ABORTION: YOUR CHOICE TO MAKE
Whether pro-life or pro-choice, the facts about abortion should be things that any woman knows before she ever gets pregnant. The dictionary defines abortion as the spontaneous expulsion of a human fetus during the first 12 weeks of gestation. What that means is the termination of a pregnancy that results in or is accompanied by the death of an unborn child inside the uterus, sometimes by choice and other times by complications in the womans body.
The abortion procedure takes place under the influence of medication and can be considered surgery if it is far enough along the pregnancy. A non-surgical or medical abortion can be done within seven weeks of the first day of the womans last menstrual period with a combination of prescription hormones. After six weeks of pregnancy, the abortion procedure involves a vacuum to remove the fetus and parts related to helping the fetus grow; this is called a surgical abortion. A sedative may be given and the cervix may be numbed so there is little pain during the procedure. After 12 weeks of pregnancy the process becomes more complicated and can take up to a few days to complete. First, the cervix is dilated, or opened, and small sticks are placed into it to cause it to open, and a day or two later a hollow tube is inserted into the womb before using a vacuum to remove the fetus and placenta. Medicines to stimulate labor contractions of the uterine muscles help to reduce bleeding. Physical recovery usually only takes a few days depending on how far along the woman is in her pregnancy, with only a small amount of bleeding and mild cramping.
There are several types of abortion: elective, incomplete, infected, and threatened. If a woman doesnt want to be pregnant, it is called an elective abortion because she makes a personal decision to terminate the pregnancy. A therapeutic abortion is done when the pregnancy may be harmful to the womans health. Another reason a woman might consider abortion is if the baby has a birth defect or genetic problem. While abortion most commonly refers to the induced abortion of a pregnancy, a spontaneous abortion is usually called a miscarriage, which occurs due to natural causes or accidental trauma; this occurs in an estimated 10 to 15 percent of pregnancies and is the most common complication of pregnancy. An incomplete abortion occurs when portions of the embryo arent removed from the body during a medical abortion procedure, resulting in vaginal bleeding and lower abdominal cramping and a necessary surgical procedure to remove the remaining tissues from the uterus. A threatened abortion is the term for the bodys way of showing a spontaneous loss before the 20th week of gestation.
A medical abortion can cause a woman to have prolonged bleeding, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and pain similar to menstrual cramps. In some cases the fetus does not completely pass from the body and it is necessary to return for a surgical procedure. Risks of a surgical abortion include damage to the uterus or cervix, infection of the uterus or fallopian tubes, and excessive bleeding. Emotional or psychological problems may result from an abortion, because it is a controversial issue that women feel like they cannot discuss with others. This is why counseling is recommended before making the decision to have an abortion, and that finding a safe place to have the procedure done should she decide to do so is especially important. The proper follow-up care and support should be taken very seriously. The longer a woman is pregnant, the more risks she faces in a surgical abortion, thus the reason it is recommended to make the decision for termination as early as possible.
History of abortion
Elective or induced abortion has a long history dating back to ancient times, when herbs and rough abdominal massages were used to rid a woman of an embryo. A second-century Greek physician named Soranus believed women who aimed to abort their fetus should ride animals, carry heavy objects, and partake in energetic jumping and exercise. Many of the herbs used to induce an abortion, like tansy and pennyroyal, had serious side effects and could cause the bodys organs to shut down.
Today, abortion continues to be a controversial topic that individuals and the government debates, combining morality, ethics, responsibility, and religion. In the United States most people define themselves as pro-life, or the belief that a fetus is a human with a fundamental right to life, or pro-choice, which supports a womans right to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy.
