Questions & Answers about Abortion
Q1. Does abortion cause mental problems?
No, antiabortion activists oppose abortion for religious reasons. In their effort to win broader public support and legitimacy, however, antiabortion leaders frequently assert that abortion is not only wrong, but that it harms women physically and psychologically. The "postabortion traumatic stress syndrome" that they say is widespread is not recognized by either the American Psychological Association (APA) or the American Psychiatric Association. Read the full text by the Guttmacher Institute: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/gpr/09/3/gpr090308.html and http://www.guttmacher.org/media/evidencecheck/2008/10/08/Advisory_Abortion_Mental_Health_2008.pdf
Also, the report from the American Psychological Association http://www.apa.org/releases/abortion-report.pdf
Q2. Does abortion cause breast cancer?
No, there is no link between induced abortion and breast cancer.Take a look at the factsheet from The Cancer Council NSW The Cancer Council of NSW Read what the National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute (United States) has to say...
Q3. Does the IUD cause abortions?
The IUD works by making the environment of the uterus, inhospitable to sperm and by preventing the fertilized egg from attatching to the uterine wall. The IUD can also be used as an emergency contraception up to five, some say seven, days after unprotected intercourse.
Q4. Is the pill an abortifacient?
No, the pill works by suppressing ovulation and with no egg being released there is no chance of pregnancy. Anti-abortionists, who are also opposed to contraception, argue that the pill works by preventing the fertilized egg from implanting on the uterine wall. Even if the pill did work after fertilization it would not act as an abortifacient as there is no pregnancy to terminate.
Q5. When does pregnancy begin?
Pregnancy begins when the fertilized egg attatches itself to the uterine wall.
Q6. Is abortion dangerous?
Even though most medical procedures carry some risk, legal abortion performed under proper conditions by trained health workers, is one of the most common and safest procedure. In fact, first trimester abortions are safer than childbirth. Even if complications occur, the woman would be able to access care quickly, without fear of legal consequences. However, in countries where abortion is illegal or inaccessible, many women risk their lives and health with self induced abortions or by going to unqualified practitioners.
Q7. What is the difference between medical abortion/RU486 and Emergence Contraceptive pills?
Some people confuse the Abortion pill/RU486 with the morning after pill/PlanB. The pro life, anti abortion lobby insists that that Emergency Contraception and regular birth control pills also cause abortions, this is not true. They are different medications for very different puposes.
Medical abortion ( abortion pill or mifepristone, RU486) terminates an established pregnancy. Emergency contraceptive, also known as Plan B or morning after pill, pills helps prevent pregnancy when taken within three days of unprotected intercourse. The IUD can also be used as a method of emergency contraception and left in the uterus to provided reliable, long term, reversible contraception.
http://www.arhp.org/factsheets/mifepristone_ec.cfm and Questions and Answers about Misoprostol
Q8. Does the fetus feel pain?
Although a fetus may show some response to a noxious stimulus, this is a reflex response at least until 26 weeks gestation, as nerve fibres responsible for pain do not begin to reach higher brain areas until 26 to 34 weeks gestation.
Source: Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria: http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/ahs/archive/report/report3.htm
More on fetal pain: The Journal of the American Medical Association: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/294/8/947
On one pro life site it is claimed that: "the cortex isn’t needed to feel pain. The thalamus is needed and is functioning at 8 weeks. Even complete removal of the cortex does not eliminate the sensation of pain. "Indeed there seems to be little evidence that pain information reaches the sensory cortex." http://www.abortionfacts.com/online_books/love_them_both/why_cant_we_love_them_both_14.asp
What the thalamus does, is act as a sorting and switching station located deep inside the brain. The thalamus quickly forwards the pain message simultaneously to three specialized regions of the brain: the physical sensation region (somatosensory cortex), the emotional feeling region (limbic system) and the thinking region (frontal cortex). Your brain responds to pain by sending messages that moderate the pain in the spinal cord. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pain/PN00017
Even with a fully functioning thalamus sorting and sending messages, if the cortex is not developed enough to receive them, there will be no consciousness or feeling of pain.
Q9. How early can I have an abortion? How long do I have to wait to abort a pregnancy?
Advanced technology along with increased experience, have made it possible to perform early surgical abortions as early as 2 days past a woman's missed period. Early first trimester abortions are performed from 4 to 6 weeks from the last normal period. http://www.pregnancyconsultation.com/earlyabortion.html
If your period is a few days late and you have tested positive to a pregnancy test, contact a clinic near you. For Australian clinics click here If you live in America or other parts of the world click here
