Abortion

Abortion, in strictly medical language, means the interruption of a pregnancy and the loss of an unborn child during the first three months of pregnancy. It may be accidental, also called spontaneous, or it may be deliberate, or induced. After the third month, interruption of a pregnancy is called a miscarriage.

Induced abortion has long been one of the most controversial of all medical procedures. Many individuals object to the practice on religious or ethical grounds, and until recently, induced abortion was illegal. The main argument centers about whether an embryo or fetus is human, at what point it becomes human, the right to life of the unborn child, and the right of a woman to control her own body.

Many abortions are induced for strictly medical reasons. These are called therapeutic abortions. One urgent medical reason is the presence of an ectopic pregnancy, a situation in which the embryo develops in the Fallopian tube instead of in the uterus. Such an embryo cannot survive. It will die and burst through the tube, endangering the mother’s life, if it is not removed surgically. A woman who contracts German measles in early pregnancy may request an abortion because of the likelihood that her child will be malformed or mentally retarded. In cases of rape or incest, an induced abortion may be performed. A woman who has a severe heart, kidney, or blood ailment may require an abortion to save her health or life. A therapeutic abortion may be performed on a woman who already has several children and whose general health, age or both would make it difficult for her to have another and to care for her entire family properly. As more knowledge is gained about genetics, a woman may be advised to have an abortion if her genetic makeup and that of her husband make it likely that a child would be born with some serious physical or mental impairment.

The age of the fetus usually determines the technique used in induced abortion. During the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, dilatation an curettage (D and C) may be the preferred method. Dilation refers to the stretching of the cervix in order to perform the curettage, or scraping of the walls. Alternatively, a suction apparatus may be used in early pregnancy to remove the embryo. When the pregnancy is more advanced, a strong salt solution is sometimes injected into the uterus to induce labor. It may be necessary to remove the entire uterus, or the cut into it through the abdomen to remove the larges fetus of a pregnancy in the fourh month or later.

If the pregnancy ends naturally before the fetus is sufficentyly developed to live outside the body, the occurrence is called spontaneous abortion. As many as 15 percent of all pregnancies end this way between the fourth and twentieth weeks. In very early pregnancy, an imperfect fetus usually dies before it is aborted. A spontaneous abortion may be caused by excessive exertioan or a bad fall. Other causes include infectious disease, glandular ailments, vitamin deficiency, and oxerexposure to x-rays. An abnormally developed uterus or inflammation of the lining of the uterus may end a pregnancy.

Bleeding, however slight, should always be reported to a physician, since it is the fist sign of a spontaneous abortion. Pain in the back or abdomen may also be present. If a woman reports slight bleeding or ther symptoms immediately, her doctor may be able to save her unborn infant.

If a spontaneous abortion does occur, the woman should be examined so that the doctor can determine whether all the contents of the uterus have been expelled. If the abortion is incomplete, he may have to perform a curettage of the uterus to romove the remaining placenta.

Abortion complications, often follow the interruption of a pregnancy by someone oter than a physician. When induced abortions were amost always illegal and many women resorted to unlicensed person, some of whom used crude techniques in unsanitary settings, abortion complication were frequent, and often fatal. Careless and ignorant methods can perforate the uterus and causes hemorrhage. Infection, kidney failure and shock are often associated with criminal abortion. If the uterus is punctured, abdominal surgery may be required to save the woman’s life. Severe and protracted infection can cause the kidneys to stop functioning or to function imperfectly. In this situation, special dialysis equipment must be used to restore kidney function and prevent blood poisoning.

The chences of complication resulting from induced abortion are sharply reduced if the procedure is performed in a hospital or clinic by a licensed physician.