Abortion

Abortion Methods

Abortion in the USA In the U.S., ca. 25% of all pregnancies are terminated by elective abortion  (1.4 million per year).

It makes a great difference whether an abortion is performed early or late in the pregnancy. The earlier it is done, the better. For this reason, some women who suspect they may be pregnant but do not want to wait for confirmation ask for a procedure called menstrual regulation or menstrual extraction. Of course, this would be an abortion only if they are indeed pregnant.
In the case of a confirmed pregnancy an abortion is a relatively safe and simple procedure only within the first 12 weeks. Up to that time, it usually does not require an overnight stay in the hospital. In the first 8 weeks, one speaks of aborting an embryo, after that time one speaks of a fetus, and possible problems increase accordingly. In any case, after the 12th week, there is a greater risk of complications, more difficult techniques have to be used, and hospitalization for at least a few days is often necessary. Naturally, a late abortion is also more expensive. After the 20th week, a voluntary abortion, even where it is legal, is usually considered medically indefensible except in the most extraordinary cases. By this time, the fetus has developed to a point where it could actually survive a premature birth. At the same time, there are considerable risks for the mother. For this and other reasons, most doctors will refuse to perform an abortion at this late stage. Indeed, late abortions of this kind - which were not uncommon 30 or even 20 years ago - have become very rare today.
In any case, it is vitally important for any woman considering an abortion to receive expert counselling about all psychological, ethical and medical issues involved. If she decides to have an abortion, she should entrust herself only to a fully qualified physician.