INDUCED
ABORTION
Induced
abortion is the voluntary termination of pregnancy. Abortion
first became
legal in the United States in 1973. Depending on the
state, termination of pregnancy can be induced anytime up
to the 20th week of gestation.
Today,
legal abortion is one of the most frequently performed surgical
procedures in America. Why? Statistics show that 50% of
pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended. The majority of
these end in abortion.
Abortion
may be induced for numerous reasons. A woman may opt to
end pregnancy due to poverty, young age, or lack of social
and emotional support. For most, the decision is extremely
difficult, both psychologically and emotionally.
Abortion
after the first trimester is legal only when it is a therapeutic
abortion. In this case, abortion is medically advised.
Doctors advise ending pregnancy in certain situations.
These include when there is a severe fetal abnormality incompatible
with life or a serious risk to the woman’s health associated
with continuing pregnancy.
In
general, there are two ways to induce abortion: medical
and surgical. Medical abortion involves the use of medications
or abortifacients to end pregnancy. It is usually done
without entering the uterus. In contrast, surgical abortion
ends pregnancy by emptying the uterus with special instruments.
