Abortion is a pretty touchy subject. It's a political issue. It's a social issue. To many, it's also a moral issue. Some people have no idea where they stand on the issue because so much information is misconstrued to fit the opinion of the informant. So what exactly is an abortion? What methods are used to perform an abortion? Who gets abortions? Can a fetus feel pain? Does the woman feel pain? What are the risks? What are the benefits? These questions will all be answered here. Let's get started, shall we?
What is an abortion?
Well, depending on where you look, you can find many different definitions of "abortion." They all pretty much say the same thing, but with some slight variation. Here are a few examples:
-the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.
-An abortion is when the pregnancy is ended so that it does not result in the birth of a child. Sometimes this is called 'termination of pregnancy
-Abortion means ending a pregnancy before the fetus (unborn child) can live independently outside the mother.
-Abortion is the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo before viability
Please note that an abortion can happen spontaneously as a result of complications during a pregnancy, or it can be induced. A spontaneous abortion is most often referred to as a miscarriage.
What are the methods that are used?
First, we'll discuss a medical abortion. A medical abortion is when a woman takes medication to terminate the pregnancy. As of 2003, there were two drugs on the market for this procedure, methotrexate and mifepristone. The medication can be delivered orally or via injection and the outcome resembles a natural miscarriage.
Next, there is manual vacuum aspiration and this can be performed at any time up to 10 weeks gestation.
This procedure is also called menstrual extraction, mini-suction, or early abortion. Basically, all this does is suck the contents of the uterus out through a small tube. This lasts about 15 minutes and is about 99.5% effective in terminating pregnancy.
Now we have dilatation and suction curettage, more commonly known as a D&C, but is also referred to as suction dilation, vacuum curettage, or suction curettage.In this process, the cervix is stretched to make room for a suction tube to remove the contents of the uterus, and a small looped instrument is used to clean the walls of the uterus.
Fourthly, there is dilatation and evacuation. This is often performed in the second trimester. It is pretty similar to a D&C, but a larger tube must be used as there is more material to remove from the uterus. This increases the amount of dilation necessary, and therefore this procedure is slightly more uncomfortable.
Rarely, a dilatation and extraction is performed in the second trimester. Very similar to the previous two, but the fetus is removed mostly intact. However, the head does need to be collapsed in order to fit it through the cervix.
Another rare procedure is an induced abortion in which the woman is basically experiencing labor. Medication is given to induce labor and the cervix is opened up so that the fetus may be delivered. After looking at several unbiased resources, I was unable to find what happens to the fetus after delivery.
Lastly, and also very rare is hysterectomy. Basically a premature c-section. This is done after another attempt at abortion failed.
Who gets abortions?
In 2000 and 2001 the highest number of abortions were performed on women between ages 20-30 with 20-24 having the highest rate. Adolescents ages 15-19 make up 19% of elective abortions while 25% are women over 30. About 73% of women having an abortion had previously been pregnant and 48% of those had had a previous abortion. Non-Hispanic white women make up 41% of abortions, African Americans made up 32%, Hispanics were 20%, Asian and Pacific Islanders made up 6%, and Native Americans made up 1%.
Do the fetus or woman feel any pain?
For the woman, an abortion can feel uncomfortable. Many women describe pressure and cramping similar to menstrual cramps. Some women require minimal recovery time, while others require more rest. An abortion is just like any other medical procedure in the amount of pain a woman feels differs from woman to woman. Modern medical science does show that after 20 weeks gestation, a fetus does feel pain. It is unclear whether physical pain is felt prior to 20 weeks.
What are the risks and benefits of an abortion?
Some of the benefits to the woman electing to receive an abortion are the avoidance of financial or emotional hardship due to pregnancy and motherhood, removing the evidence of a rape or case of incest, or maybe the pregnancy was unintended and the woman is not ready to be a mother, or the pregnancy was posing a health risk to the woman, and the procedures usually take about 15 minutes and most are outpatient procedures.
Some risks involved with an abortion include uncontrollable bleeding, infection, a tear in the cervix or uterus, and a failed or incomplete abortion.
Here is where I start writing my opinion...
At just 5 weeks gestational age (that is just 3 weeks after conception), a child heart starts beating and some organs are in place. At 6 weeks, the heart's beat has become rhythmic and is going at a rate of about 150 beats per minute. About 39% of abortions occur this early. If a human being is pronounced dead when their heart has stopped beating, then why are they not pronounced alive when their heart starts beating?
Science has not proven if a fetus can feel pain prior to 20 weeks gestation, but modern ultrasound imaging shows that a fetus does jerk and fight when a suction tube enters the amniotic sac, and their heart rate skyrockets. Maybe they do not feel physical pain, but that sure sounds like fear to me.
In the above video, you can see this happening to a 12 week old fetus. About 3.9% of abortions occur at 12 weeks. That's about 40,000 babies each years that struggle like this.
When you look up information on abortions, you find that any pro-choice or unbiased producers refer to the baby as "fetal matter" or just the "contents of the uterus." They never call it a human, baby, child, or infant, and they rarely call it a fetus.
At what point is a fetus a human being?
A fetus is parasitic. It's true. It takes vitamins and nutrients from the mother and gives nothing in return. That is the definition of a parasite. But is this parasite a human? When can we call it that? Well, I have some very simple logic for that. It is a human when it can no longer be anything else. What does this mean? Well...at conception, the baby certainly doens't look like a baby, so can we call it a human? Well, will the fertilized egg ever turn into say...a puppy? Nope. Never has that happened. How about a sapling? Or a reptilian baby? What a bout a kitten, fish, chick, whale calf, or foal? No, it won't. That fertilized egg will only ever become a human child, if it is given the chance to. So, it needs to be considered a human being at CONCEPTION.
What about a woman who is raped?!
Rape is a horrendous thing. I myself am a victim of sexual abuse and cannot fathom having become pregnant by an abuser, but it is a sad truth for many women. I just have one question...who is the criminal? Is the baby the rapist? No! So why should the child die for it's father's crime?! I could never kill a man's children if he went to prison for murder and his wife was unable to support the children on her own. That's ludicrous. So why kill one just they are the product of rape? Adoption is always an option.
Well, I didn't intend to get pregnant...
There is only one way to create a child, and that is by uniting a human sperm with a human egg. So, if you do not want children, would it not make sense to not engage in the act of uniting a sperm and egg? That seems logical to me. And if this logic eluded you, why should the child pay for it? Why should the child die because his parents didn't want him? Adoption is always an option.
Well, sometimes abortion is necessary to save a mother's life...
No, it is not. Not a single study has ever shown that abortion actually has any medical necessity to it. It does not lower maternal mortality rates or increase the availability of optimal prenatal care.
What if the child has a defect that means it'll die after birth?
Then so be it! Let it live until then! What harm comes from allowing that child life until birth? We can only guess the child's chance of survival, we cannot guarantee it. Miracles happen. That child may live after birth.
I could go on and on. Every human has a right to life, no matter how small they may be. This concludes this posting. I hope you have been enlightened!
