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Abortion
Abortion, in its most common usage, refers to the deliberate early
termination of a pregnancy, resulting in the death of the embryo or
fetus. Medically, the term also refers to the early termination of a
pregnancy by natural causes ("spontaneous abortion" or miscarriage,
which ends 1 in 5 of all pregnancies, usually within the first 13
weeks) or to the cessation of normal growth of a body part or organ.
What follows is a discussion of the issues related to deliberately
induced abortion.
"Morning after" or "emergency" contraceptive drugs that are taken
within 72 hours of sex interfere with the release of eggs from the
ovary or with fertilization, and so are not generally considered to be
forms of abortion, though some groups (notably the Roman Catholic
Church) consider them to be abortions, because they interfere with
implantation of a zygote when taken later. (The medical definition of
pregnancy requires that implantation has already occurred so,
technically, emergency contraceptives do not interfere with pregnancy.
The controversy arises when one considers that conception occurs
before implantation. Some believe the zygote is a human being with the
same moral standing of an implanted embryo before pregnancy
technically starts.)
Methods of abortion
Depending on the stage of pregnancy, an abortion is performed by a
number of different methods. Chemical abortion is the usual method
when it is induced before the first nine weeks. The procedure consists
of administering either methotrexate or mifepristone (RU-486) followed
by administration of misoprostol. Approximately 8% of these abortions
require surgical followup.
In the first fifteen weeks, suction-aspiration or vacuum abortion is
one of the most common methods, replacing the more risky dilation and
curettage (D & C). Manual vacuum aspiration (MVE) consists of emptying
the uterus by suction using a manual syringe. From the fifteenth week
up until around the eighteenth week a surgical dilation and extraction
(D & E) is used. D & E consists of opening the cervix of the uterus
and emptying it using surgical instruments and suction.
Dilation and suction curettage consists of emptying the uterus by
suction using a special apparatus. Curettage is cleaning the walls of
uterus with a curette. Dilation and curettage (D & C) is a standard
gynaecological procedure performed for a variety of reasons, such as
examination.
As the fetus size increases, other techniques must be used to secure
abortion in the third trimester. Premature expulsion of the fetus can
be induced with prostaglandin; this can be coupled with injecting the
amniotic fluid with saline or urea solution. Very late abortions can
be brought about by the controversial intact dilation and extraction
(D & X) or a hysterotomy abortion, similar to a caesarian section, and
requiring the surgical decompression of the fetus's head before
evacuation. (This is the procedure controversially termed
"partial-birth abortion").
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Possible side effects
Postabortion psychological problems
Abortion may increase a woman's risk of depression. According to a
study of 1,884 women conducted by the National Longitudinal Survey of
Youth, women who did not carry their first pregnancies to term are 65%
more likely to be diagnosed with clinical depression around eight
years later. However, other studies did not support that depression
may be caused by abortion. For example, a study of 2.525 women
revealed that women who had an abortion were more likely to report
depression or lower satisfaction with their lives. However, they also
often reported rape, childhood physical and sexual abuse, and violent
partners. After controlling for the history of abuse, partner
characteristics, and background variables, abortion was not related to
poorer mental health (Denious, J. & Russo, N. F. (2000). The
Socio-Political Context of Abortion and its Relationship to Women's
Mental Health. In J. Ussher (Ed.). Women's Health: Contemporary
International Perspectives (pp. 431-439). London: British
Psychological Society.).
Postabortion physical problems
Physical complications: studies found that the risk of serious
physical complications of an abortion is less than 1%. The only viable
alternative - birth - is several times riskier than abortion. The
exact risk and type of complications depend on the abortion method.
Breast cancer: an analysis of 53 epidemological studies undertaken in
16 countries did not find evidence of a relationship between abortion
and breast cancer (Breast cancer and abortion. The Lancet, 2004;363;pg
1007).
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