Australian conservatives claim babies are sometimes ‘born alive’ after an abortion. What’s the truth?

The Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says only 1% of abortions are performed after 20 weeks’ gestation. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Some religious groups and conservative politicians in Australia have claimed babies are being “born alive” after abortions and left to die alone.

But experts warn “born alive” campaigns are riddled with misinformation, use misleading statistics and could threaten women’s access to abortions.