Abortion

1. Abortion

2. How many babies die a day? • On average, about 3,500 to 3,700 babies are aborted every day.

3. The risk of an abortion • Heavy Bleeding - Some bleeding after abortion is normal. However, if the cervix is torn  or the uterus is punctured, there is a risk of severe bleeding known as hemorrhaging. When this happens, a blood transfusion may be required.  Severe bleeding is also a risk with the use of RU486.  One in 100 women who use RU486 require surgery to stop the bleeding. • Infection – Infection can develop from the insertion of medical instruments into the uterus, or from fetal parts that are mistakenly left inside (known as an incomplete abortion).  A pelvic infection may lead to persistent fever over several days and extended hospitalization.  It can also cause scarring of the pelvic organs. • Incomplete Abortion - Some fetal parts may be mistakenly left inside after the abortion. Bleeding and infection may result. • Damage to Internal Organs - When the uterus is punctured or torn, there is also a risk that damage will occur to nearby organs such as the bowel and bladder. • Death - In extreme cases, other physical complications from abortion including excessive bleeding, infection, organ damage from a perforated uterus, and adverse reactions to anesthesia may lead to death. This complication is rare, but is real.

4. Just facts about abortion • It depends on how far along in the pregnancy the Woman is and which method she would prefer. In the earliest pregnancies, the Woman can choose to have a medical abortion where she is given a regimen of pills. The first pill stops the flow of hormones and nutrients to the pregnancy. The second causes the uterus to contract to dispell the contents of the uterus. The surgical method used in the vast majority of pregnancies is performed by dilating the cervix. This can be done through medication, rods of steadily increasing size, or a stick of seaweed (different clinics may use different methods). After the cervix is dilated, a hollow instrument is inserted that is attached to a vacuum hose. The vacuum has a very strong suction and effectively empties the contents of the uterus. Scraping the uterus is no longer necessary with any tool other than the vacuum tube because the vacuum technology used is sufficient enough on its own. This has served to make surgical abortions safer than they have ever been before. The vast majority of pregnancies occur at 8 weeks gestation, when the fetus is the size of a small pea. The tube is big enough to allow the fetus to pass through whole. It is only with later pregnancies (most pregnancies after 12 weeks are performed for a legitimate health, life, or genetic defect reason) where the suction may remove the fetal limbs instead of the whole. Saline abortions have not been performed since the 1970s. Abortions during the 3rd trimester, where a health or life reason must exist in order to be able to have the abortion, are either labor and delivery abortions or c-sections