Draft.

----Introduction to come after paper is completed
----History of abortion + legislation passed + prolife vs. prochoice
According to the website Abortion: Some Medical Facts a definition of abortion is the ending of “a pregnancy by destroying and removing the developing child.” I feel it is a necessary obligation to press the rights for all those developing, unborn children. Respectively, I understand that every woman has a different story, a diverse collection of memories that create her unique identity as a woman. But then again, mine is far from glamorous and was far from a facile walk in the park. This experience through which I battled, I feel, provides me with credibility on the subject of the choice of abortion and the matters that relate to the subject.
August 2007 would be the framed photograph soaked with thousands of words floating behind the delicate glass capturing what I thought to be the “highlight” of my summer. I was nearly days away from starting my senior year which is supposed to be the best year of high school. Being on top, closing in on the finish line called graduation is certainly a big deal for any senior. I was enjoying myself thoroughly; hitting up the beach and soaking up the sun was prime, a blur of memories. I was on top of the world until one day. Thinking it was just another gorgeous day, I learned of something that would alter me as a person and a woman for the rest of my life. That little pink plus sign on the most technical stick ever invented seemed to laugh in my face, mocking me and my high hopes for the next few months, years, and the rest of my life… It was unbelievable news and something I was not prepared for; something no 17 year old can prepare for. I was pregnant by someone who I didn’t care for whatsoever and had no idea where to go, who to tell, or what on Earth to do. At 17 I knew I would be strangely looked at, mostly with disapproving eyes. For about the first couple weeks I was determined to make it through and keep my baby. He was mine and now that I look back it was a thought that was irrational, poorly chosen, and completely inane. Abortion, of course, crossed my mind, despite the fact that I believe it to be wrong. The underlying reason behind it was my utter desperation to keep the disappointment from hitting my parents’ faces. I didn’t know how to tell them. Full of helplessness, I was at a dead end road. I was raised in a family that taught “sex after marriage,” so this news would be an unexpected and a huge shock for my family, one that I didn’t think I was prepared to deal with. Looking back, I was selfish in feeling that way. I was thinking only of myself and how I would be punished or what would happen to me. The notion of my child’s life, heartbeat, mind, and soul was not in my head.
In our present times, with the subject of abortion at hand, people only discuss why the abortion option has been chosen, in other words, the social aspect of it. Majority of women who plan on getting an abortion or support the idea of abortion are not educated in the medical aspect of this issue. Altogether, there are ten main procedures that can be done to end the life of a human fetus. Because of the Supreme Court cases in 1973, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, abortion at any point in pregnancy was made legal in all 50 states; meaning that even a woman carrying a full-term baby can choose to have an abortion.
During the first trimester (1-13 weeks) there are four operations a woman can undergo. The first, Suction Aspiration, is used in most cases. Through the dilated cervix of the pregnant woman, a suction tube with a sharp edge is inserted dismembering the appendages of the baby and because of this violent disruption in the womb the placenta is ripped from the wall of the uterus. The pieces of the body, amniotic fluid, placenta, and blood are all sucked out. The risks involved with this process include injuring the woman’s uterus leading, at times, to hemorrhaging. Also, if there is any left over fetal or placenta tissue, infection can be looming ahead. Dilatation and Curettage is the second procedure possible. The abortionist inserts a looped steel knife into the dilated cervix, cutting up the baby and scraping the placenta off of the uterus. Damaging of the uterus, infection, and high amounts of blood loss are possible problems with this tactic. Along with physically removing the baby, there is a pill available to woman seeking abortion as well. It is called RU 486. This drug induces abortion chemically by blocking the natural hormone called progesterone, which maintains the lining of the uterus that supplies necessary nutrients to the baby. Ultimately, the baby starves to death because the lining shrivels and disintegrates. However, “easy” this may sound it comes with a possible price to the woman. Extremely severe bleeding has been documented in many cases (some up to 44 days) along with nausea, pain, diarrhea, and death in some. How many women actually know of these dangerous side-effects? Another drug available during the first trimester is called Methotrexate. This ends the life of the fetus by disintegrating the uterus lining by attacking the trophoblast (produces the human chorionic gonadotropin which controls the production of progesterone). In this process the baby is once again starved because the essential nutrients the baby needs are withheld from it. The four above methods of abortion are very gruesome and sad. Not everyone agrees, but after researching the specific ways abortion is carried out, I find it to be appalling. I feel if more women knew exactly what they were doing to their bodies and the little one inside of them, they would think twice about choosing abortion.
The second trimester also has multiple options for abortion. Again, high risks are involved in all of them. Dilatation and Evacuation is similar to the Dilatation and Curettage process used in the first trimester. However, at this point in the pregnancy the baby is larger and much more developed. The abortionist uses sharp forceps to dismember the baby and then takes the head of the child and crushes the skull so it can be removed from the womb. This procedure could cause cuts and perforations to the cervix due to the bones in the head. Heavy bleeding occurs in all cases. Saline amniocentesis can also be used. The expecting woman is injected, in the abdomen, with a needle that extracts a large portion of the amniotic and then replaces that fluid with high concentrated solution of salt. Literally this poisons the baby along with deterioration of its skin through painful burning. At this point the baby dies but needs to come out of the mother so labor is induced and a burned, withered, and limp baby is delivered. The saline solution can be extremely harmful to the mother by causing “uncontrolled blood clotting throughout the body” (Abortion: Some Medical Facts) which can harm her central nervous system as well. If the solution unintentionally enters the vascular system seizures, coma, and/or death can be serious and very possible outcomes. With risks of nausea, cervical damage, and endometriosis Urea is another option similar to a saline injection. Because the solution is not as strong, other drugs are needed to succeed in the abortion. Finally, the chemical method that uses Prostaglandins (chemicals that are used to aid women in labor) is used for second trimester abortion. These drugs cause labor leading to the birth of a child too undeveloped to survive. Sometimes the salt solution is used in this method to ensure the baby is dead when delivered. Cervical injuries, infection, hemorrhaging, hyperthermia, cardiac arrest, and death are all risks involved in this process. Overall, abortion is a not a pretty operation and in all of these procedures there are high medical risks linked to the killing of the unborn child. The methods are rarely spoken of leading to ignorant girls and women, but medical side affects are not the only troubles connected to abortion.
Mental and emotional problems also can come to the majority of women who choose abortion. Post-Abortion Syndrome occurs in many cases. Despite a woman’s background, the security in her choice, or her mental and emotional stability, all women are born with the little voice in their head that kicks in after their child is killed through abortion. Guilt, anxiety, and depression will follow, sometimes quickly after the act but other times it haunts them years later. Questions are raised relating to their decision. Known effects of PAS, based on the Rhode Island Right to Life website (www.rirtl.org), are as follows:
“Impacted grieving: This reflects an inability to complete the grieving process
Self-destructive tendencies such as eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, and substance abuse
Feelings of isolation
Feelings of confusion and difficulty concentrating
Anxiety attacks
Irritability
Outbursts of rage or anger
Aggressive behavior
Nightmares or sleeping disorders
Recurrent and intrusive thoughts about the abortion or the aborted child
Flashbacks to the abortion experience
Feelings of intense grief or depression on the date of the abortion or the due date of the aborted pregnancy
Repression or denial about thoughts or feelings dealing with the abortion
Efforts to avoid activities or situations that remind the woman of the pregnancy or abortion
Withdrawal or estrangement from others
Inability to maintain loving or trusting relationships
A sense of hopelessness or futility about the future
Diminished interest in previously enjoyed activities
Suicidal thoughts or acts”

---Options other than abortion
---Conclusion
References:
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/abortionuslegal/a/abortion.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_abortion

http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/history_abortion.html

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http://www.abortionfacts.com/survivors/giannajessen.asp

http://www.abortionfacts.com/dr_willke/connector_july_97.asp#1
http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/ASMF/asmf3.html