This document discusses abortion from several perspectives. It provides an overview of abortion procedures, common reasons women seek abortions, organizations that provide abortion services, and a history of abortion including its criminalization and the violence faced by abortion providers. It also discusses the opposition to abortion and calls readers to get involved in supporting reproductive rights and justice.

1. Chapter 13- Abortion
PATRICK YURKEVICIUS
WOMEN’S HEALTH
SUMMER SESSION II

2. Introduction
 More contraceptive options than ever before
 None are 100% effective
 Reproductive health information unevenly distributed
 Inequality, coercion, violence occasionally make it
impossible to decide when to have sex
 Almost half of all American pregnancies are unintended
 47,000 women die each year due to lack of safe abortion
services

3. Making Personal Choices
 Women should be able to choose based on personal
choice or what the individual deems best for their
given circumstances… not the government, no
religious institution, or any other individual.
 Part of being in control of one’s life is having
personal choice and control over one’s own body.

4. Who?
 “…women who have abortions cannot be put into a
single category.”
 ¼ pregnancies end in abortion
 1.21 million in U.S. in 2008
 1/3 women have an abortion by 45
 61% obtained by those who already have at least one child
 Caucasian women – 36%
 African American – 30%
 Hispanic – 25%

5. Common Reasons for Abortion
 Inability to care for another
 Not able to afford
 Inability to provide child with a “good” life
 Interference with career or schooling
 Not wanting to be a single parent
 Difficulties with partners
 Medical Issues/ History

6. Available Services
 Planned Parenthood
 The National Abortion Federation
 National Network of Abortion Funds
 Be wary of “crisis pregnancy centers”
 Often run by anti-abortion groups giving out false information
attempting to persuade or lie so a woman keeps the pregnancy
 Avoid websites that claim to sell abortion pills

7. Which Procedure?
 Depends on a number of variables:
 Dr.’s Choice or Personal Preference
 Treatment Facility/ Regional Availability
 Legality
 Personal Medical History
 Gestational Age
 Medical Abortion
 Vacuum Aspiration
 Dilation and Evacuation
 Induction Abortion

8. Medical Abortion
 Up to 9 weeks
 Mifepristone - First pill at doctor’s office
 Blocks Progesterone (hormone maintains lining of
uterus)
 Causes shedding of the lining
 Misoprostol – 24 to 48 hours after initial pill
 Prostaglandins (causes contractions in uterus expelling
embryo)

9. Mifepristone and Misoprostol
 Common Side Effects: Nausea, cramping, clots,
prolonged bleeding, indigestion, fever, chills, fatigue
 95 – 98% effective
 Allows for privacy
 Non-Intrusive
 Failure means that Vacuum Aspiration must be used

10. Vacuum Aspiration (D & E)
 Up to 12-14 weeks
 Instruments used to remove embryo
 Uterine contents removed by thin tube inserted into the uterus
which is connected to a source of suction (see next slide).
 5-10 minutes
 99% success rate
 Light bleeding
 Anesthesia/ numbing agents may cause side effects
 Invasive/ needs to be performed by licensed
individual

11. Vacuum Aspiration (D & E)

12. Dilation and Evacuation
 Most common method used in 2nd semester
abortions
 Similar to Vacuum Aspiration
 Few hours for early semester to 2 or 3 days for later
abortion
 Requires dilation of the cervix
 Osmotic dilators
 Misoprostol
 Dr. removes contents by aspiration, forceps, or
curette (see next slide)

13. Dilation and Evacuation

14. Induction Abortion
 Medications cause uterus to contract and expel
pregnancy
 Around 24 weeks
 Several hours to a day of painful contractions
 May require overnight hospital stay
 Osmotic dilators to prepare cervix
 Prostaglandins inserted into vagina every few hours
 Mild cramps become more intense
 Sedatives/ regional anesthesia to help pain

15. Abortion Aftercare
 Normal to experience some bleeding
 Antibiotics/ medication given in some cases
 Avoid putting anything into vagina for at least 5 days
 Avoid strenuous exercise to allow for recovery
 “Listen to your body and use common sense”
 Follow up appointment 2-3 weeks after procedure
 Normal to have range of emotions/ feelings
 Check with Dr. to see when birth control can be used

16. History and Oppression
 Legal in U.S. until 1880
 Backlash against growing movements for women
suffrage and birth control
 Many wanted women to “stick to their roles” as child
bearer and house keeper
 Mid wives were seen as a threat to the male medical
establishment

17. History
 Women turned to dangerous methods because of
“criminalization of abortion”
 Knitting needles
 Coat hangers
 Douching with lye
 Swallowing poisonous chemicals
 Taking various/ potentially fatal drugs
 Health complications
 Infertility
 Chronic illnesses and pain
 Death

18. History – Taking Chances
 Before legalization, some practitioners and other
well trained individuals risked imprisonment, fines,
and loss of medical license to help women obtain
abortions
 Underground group of women in 1960’s called the
Abortion Counseling Service of the Chicago Women’s
Liberation Union provided more than 11,000 safe
abortions over 4 years… safety record was
comparable with today’s practitioners.

19. History – 1960’s
 Women’s liberation movement made visible the
millions who were willing to “break the law and risk
health and death to obtain an abortion.”
 1967-1973 – 1/3 of states reformed abortion laws and
regulations
 Roe vs. Wade – Supreme court found women’s right
to abortion in first 14 weeks protected under 14th
Amendment.
 “If life/ health in danger, she would not be forced to continue
pregnancy at any stage.”

20. History - Violence
 Opposition has since picketed and blocked entrances
to clinics providing abortion services
 Bombings, anthrax threats, arson, acid attacks, even
murder
 Opposition attempts to harass and deface those
providing services

21. Opposition
 20 state Medicaid programs do not fund abortion
under any circumstances
 Some states convinced to adopt “waiting periods” for
procedures so that the individual has time to look at
state provided information (often biased or filled
with false information)
 Some must obtain permission from a judge
 Some need to cross states lines to find services
 T.R.A.P. laws make procedures more expensive and
troublesome for the providers causing clinics to close

22. Reproductive Rights and Justice
 Opposition has created “an atmosphere that is
stigmatizing, threatening, and too often violent.”
 Millions continue to fight for reproductive rights. So
can you.
 Be visible – Talk with those close to you
 Stay informed – The more you know, the more you can do
 Show support – Join groups or volunteer for organizations
 Take action – Organize a peaceful demonstration
 Break the silence

23. For Thought
 “Women have always needed abortions and will
always need them. A very few need abortions late in
pregnancy. Rather than empathizing with these
women and respecting their difficult decisions,
society vilifies them and the providers who care for
them…”
 “…women are capable of struggling with complex
ethical problems and arriving at the best decision
for themselves and their families.”