Did you know?
There are approximately 1,200,000 abortions performed every year in the United States which is nearly 3,300 every day. Stated another way, that means about 138 abortions are performed every hour or nearly 1 every 25 seconds.

In 1972 48 of the 50 states in the United States had laws banning abortion. However, in the famous Roe v. Wade case of 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all those laws were unconstitutional. Now every state is required to permit abortions anytime during a pregnancy.

Even before the Roe v. Wade decision, abortion has been a hotly debated issue. Some people argue that a woman has a right to "terminate a pregnancy" any time she desires, while others argue that abortion is wrong because it "ends human life". Still others believe abortion is wrong except under certain circumstances. For example, they believe abortion should be permitted in the case of rape, incest, or if the woman's life is in danger.

However, regardless of one's perspective toward abortion, some women who have had abortions later regret it. Some of them have even experienced a great deal of guilt and sorrow. Sixty percent (60%) of those who have had abortions say they did so because they felt there was no other choice. (David C. Reardon, Making Abortion Rare, (Springfield, IL: Acorn Books, 1996), xiii). Perhaps if they had felt they would have received more support from their family and friends, they might have chosen to keep the child or place the baby up for adoption. At any rate, many women of all ages later wish they had made a different decision.

With this in mind, it is imperative that those who read this section on abortion realize that the information presented is NOT intended to cause them to experience regret or guilt. TEEN CHOICES has no desire whatsoever to judge or condemn those who have had abortions, but simply to provide accurate information to help individuals understand that if they are considering having an abortion, they should carefully examine all the facts before making that decision. If anyone has questions concerning abortion or would like to talk to someone regarding an abortion decision, he or she should call 1 800 395-HELP or contact TEEN CHOICES.
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HOW MANY HAVE ABORTIONS?

There are approximately 1,200,000 abortions performed every year in the United States which is nearly 3,300 every day. Stated another way, that means about 138 abortions are performed every hour or nearly 1 every 25 seconds.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 20% of women having abortions are in their teens; 33% are ages 20 to 24, and 47% are ages 25 or older. The CDC also reports that the highest abortion rate is in California - 39 per year per 1000 women ages 15 to 44. Finally, 43% (more than 2 out of 5) of American women will have an abortion sometime in their lifetime.
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METHODS OF ABORTION

Suction: A suction tube (27 times stronger than a home vacuum cleaner) is inserted into the opening of the uterus. This procedure tears apart the fetus (unborn child) and sucks the parts and the scraps of the placenta into an attached bottle. This type of abortion is used during first trimester (first three months of the pregnancy).

Dilation and Curettage (D & C): This procedure is ike a suction abortion except a curette (a curved knife in a loop shaped) is inserted in the uterus and the fetus and placenta are cut apart before being pulled out in pieces. Generally, a great deal of bleeding follows this type of abortion. This procedure is used during first trimester.

Saline amniocentesis: A concentrated salt solution is injected with a needle into the amniotic sac ("bag of waters"). The fetus breathes and swallows the solution and dies over an hour later of acute salt poisoning. The pregnant woman then delivers a dead, burned fetus. Use of this procedure has declined because of physical harm to the mother, and sometimes the fetus survives. This method is performed after 16 weeks.

Prostaglandin: This chemical is injected into the amniotic sac causing premature labor and birth. There is a high risk of complications for the pregnant woman and sometimes the fetus is born alive.

Intra-cardiac injections: Poison is injected into the chest and heart of the fetus using a long needle inserted through the mother's abdomen. The dead fetus is absorbed by the poison.

Dilation and Extraction (D & E): Live dismemberment of the fetus with forceps as the fetus is pulled apart, the spine is snapped and the skull is crushed. Parts of the fetus are removed and reassembled outside the uterus to make sure nothing is left inside. This method is used after 13 weeks.

Partial Birth: The fetus is rotated and delivered feet first except for the head. Then the nape of the neck is punctured with scissors and a suction tube is used to remove the brain and collapse the skull. The dead fetus is then removed. This procedure is used from four to nine months.

Medical/chemical abortions: RU486 (abortion pill), methotrexate, Norplant, IUDs, prostalandins, and Depo Provera (injectables) can all cause abortions to occur early in the pregnancy.
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WHEN ABORTIONS ARE DONE

• Up to 7 weeks: 13.8%
  
• During the 7th week: 15.2%
  
• During the 8th week: 20.9%
  
• During the 9th or 10th week: 24.6%
  
• During first trimester (first three months): approximately 91%
  
• During second trimester: approximately 9%
  
• During third trimester: the number of abortion are uncertain. Some estimates range from 450 "partial-birth abortions" (D & X) per year (0.02%) to ten times that number. This datum is hotly debated. One source claims over 1000 D&X abortions are performed in the state of New Jersey annually.
  
• Summary: Approximately half (49.9%) of all abortions are performed 8 weeks or earlier, 88% take place during the first 12 weeks, and 91% by the end of the third month.
  

(The above statistics are found in the following sources: Reports from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reported in Religion Today 1998-DEC-4, and "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report," Centers for Disease Control, Vol. 43, #50, 1994-DEC-23).
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REASONS GIVEN FOR ABORTIONS

• 1% involve cases of rape or incest (1 per 100)
  
• 7% attributed to potential threats to the woman's health either physical or mental (7 per 100)
  
• 92% for "convenience" (92 per 100), i.e., the pregnant woman simply does not want the pregnancy to continue.
  
  

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COMPLICATIONS DUE TO ABORTIONS

According to one medical study, "An unfortunate aspect of this procedure (abortion) is the vast number of complications." (D.K. Nemac, et al, "Medical Abortion Complications," Obstetrics & Gynecology, 51, (4/78), p. 433.) The immediate life threatening conditions are heavy bleeding and infection. A British medical journal reports the following:

• l7% of the patients lost over 500 ml of blood and 9.5% of these (almost 1 out of 10) needed a blood transfusion.
  
• 27% ( more than 1 out of 4) suffered infections and fever over 100.4 degrees for more than 24 hours.
  
• Cervical lacerations occurred in 4.2%.
  
• Perforation of the uterus occurred in 1.2%.
  
  

The article concludes, "This emphasizes that the termination of pregnancy is neither as simple nor as safe as some advocates of abortion would have the public believe. Moreover, the incidence of such complications as infertility, recurrent miscarriages, premature labor, ruptured uterus or emotional manifestations cannot be assessed at this stage." (J. Stallworth, et al, "Legal Abortion: A Critical Assessment of the Risks," The Lancet (December 4, 1971), pp. 1245 & 1249.)

The womb during pregnancy is designed to protect the new life growing there. During an abortion the opening of the womb, the cervix, is forcibly stretched open which can cause it to tear making the woman far more likely to miscarry her next pregnancy.

The powerful suction used in first trimester abortions often causes scars in the uterus and scarring in the fallopian tubes. Such damage may result in tubal pregnancies or sterility. If an abortionist is too gentle with the suction tube he may leave behind parts of the developing fetus or placenta which may lead to infections. If he is too forceful he may tear a hole in the uterus and an emergency hysterectomy may be needed.

Several medical studies of abortion are summarized below:

• 4% of women having legal abortions will suffer from a damaged cervix
  
• 5-10% will become sterile
  
• Legalized abortion has resulted in:
  
  1. 300% increase in first trimester miscarriages of later pregnancies.
  2. 400% increase in second trimester miscarriages of later pregnancies.
  3. 200% increase in premature births.
  4. 700% increase in placenta previs.
  5. 200% increase in tubal pregnancies.
  
  

One study estimates that 25% or one out of four women who have abortions will not be able to have a normal pregnancy again. The physical complications these women may experience are sometimes accompanied by emotional or psychological problems as well. For example, a doctor reported on 54 abortion patients ranging in age from 15-19. One of the tragic stories involved a 17-year-old girl who experienced bleeding and pain every day after a suction abortion. After four days she went into her bathroom and passed recognizable parts of the aborted fetus into the toilet. She then fainted and developed severe hysteria.

(Most of the information included in this section was found in a website article by David Reardon entitled, Safe, Legal Abortion? The website address is: forerunner.com/ forerunner/X0476_Safe_Legal_Abortion.html.)
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DISTURBING POST ABORTION FACTS

• "Post-abortive teens are four times more likely to be depressed and suicidal than peers who have not had abortions." ("Suicide More Likely Among Aborted Teens", National Right To Life News, 4/2/87).
  
  
• More than 60% report having felt "forced" to have their abortion by others or by their circumstances. (David C. Reardon, Making Abortion Rare, (Springfield, IL: Acorn Books, 1996), xiii).
  
  
• "Women who aborted also have three to four times the risk of sterility compared to non-aborting women due to abortion infections1, and a suicide rate three times the general suicide rate and six times that associated with those giving birth2." (1D. Trichopoulos, et al., "Induced Abortion and Secondary Infertility," British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, August 1976, pp. 645-650; 2"Finish Study Links Abortion To Suicide Risk," Pro-Life E-News Canada, 12/5/96).
  
  
• 40% of women experiencing post-abortion problems were still hoping to discover some alternative when they went to the abortion clinic. (David C. Reardon, Making Abortion Rare, (Springfield, IL: Acorn Books, 1996), xiii).
  
  
• Over 80% say they would have continued the pregnancy under better circumstances or with the support of loved ones. (David C. Reardon, Making Abortion Rare, (Springfield, IL: Acorn Books, 1996), xiii).
  
  
• 70% of post abortive women have a negative moral view of abortion and chose abortion against their consciences because of outside pressures. (David C. Reardon, Making Abortion Rare, (Springfield, IL: Acorn Books, 1996), xiii).
  

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THE EFFECTS ABORTIONS MIGHT HAVE ON MEN

The following quote is by Bradley Mattes in an article entitled, "The Impact On Men" which appeared in the June 1996 issue of Life Issues Connector:

"Over thirty million men are struggling to cope with the loss of a child through abortion. Most are unaware that their symptoms are connected to an abortion decision in the past. Men are adept at burying their feelings after an abortion. If a man fails to face the emotional aftermath within a couple of months of the abortion, he often succeeds in suppressing those feelings for years. When his feelings do surface, anger at not having been able to protect or provide for his unborn child predominates. He can experience sleeplessness, panic attacks, poor coping skills, flashbacks, nightmares or self-imposed isolation.

He may become an excessive risk taker or incapable of making decisions. Drugs or alcohol may be used to dull the pain of not being able or willing enough to prevent the abortion. The feeling that he deserves whatever he gets because he failed to save his child sets him up for a lifetime of failures.

Fathers have no legal recourse if a woman decides to abort. This lack of control in a critical life and death decision can produce distrust and resentment of women. Such resentment almost always kills the current relationship. Distrust makes future relationships difficult or impossible since he does not want to repeat a situation where he has no control in the outcome of a pregnancy.

Often men can acknowledge their symptoms but not recognize the origin as being the abortion decision. Recognizing the common symptoms can enable him to see his problems in a new light."
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DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?
Now that you know more about abortion than you once knew, perhaps you need to talk to someone concerning an unplanned pregnancy, or maybe you need help dealing with some emotional pain, guilt, depression, low self-esteem, and the like due to an abortion you had in the past. If so, please talked to a counselor, call 1 800 395-HELP, or contact TEEN CHOICES.

(If you want information about Fetal Development Click here)
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