ABORTIONBy: Alex Kerr HE-210-OL Due: 2/13/12

WHEN ABORTION WAS A CRIME

There was an estimated 2 million abortions a year in the 1890s and 1-2 million annually during the 1920s and ‘30s when abortion was illegal

Whether a woman could have an abortion depended on her: race, economic situation, and where she lived

Women with money could leave the country or find expensive doctors

Poor women were at the mercy of incompetent practitioners

WHEN ABORTION WAS A CRIME Women also tried dangerous self abortions by

inserting knitting needles or coat hangers into the vagina and uterus, douching with dangerous solutions, or swallowing strong drugs or chemicals.

All women were subjected to the desperation, humiliation, and fear created by the criminalization

Scholars estimate about 5,000 women died annually in the US because of abortions

Nearly 4 times as many women of color as white women died as a result of illegal abortions

JANE COLLECTIVE

Before abortion was legalized there was an underground feminist abortion service, the Jane Collective.

They provided safe, effective, inexpensive, and supportive illegal abortions

Over a 4 year period they provided more than 11,000 first and second trimester abortions

Also some dedicated & well-trained doctors and other medical practitioners risked imprisonment, fines, and loss of their medical licenses to provide abortions

LEGALIZING ABORTION

Inspired by the civil rights and anti-war movements, women began standing up for themselves in the 1960s They marched, rallied, and lobbied for legislative reform

As a result – some states liberalized abortion laws, allowing women to have an abortion only in certain circumstances, such as rape or incest

New York became the first state to legalize abortion Eventually, the Supreme Court decided a woman’s

decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy in the first trimester was protected under the “right of privacy… founded in the Fourteenth Amendment’s concept of personal liberty”

FINE PRINT

Even though abortion was legalized, the court allowed states to place restrictions in the second trimester to protect a woman’s health, and in the third trimester to protect a viable fetus

ANTI-CHOICE MOVEMENT

Legalizing abortion began an aggressive, often violent campaign to: Intimidate abortion providers Block access to clinics Stigmatize abortion Pass legal restrictions

Their main goal was to outlaw abortion entirely, but their approach has been to wear away access to clinics

Harassment and violence against providers has led to a sharp decrease in services

OPERATION SAVE AMERICA

Originally Operation Rescue, Operation Save America gained a bad reputation in the 1980s for blockading clinic entrances, provoking tens of thousands of arrests worldwide

Abortion clinics have been the targets of: Bombings Arson Anthrax threats Acid attacks

OPERATION SAVE AMERICA CONTINUED

State restrictions have been devastating for the most vulnerable women: Young women Women with low incomes Women of color Women who live in rural areas Women who depend on the government for health care

FREEDOM OF ACCESS TO CLINIC ENTRANCES ACT (FACE)

Congress passed this act to try to stop the massive protests and invasions of clinics but failed

Individual doctors and their families were harassed, their yards were picketed, wanted posters circulated the communities, and people also listed their name on the internet

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ABORTION

Medication Vacuum Aspiration – also known as suction curettage Dilation and evacuation Induction

MEDICATION ABORTION Ends pregnancy within the first 9 weeks

Can only be used if pregnancy has not exceeded 9 weeks

2 types are drugs are taken within 2-7 days after each other Pills can either be taken orally or inserted into the vagina First drug is taken at clinic, but the second pill may either be sent

home with you to take or you will have to return to the clinic to take it

Cramping & bleeding will usually begin within a few hours Bleeding may be heavier than normal period Cramps will range from mild to intense – severe lower

abdominal cramps typically mean the pregnancy tissue is passing down the cervix

Most common side effects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, or fatigue They should not last long & will resolve on their own

Spotting may continue for several days to a few weeks A follow up appointment must be scheduled so the clinician can be

sure the abortion was successful

VACUUM ASPIRATION Suction is used to terminate the pregnancy in one appointment

Can be used as a method of abortion up to 16 weeks of pregnancy

Before starting the procedure the clinician performs a pelvic exam to check the size & position of the uterus

A speculum is inserted into the vagina to separate the vaginal walls to bring the cervix into view

Local anesthetic solution is injected around the cervix in two or more places

The cervix will gradually dilate by insertion and removal of dilators of increasing size

A cannula, a sterile straw like tube is inserted through the cervix into the uterus.

• It is attached to the vacuum device or electric pump and the pregnancy tissues are removed by moving the cannula back & forth

• There will be some cramping as the uterus contracts & empties – these are important because they squeeze the blood vessels of the uterus shut Cramps may also range from mild to intense but will lessen right

after the cannula is removed

DILATION & EVACUATION AND INDUCTION ABORTION

Similar to vacuum abortion However, the cervix needs

to be open wider because the pregnancy is further along requiring a clinician to soften & dilate the cervix ahead of time

Usually takes between 10-20 minutes

Involves medications that cause the uterus to contract and expel the pregnancy

Painful contractions may last for several hours or even just one day

Takes place in a hospital – most hospitals don’t have a special area for induction abortions so women may be on the maternity ward

As the fetus is expelled, there is a lot of pressure in the rectal area

If the placenta does not exit the body within an hour or two, your provider may use suction to remove it

Dilation and Evacuation Induction Abortion

SURPRISING FACTS! Pregnancy Crisis centers are often listen under abortion alternatives in

the phone book. They provide advertising about counseling & referral agencies but they are actually run by anti-choice groups. They advertise free pregnancy testing but actually try to dissuade

women from having abortions by giving misleading information such as, telling you your pregnancy is further along than it actually is

Some states require a 1-2 day waiting period between counseling & the procedure making women wait even longer causing a second trimester abortion

You can continue to test positive for pregnancy 4-6 weeks after a successful abortion

Not all hospital have specific areas for women getting induction abortions so they may end up on the maternity ward – I think this could cause severe emotional problems

ABORTION FACTS 88% of abortions are performed during the first trimester Length of pregnancy is counted from the first day of the last

menstrual period not the day of conception The method of abortion a woman uses depends on a few

things: medical history, including any medical conditions or drug allergies, how far along the pregnancy is, the equipment & supplies available, the training of the person performing the abortion, and your own preferences.

If you have a choice of abortion procedures (meaning the pregnancy is not too far along) you should consider: effectiveness, duration & predictability, pain & pain relief options, convenience & privacy, and cost

You can get pregnant shortly after an abortion, even before your first period, so it’s important to use reliable birth control

It is normal to feel relief after an abortion, but it is also normal to have mixed or even negative feelings

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Only 18% of ob-gyn residency programs train all residents in abortion procedures, do you think everyone should be trained so women can have a wider choice when choosing who will terminate their pregnancy?

Do you think we should develop more abortion clinics for women of lower socioeconomic status?

Think about your views of abortion right now. Now think about it if you or someone you love was raped & got pregnant from that rape – do you still feel the same way about abortion?