Pro-Life Issues
What is Abortion?
Abortion is a surgical or medical procedure that puts an end to a pregnancy. It is performed by a licensed physician or surgeon. Each year, nearly 1.2 million American women have an abortion to end a pregnancy.[1]. Nine out of ten abortions occur during the first 12-weeks of a pregnancy.[2]
The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) has published several studies examining reasons for abortions in the United States. The most recent was done in 2004. The most common reasons women consider abortion are:[3]
- Birth control (contraceptive) failure. Over half of all women who have an abortion used a contraceptive method during the month they became pregnant.
- Inability to support or care for a child.
- To end an unwanted pregnancy.
- To prevent the birth of a child with birth defects or severe medical problems. Such defects are often unknown until routine second-trimester tests are done.
- Pregnancy resulting from rape or incest.
- Physical or mental conditions that endanger the woman's health if the pregnancy is continued.
According to the AGI study, most women (92%) have an abortion is for "social" or "other" reasons. 25% said they were not ready for another child/timing is wrong; 23% said they can't afford a baby now; 19% stated they had completed their childbearing, 8% were having relationship problems/didn't want to be a single mother, 7% felt they were not mature enough to raise a child/too young to have a child, and 4% believed that a child would interfere with education or career plans.
Health problems account for 7% of the reasons (mother's health at 4% and health of the baby at 3%)
Less than 0.5% of women having abortions stated that rape was the determining factor.[4]
In addition to the moral, ethical, religious, and personal debates about abortion, there are very definite legal and medical considerations:
- Parental consent is required for minors in many jurisdictions;
- Abortion may not be medically recommended for some women, even early in the pregnancy;
- Abortion and the aftermath can result in a subsequent inability to carry a pregnancy to term;
- Abortion can result in secondary infertility;
- Abortion is generally undertaken during the very beginnings of a pregnancy, while many women are still unsure if they're pregnant, undecided about their directions, or in denial about the pregnancy;
- Abortion can result in the woman's death.
The actual procedures used in early stage abortion include:
- suction - a device that operates like a vacuum is used to extract the fetus, placenta, and other tissue;
- dilation and curretage - the fetus, placenta, and other tissue are cut and scraped out;
- dilation and extraction - the fetus is pulled out (in pieces) with forceps and the placenta and other tissue are removed.
More information on abortion methods can be found here.
If you are considering abortion, please consult with a medical professional and a pregnancy options counselor. The medical aftermath of abortion can include severe pain, hemorrhage (bleeding), shock or coma, and even death. Emotional reactions can include severe depression and thoughts of suicide, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, and a dependency on drugs and/or alcohol.
If you are feeling frightened, confused or overwhelmed, there are 24-hour telephone hotlines and phone numbers of contact information for crisis pregnancy in your state.
Notes:
1 Guttmacher Institute (2008). In Brief: Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States. Available online: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
