Abortions

Abortions

It is consider a beautiful thing when a woman finds out that she is pregnant. She is overwhelmed with joy, however for some it can be an inconvenience or just a huge mistake. In that instance, many women opt to terminate their pregnancy. The topic of abortion is an extremely controversial subject. In this paper I will discuss the pros and cons of abortions, as well as state some facts and my opinion on this matter. I will also discuss the physical, mental and emotional health of women and why they decide to terminate there pregnancies.

An abortion is the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in death of the unborn baby. Most abortions are done in the first trimester (first 3 months of the pregnancy). There are two types of abortions: medical and surgical. The medical abortion is caused by a medicine called Mifeprex. This type of abortion can only be done in the first 9 weeks of pregnancy. The Mifeprex is a pill that blocks progesterone, a hormone needed for pregnancy. It causes the lining of the womb to thin. After taking the medicine the women goes home and she returns to the doctor in a few days to take another medicine called Misoprostol. This medicine makes the uterus contract and empty. Many women have bleeding for about 13 days after taking the medicine. For most women, it feels like a bad menstrual period with strong cramps, diarrhea and upset stomach. These symptoms are normal when having this type of procedure done.

The surgical abortion is the removal of the lining of the womb. There are 2 common types: manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) and dilatation and suction curettage (D&C). They both use suction to empty the womb. MVA uses a handheld tool and D&C is done with a suction machine and tools. MVA can be done in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. D&C can be done after the first month of pregnancy but before the end of the 13th week. A woman can decide to have an intravenous sedation where she is either sleepy or asleep during the abortion, or a local anesthesia. This is giving to make the procedure more comfortable, with local anesthesia; she is awake and may feel some cramping. The doctor injects the opening to the womb (cervix) with a medicine to make it numb. The cervix is stretched open with a tool called a dilator and the doctor inserts a tube. The uterus is emptied through the tube. Like the medicine abortion women feel strong menstrual cramps. Bleeding may continue off and on for a few weeks. Depending on how far along you are in the pregnancy the doctor will perform the appropriate procedure that best suits you.

“It has been estimated that yearly, approximately 46 million abortions are performed. Of these, 26 million are said to occur in places where abortions are legal; 20 million happens where it is illegal.” “Amazingly, because of legalization of abortions in 1973, about 1.5 million babies of American babies are being murdered in legal abortions every year.” Abortions are a hard decision for many good reasons. Whenever a society has condoned abortions, they are greater in number than when abortions are illegal.

Each year, almost half of all pregnancies among American women are unintended. About half of these unplanned pregnancies, 1.3 million each year, are ended by abortion. There are many myths and misconceptions about who gets abortions, and why. The fact is that the women who have abortions come from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. “Women between the ages of 15 and 19 account for about 19% of all abortions; women 20 to 24 account for another 33%; and about 25% of abortions are obtained by women who are 30 or older.” If current rates continue, it is estimated that 35% of all women of reproductive age in America today will have had an abortion by the time they reach the age of Calculating abortion rates, older teenagers and young adults have the highest abortion rates, while women younger than 15 and older than 35 have the lowest.

“Most women getting abortions (83%) are unmarried; 67% have never married, and 16% are separated, divorced, or widowed.”

“Married women are significantly less likely than unmarried women to resolve unintended pregnancies through abortion.” Women who obtain abortions represent every religious affiliation. 13% of abortion patients describe themselves as born-again or Evangelical Christians; while 22% of U.S. women are Catholic, 27% of abortion patients say they are Catholics.

Some women say that pressure from a husband, partner, or parent was one of several reasons they chose abortion, but only about 1% give that reason as the "most important" one in making their decision. On the contrary, some women who do not want to continue their pregnancies are pressured to do so by family members,