than that.

Waiting periods, decried by American pro-choicers as unreasonably burdensome, are common, close quote.

In Germany, for example, nearly all abortions are illegal after 12 weeks.

And, there's a three-day waiting period and mandatory counseling before a woman is allowed to have an abortion,

even during the permitted first 12 weeks.

That's more restrictive than Texas.

In the US, abortions are legal in every state before a pregnancy has reached its 20th week.

After that, some restrictions do kick in.

11 states prohibit abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy.

20 states prohibit abortions at the point of viability, which is when a baby can survive outside the womb.

They usually recognize that as being 23 to 25 weeks.

Three states prohibit abortion after the 28th week.

And seven states, plus Washington, D.C., allow abortions to be performed at any point in a pregnancy,

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