• Frequently Asked Questions


• Post-Abortion Stress (Women and Men)


• Post-Abortion Support (Women and Men)

How many abortions are performed in America?
One out of every 4 babies conceived in the United States is aborted. In more than 14 metropolitan areas, abortions outnumber live births. More than 30 million abortions have occurred since 1973. Each year 1.2 million babies die by abortion.²

Why are abortions performed?
Women choose abortion for many reasons, but the most common reasons reported are relational problems with the father of the child, worry about responsibility, fear of financial liability, concern about lifestyle changes, and fear of others discovering sexual activity.³

At what stage of fetal development are abortions legal?
Under the Supreme Court's decisions in Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, abortions may be performed for any reason (socioeconomic, failure of birth control, personal choice) prior to viability (about 24 weeks of pregnancy) and for any reason relating to the mother's physical or psychological health thereafter. In these cases (post-viability abortions), the term "health" has been defined very broadly by the court to include any matter that might affect a woman's "sense of well-being." In effect, therefore, abortion is legal for any "health" reason throughout pregnancy.

How are the different surgical procedures performed?

First Trimester (1-12 weeks)
Suction Curettage
The abortionist dilates (opens) the cervix with mechanical dilators or laminaria (a porous substance that is typically inserted the day before the abortion). Overnight the laminaria gradually dilates the cervix by soaking up fluid. The day of the abortion, the abortionist attaches tubing to a suction machine, and inserts the tubing into the uterus. The suction created by the vacuum pulls the unborn baby's body apart and detaches the placenta from the wall of the uterus, sucking the fetal parts and placenta into a collection bottle.⁴

Dilation and Curettage (D&C, or Sharp Curettage)
This method is not as common anymore for abortions, because it requires more dilation and more time, and is considered less safe than suction curettage.⁵ The cervix is dilated and a curette or loop-shaped knife is inserted into the uterus to cut apart the unborn baby and scrape the uterine lining to detach the placenta. All body parts and membranes are then scraped out of the mother's body.

Second Trimester (13-26 weeks)
Dilation and Evacuation (D&E)
At this point in pregnancy, the unborn baby's body is too large to be broken up by suction, and it will not pass through the tubing.⁶ The cervix needs to be dilated more than in a first-trimester abortion. This is usually accomplished by inserting the laminaria a day or two before the abortion. The abortionist then dismembers the body parts. The skull is crushed and the spine broken to facilitate removal.⁷

Less Commonly Used Methods
Saline, Prostaglandin, and Urea Instillation - These methods, more common during the 1970s and 1980s, are rarely used now, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which reported that they accounted for only 0.7% of all abortions in 1991.

Saline
In a saline abortion, the abortionist injects a concentrated salt solution through the mother's abdomen into the amniotic sac surrounding the baby. The fetus absorbs the solution, which causes burning, hemorrhage, edema and shock, and eventually death. The saline also causes the uterus to contract and expel the baby.

Prostaglandin
Prostaglandin abortions are performed by injecting a prostaglandin hormone into the amniotic sac. The hormone stimulates uterine contractions to expel the fetus, who has usually died, although a 1978 study showed that up to 7% of the babies aborted with prostaglandin showed signs of life.⁸

Urea Instillation
Urea abortions are similar to saline abortions but are not as effective. They are thought to have fewer complications for the mother. Urea infusion is more commonly combined with later-term D&E abortions to soften fetal tissues for easier, safer, and less painful removal.⁹

Second and Third Trimester
Dilation and Extraction
Congressional action in 1996 brought to light yet another procedure for aborting late-term unborn babies. This technique, called D&X abortion does not dismember the fetus; rather the fetus is delivered intact, without infusions.

As described and performed by abortion doctor Martin Haskell, D&X abortions take three days to complete. In the first two days, the woman's cervix is dilated with laminaria in two or more sessions, with medication given for cramping. On the day of the procedure, the laminaria are removed, and the patient is injected with pitocin to induce contractions.

The abortion doctor next determines the fetus' orientation in the uterus through ultrasound, and locates the legs. Grasping a leg with large forceps, he then pulls the leg into the vagina, and delivers the baby (live) up to the baby's head with his hands.

Next, the abortionist slides his hand up the baby's back and hooks his fingers over the shoulders of the baby. Then, a pair of scissors is inserted into the base of the skull to create an opening. Removing the scissors, he inserts a suction catheter into the opening, and suctions out the skull contents.¹⁰ Minus the brains, the skull decompresses, and is easy to remove. Finally, the abortionist removes the placenta with forceps and scrapes the uterine walls with a suction curette.¹¹

What are the physical risks of surgical abortions?¹²
First Trimester
Second Trimester
Third Trimester

First Trimester
• Cervical tearing and laceration from the instruments.
• Perforation of the uterus by instruments (May require major surgery, including hysterectomy).
• Scarring of the uterine lining by suction tubing, curettes, and other instruments.
• Infection, local and systemic (sepsis).
• Hemorrhage and shock, especially if the uterine artery is torn.
• Anesthesia toxicity from both general and local anesthesia, resulting in possible convulsions, cardio-respiratory arrest, and in extreme cases, death. General anesthesia in abortion has to two to four times greater risk of death than local anesthesia.
• Retained tissue indicated by cramping, heavy bleeding, and infection.
• Postabortal syndrome, referring to an enlarged, tender and soft uterus retaining blood clots.
• Failure to recognize an ectopic pregnancy. This could lead to the rupture of a fallopian tube and hemorrhage and resulting infertility or death, if treatment is not provided in time.

Second Trimester Infusion Methods
• Adverse reactions by the mother to the chemicals used in the abortion.
• "Failed abortion," also known as "live birth."
• Retained tissue, including the placenta.
• Uterine ruptures, with resulting severe pain and blood loss. May require major surgery, including hysterectomy.
• Cervical laceration, perforation, heavy bleeding or hemorrhage, and infection.

Second and Third Trimester Dilation and Evacuation (D&E)
• Trapped fetal parts, leading to possible damage to the uterus and nearby organs, such as the bowel and bladder.
• Laceration and perforation of the uterus and/or cervix by fetal parts and/or the larger instruments used in these midterm abortions.
• Greater risk of hemorrhage.

How often do abortion complications and deaths occur?
Getting accurate statistics on abortion morbidity (complications) and mortality (death) rates is difficult. The rates are generally accepted as under reported. Reporting on abortions is strictly voluntary in most states, and both CDC and Alan Guttmacher Institute acknowledge a significant undercount in their statistics on the number of abortions performed.¹³

The rate of major complications resulting from abortion is usually reported at around 2%. The risk of complications rises as a pregnancy progresses. In many cases, abortionists may not even know complications occur, as many women do not contact them if they experience problems, and many women fail to return for follow-up appointments.¹⁴

The CDC reports that between 1979 and 1986 almost 5% of maternal deaths were due to abortion (including spontaneous abortions), for a total number of 124. The leading causes of death from abortion during 1979-1986 were hemorrhage from uterine bleeding, generalized infection, and blood clots in the lungs. However, many abortion-related deaths are not listed as such, but as a complication of childbirth, or some factor caused by the abortion without mentioning the abortion.

To further illustrate the problem, Dr. C. Everett Koop, in his 1989 letter to President Ronald Reagan, explained that the lack of scientifically sound studies made it impossible to "provide conclusive data about the health effects of abortion on women," and stated that complications are difficult to quantify for two reasons: "first, . . . because . . . abortions are done in freestanding abortion clinics where records which might have been helpful in this regard, have not been kept [Note: In the 1990s, over 90% of abortions are being performed in freestanding clinics¹⁵]. Second, . . . when compared with the number of abortions performed annually, 50% of the women who have had an abortion apparently deny having had one when questioned."¹⁶

What are the newer non-surgical abortion methods?
RU 486
Mifepriston (RU 486) is given along with the hormone prostaglandin. This method is used for women who are between 30-49 days from their last menstrual period. The RU 486 pill is given to a woman, who returns two days later for a prostaglandin injection. The combination of these two medications usually caused the uterus to expel the baby and placenta within 24 hours.17

Complications: Continuing pregnancy (1% requiring surgical abortion), excessive bleeding (1%), and retained tissue (2%).

Side effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.18

Methotrexate
Some medical centers are using this chemotherapy drug along with the ulcer medication (misoprostol) in a similar way to that of RU 486. The FDA has not approved Methotrexate for abortion, but once a drug has been approved for one purpose, it can be used for other purposes as well. Methotrexate is given to a woman to kill the fetus. During a second visit, misoprostol suppositories are inserted into the vagina to induce contractions and expel the fetus. A third visit is scheduled for a few days later to confirm the death and expulsion of the fetus.

Complications: The major concern with using this medication is that, if the procedure fails, the fetus has been exposed to a medication known to cause fetal abnormalities.19 It is too soon to tell how poorly or how well it will work.

Emergency Contraceptive Pills-Morning After Pill
This is a type of abortion because the pills act primarily by preventing implantation of the already fertilized egg. A woman is given a higher than normal dose of birth control pills within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse.

Complications: Procedure failure, nausea and vomiting.20

¹Christian Action Council Education and Ministries Fund, Facts You Should Know About Abortion, 2000
²Abortion Surveillance - U.S., 1996, Morbidity and Mortality Report, July 30, 1999.
³Aida Torres and Jacqueline Dorroch Forrest, "Why do Women Have Abortions?" Family Planning Perspectives (vol.20, No. 4)
⁴Warren Hern, Abortion Practice (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1990), pp. 108-117
⁵Stephen L. Corson, M.D., Richard J. Derman, M.D., M.P.H., and Louise B. Tyrer, M.D., eds., Fertility Control (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1985) pg.64
⁶Hern, op. Cit., pg. 123
⁷Ibid., pg. 128
⁸W.K. Lee and M.S. Baggish, "Live Birth as a Complication of Second Trimester Abortion Induced with Intra-amniotic Prostaglandin F2a," Adv. Planned Parenthood (vol. 13, No. 7, 1978). Quoted in Hern, Abortion Practice pg. 183
⁹Hern, op. Cit., pp. 124-125
¹⁰Martin Haskell, M.D., "Second Trimester Abortion: From Every Angle," paper presented at the Fall Risk Management Seminar of the National Abortion Federation, September 13-14, Dallas Texas.
¹¹Ibid.
¹²Hern, op. cit., pp. 175ff
¹³U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers of Disease Control, Abortion Surveillance Report, July 1991.
¹⁴Hern, op. cit., Pg. 173
¹⁵Dr. and Mrs. J.C. Willke, Abortion Questions and Answers (Cincinnati: Hayes Publishing Company, 1990), pg. 101.
¹⁶Letter to President Ronald Reagan by the Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, January 9, 1989.
¹⁷Syllabus "Issues and Options in Reproductive Health Care" Conference sponsored by Contemporary Forums, Washington D.C., March 16-18, 1995, pg. 96.
¹⁸Ibid, pg. 98.
¹⁹Ibid, pg. 98.
²⁰Robert A. Harcher, M.D., et.al., Emergency Contraception: The Nation's Best-Kept Secret (Atlanta: Bridging the Gap Communications, Inc.), pp. 29-30.