INFORMATION ABOUT INDUCED ABORTION

We are a neutral agency and not connected with any physicians who provide abortions

If you are pregnant and want to talk about the option of abortion, please call the Centre (380-6883) and make a appointment to come in. One of the trained, caring volunteer counselors will offer you information and assist you to look at this possibility.

When a woman finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, she often considers abortion as the solution.  Many see it as the simplest method to return to life the way it was.

If you have a positive pregnancy test (at home, here at the Centre or at a clinic), it's helpful to determine the first day of your last menstrual period.  "How far along you are" is measured from that date, although you probably got pregnant 11-16 days after that. If you are looking at when your baby would be born, 40 weeks are measured from that date. If you are considering a type of abortion, it is important to know how many weeks into the pregnancy you are as you consider those options. These are important facts as you make your "informed choice." If your periods are irregular or you don't remember, your doctor may order an ultrasound.

Whether a woman chooses this option or the others, professional studies have reported that she experiences better adjustment afterwards if she is content that she:¹

• had access to all the information regarding all the choices
• had the time to think through her decision (did not feel rushed)
• had the power to make the decision herself (did not feel pressured by family, friends or professionals)
• were sure of support whatever her decision (emotional and practical, if appropriate)

All of the options have possible lifetime ramifications for the woman, regardless of who is around her at the time of the decision (partner [even husband], family, professionals). When significant others give suggestions or ideas to the pregnant woman, they are usually trying to be helpful. However, the decision belongs to the woman and she may need to remind others of that. Important issues for the woman to consider are her values and beliefs around abortion. If previous to the pregnancy she thought it would be wrong for her to have an abortion, adjustment afterwards will be harder for her than for a woman who previously believed that an abortion was fine¹.

It is important that she looks at what each of the choices would mean for her and attempts to gain perspective (for example - imagine what life might look like in 5 years).

Unfortunately, she must make the important decision whether or not to continue the pregnancy when her hormones are causing havoc in her body. She may feel like she has the stomach flu with nausea and weariness. Emotionally, she may experience mood swings. She is elated sometimes and thinks "I'm a mother - I can do this!" and is afraid sometimes, thinking "I could never look after a baby in my situation."

Other facts that many women want to know before making their decision are:

1. what is abortion like?
   (see the rest of this page)
2. what is growing inside me at what stages?
   (see Information about the Development of the Fetus)
3. what are possible consequences to abortion?
   (see the rest of this page)
4. what are the other options?
   (see Adoption Option or Parenting Options)
5. if I choose abortion, who will know (partner, friends, family) and how will they act toward/support me?
   Many romantic relationships break up³¹ after an abortion due to the changes in dynamics of the couple²²,²³. Many non-intimate persons in a woman's life never know if she has an abortion. Even though an abortion is 'politically correct' and 'socially acceptable' (in most circles), there still exists a secrecy around the experience for most women.
6. if I choose one of the other options, how will others (partner, friends, family, community) act toward/support me?
   This is a good question to ask others. Some women choose abortion because they think their family will disown them or their partner will leave them if they have their baby - an "informed choice" suggests that you find out this information before deciding. Don't make assumptions! If you want to keep your baby and fear you will not have support of your partner or family, find out what community support is available for mums and babes.

KINDS OF ABORTIONS

1. CHEMICAL/MEDICAL ABORTIONS

Procedure:
These abortions are done up to 7 weeks of pregnancy. This would be 7 weeks after the first day of a woman's last menstrual period approximately 5 weeks after conception or 3 weeks after the next period would have started (if a woman is on a 4 week menstrual cycle).

A woman's family physician will examine her and refer her for an ultrasound exam to confirm the age of the embryo and rule out a ectopic pregnancy (see Female Reproductive System). That day or the next, a physician who specializes in these types of abortions will give her an injection of methotrexate which kills the embryo².

Several days later, the woman inserts misoprostol suppositories into her vagina. Some time after inserting these, contractions will begin. She may have flu-like symptoms and cramping for which she is provided pain medications. At some point, the embryo and sac etc. will be expelled. Phone numbers are given for her to call in case of an emergency. She needs to return to her physician after the procedure to make sure all the contents of the uterus were expelled.

Almost 50% of women abort within a day after the dose of misoprostal. By the end of two weeks, almost 70% of woman have aborted. About 15% take up to a month and 5% up to 6 weeks. The success rate is about 90-95%.

Possible Physical Side Effects:
She could experience severe cramping and bleeding. If the abortion was incomplete (about 5-10% of the time), she would be scheduled for a surgical abortion with its possible side effects.

Possible Emotional Side Effects:
The procedure takes up to 6 weeks to complete from the beginning doctor's visit to the expulsion of the embryo. A woman cannot change her mind after the injection (as she would have a dead embryo inside her which could cause infection unless removed). The actual "abortion" takes place without any medical personnel present and the woman does not know when or where this will occur. UBC's Dr. Ellen Wiebe, a leading expert in these abortions says that "the delay can go on and on, women get upset emotionally and physically because they are going through all this stuff for weeks"³.

She may see expelled from her body a translucent sac with a tiny form inside which may cause this woman grief³².
Paul E. Rockwell, M.D. explains this photo.  

Costs:
If a woman has B.C. Medical coverage, the cost is $50 for the medication. If she does not, the cost for the total procedure is $275.

2. SURGICAL ABORTIONS

Since the 1988 Supreme Court ruling on the unconstitutionality of abortion law, Canada has been without guidelines for abortion⁴. A woman's family physician can refer her to one who performs abortions. In Victoria, abortions are performed up to 20 weeks. If a woman is farther along than that she must go to Vancouver for the surgery.

Approximately 125 abortions per month are performed at the hospitals in the Capital region. Abortion is covered under the B.C. Medical Plan⁵.

Procedure:
About 70% of abortions are done in hospitals under general anesthetic. Those done in clinics use local anesthetic⁶. The Dilation/Suction/Curettage method is used. In this procedure, the doctor opens the cervix (see Female Reproductive System) with a dilator or laminaria. The physician inserts tubing into the uterus and connects the tubing to a suction machine. The suction pulls the fetus's body apart and out of the uterus. A curette is used to scrape the wall of the uterus to make sure there are no fetal parts, placenta etc. left⁷.

Possible Physical Side Effects^8,9,10:
Cramping, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting may occur after the abortion. Bleeding for several weeks is fairly common. Uncommon but possible are complications such as infection (due to leftover fetal or placental parts) or puncture of the uterus, bowel, bladder or cervix which could cause infection, even sterility. Sometimes, a hysterectomy, which also would eliminate the possibility of future pregnancy, is required if the uterus is badly torn. Scarring of the uterine lining may lead to increased miscarriages in further pregnancies. For some women the child who they aborted was the only child they were ever able to conceive.

Some studies show a higher likelihood of breast cancer risk after an abortion. If a woman has consecutive abortions, she may be tripling or quadrupling her risk for breast cancer^11,12,13,30.

Possible Emotional Side Effects:
Some women experience strong negative feelings after an abortion. Sometimes this occurs within days and sometimes it happens after many years. Factors that impact the likelihood of this are: her age, the circumstances, the stage of the pregnancy at which the abortion occurs and her values, beliefs and spiritual faith. Possible consequences may be grief, anguish, a sense of loss^14,15 anxiety¹⁵,²⁸, depression²⁸,^34,35 low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, uselessness, hurting self, suicidal tendencies^16,17,33 sexual issues (dissociation, frequent partners, or frigidity)^18,19 guilt, remorse, anger toward self^20,21 relationships break up, inability to sustain intimacy^22,23 excessive behaviour (drug or alcohol misuse²⁸, eating disorders, excessive shopping)^24,25 bonding issues with previous or subsequent children, preoccupation with wanting to or not wanting to become pregnant, anxiety during childbirth^26,27. Many professional counsellors and medical practitioners dismiss an abortion as a possible root cause for some of these difficulties. Options Pregnancy Centre offers support and consultation to women (and men) who want to talk through their abortion and work on healing. See our Adjusting After Abortion page.

A CTV film about Dr. Henry Morgantaler, Canada's most famous abortion physician, aired in January, 2005. Dr. Morgentaler, then 81 and still performing 30 abortions per week was confronted by a woman who pointed out that abortion means the death of the fetus. "Of course," he replied, "but I  don't think abortion is a tragedy." To which the young woman countered, "then why do so many women mourn it?" Dr Morgentaler admitted that he didn’tt know but he said the question was interesting.

"Getting access to an abortion is nothing now," a  pro-choice youth counsellor named Sandra Costain told reporter Ian Brown. "But having an abortion is still a huge issue. Ninety-five per cent of the women who have abortions, 10 years afterwards, they can still tell you the day they had it and what they were drinking. And probably what the due date of the baby would have been as well." Brown concludes his article: "Women are now free to regret their abortions. The still-unanswered question is why they do."²⁹

NOTES:

1. Reardon, D. Abortion Malpractice. (1993). Lewisville, TX: Life Dynamics, Inc. pp. 20-21.
2. Stewart, F. "Early Options for Abortion", Journal of the American Medical Women's Association, April 19,  2001
3. Page, S. "Cocktail of medicine used for abortions", Ottawa Citizen, September 24, 2005
4. Martin, D. "Abortion is not a real issue", Times Colonist, June 7, 2004.
5. Dedyna, K. "Centre helps deal with post-abortion stress", Times Colonist, March 8, 2002 quoting Ministry of Health statistics.
6. Childbirth by Choice website http://cbctrust.com/medical_proc.php
7. same as #6
8. Hern, W. (1994), "Long-Term Risks of Induced Abortions", Gynecology and Obstetrics 6:63.
9. Niswander, K & Porto,M. (1992), "Abortion  practices in the U.S.: A Medical Viewpoint". Abortion, Medicine and the Law, Fourth Edition: 567-581.
10. Ring-Cassidy, F & Gentles, I. (2002), Women's Health after Abortion. Toronto, ON: The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research. 61-85.
11. Donnan, S., British Medical Association's Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (1996)  50-605.
12. Daling, J. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 86, No. 21, pp.1584-1592, Nov. 2,1994.
13. Russo, J & Russo, I. American Journal of Pathology (Vol. 100, pp. 497-512).
14. Burke, T. (2002). Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion. Springfield, Il: Acorn Books, 49-62.
15. Masse, S. & Phillips. J. (1998). Her Choice to Heal., Colorado Springs, CO. Chariot Publishing.
16. Terkel, D. (1988). Abortion: Facing the Issues. New York, NY: Impact Books.
17. Rue,V., Coleman, P., & Reardon, D. (2004). "Induced Abortion & Traumatic Stress", Medical Science Monitor, 10(10) SR5-16
18. Ring-Cassidy, F & Gentles, I. (2002), Women's Health after Abortion. Toronto, ON: The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research. 61-85.
19. Mathews-Green, R.(1997). Real Choices. Ben Lomond,CA: Conciliar Press.
20. Bigliardi, P. (1994). Beyond the Hidden Pain of Abortion. Lynwood, WA: Women Aglow Fellowship
21. Frater, A. & Wright, C. (1986). Coping After Abortion. Edinburgh, Scotland: W.& R. Chambers.
22. Koerbel, P. (1990). Does Anyone Else Feel Like I Do? New York, NY: Doubleday.
23. Saltenberger, A. (1983). Every Woman has a Right to Know the Dangers of Legal Abortion. Glassboro, NJ: Air-Plus Enterprises.
24. Freed, L. & Salazar,P. (1993). A Season to Heal. Nashville, TN: Cumberland House.
25. Crawford, D. & Mannion, M. (1989). Psycho-Spiritual Healing after Abortion. Kansas City, MO: Sheed & Ward.
26. Ney, P. (1997). Deeply Damaged. Victoria, B.C.: Pioneer Publishing
27. Reisser, T. (1999). A Solitary Sorrow: Finding Healing & Wholeness After Abortion. Toronto, ON: Lifecycle Books.
28. Pritchard, Chris, "Abortion a Risk Factor for Later Mental Illness", The Medical Post, February 3, 2006
29. Brown, Ian "Young women of Canada, meet 'Dr. Who'", The Globe and Mail, December 4, 2004
30. Lynne, D. "Abortion Doctor Caves in Lawsuit", WorldNetDaily, November 5, 2003
31. Bachiochi, E., editor (2004) The Cost of Choice: Women Evaluate the Impact of Abortion. San Francisco, CA: Encounter Books.
32. Reist, M. (2000) Giving Sorrow Words. Sydney, Australia. Duffy & Snelgrove.
33. Gissler, M. et al., "Suicides after pregnancy in Finland," British Medical Journal, 313(1996): 1431-34
34. Coleman, P. et al., "State funded abortions versus deliveries: a comparison of outpatient mental healthy claims over 4 years," American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 73:1 (2002):141-52.
35. Reardon, D. et al., "Deaths associated with pregnancy outcome," Southern Medical Journal 95:8 (2002) 834-41
36. Coalition on Abortion Breast Cancer
    www.abortionbreastcancer.com
     

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