Abortion

Abortion is an invasive procedure resulting in pregnancy termination and death of the fetus. This procedure is done if the mother has health problems bad enough where she can not carry the fetus to full term. Another reason women have abortions is if the mother can not afford the child or there is health problems with the fetus. If there is health problems with the fetus, abortions are requested because when the baby is born the baby would be miserable and not able to enjoy life. People are usually totally against abortions, but if something is wrong with the fetus, it needs to be done. There are many health risks to having an abortion. This procedure is dangerous and sometimes causes infertility. There are six different medical procedures that can be done to terminate a pregnancy. There is the morning after pill (MAP), RU486 (mifepristone), early vacuum aspiration, suction curettage, dilation and evacuation, and dilation and extraction.

Abortion is not just a simple medical procedure. For many women, it is a life changing event with significant physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences. Most women who struggle with past abortions say that they wish they had been told all of the facts about abortion and its risks. Induced abortion carries a risk of several side effects. (Considering Abortion) These risks include abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In most abortions, no serious complications occur. However the risk of complications is about 1 out of every 100 early abortions and in about 1 out of 50 later abortions. Such complications may include; heavy bleeding, but some bleeding is normal after abortions. Infection; there is a risk that bacteria may get into the uterus from an incomplete abortion resulting in infection. (Considering Abortion) An incomplete abortion is when some of the fetal parts may not be removed by the abortion. These are just a few of the risks that could occur after an abortion.

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Abortion may also increase the risk of breast cancer. Medical experts are still researching and debating the linkage between abortion and breast cancer. Abortion also may affect risk levels in future pregnancies. Scarring or other injury during an abortion may prevent or place at risk future wanted pregnancies. The risk of miscarriage is greater for women who abort their first pregnancy. (Considering Abortion)

To have an abortion, find out exactly how far along the fetus is. The earliest abortion is the menstrual extraction. Menstrual extraction is a procedure that can be done only very early in pregnancy. It can be performed in your health care provider's office. For this procedure, your provider inserts a speculum into your vagina. A small tube is then placed into the womb through the cervix. (Gordon) The tube is used to remove the pregnancy tissue from the womb with a syringe. There is also a pill that can be an abortion. It is called morning after pill or MAP. This is taken within seventy two hours of intercourse. It consists of two doses of pills. The woman first must take a pregnancy test and receive a negative test result occurs from the test, then the first dose of the pill. (Considering Abortion) The woman is instructed to take the first dose as soon as possible, but no more than seventy two hours after intercourse. The woman takes the second pill twelve hours after the first dose. If conception already occurred within the seventy two hours time frame, the life is expelled. (Considering Abortion) A vacuum curettage is a surgical procedure performed in an operating room. It is also called a suction dilation and curettage, or suction D & C. Before the procedure, local or general anesthesia is given. After the anesthetic has taken effect, your provider stretches the cervix so a small plastic tube can be placed through it into the womb. (Gordon) This tube is attached to a vacuum pump. The pump suctions the pregnancy tissue from the womb. Your provider then uses a dull spoon like

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instrument to scrape the walls of the womb and be sure that all the tissue has been removed. The procedure generally takes ten to twenty minutes to complete. (Gordon)

The next three abortion procedures are done after the fetus is fourteen weeks or older. Suction curettage is when the doctor opens the cervix with a dilator on laminaria. The doctor inserts tubing into the uterus and connects the tubing to a suction machine. The suction pulls the fetus' body apart and out of the uterus. One variation of this procedure is called dilation and curettage. In this method the doctor may use a curette, a loop shaped knife, to scrape the fetal parts out of the uterus. (Considering Abortion) A dilation and evacuation (D & E) is a surgical procedure performed if you are thirteen to twenty one weeks pregnant. Because the fetus is larger, the cervix needs to be opened more than for a vacuum curettage. To do this safely, the cervix needs to be prepared twenty four to forty eight hours before the procedure. At the office your provider will gently place some sticks into your cervix. The sticks are usually made from a type of seaweed called lamineria. (Considering Abortion) They absorb