Be InformedAbortion does not have to be the primary solution to dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. Operation Rescue reports that in America alone, 4 out of 10 unwanted pregnancies are aborted (“Abortions in America”). No woman wants to find herself in this situation, faced with the difficult choice of whether or not to have an abortion. Most hide the fact that they have had an abortion or are looking for one. Although abortion is legal in the United States, women are still scared or uncertain at first when deciding whether to choose it. This is a controversial issue in which women are caught in the crossfire. Women deserve better. They deserve to be accurately informed about the stages of pregnancy, the different abortion procedures and the alternatives which, contrary to popular belief, are better in the long term. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One of the reasons women have difficulty getting an abortion is because they don't know when life actually begins during a pregnancy. There are a myriad of sources reporting contrary facts. A majority of Americans believe that a fetus is just “tissue” and justify abortion in the early stages of pregnancy. However, the opposing party claims that the fetus is a human life, a baby, from the moment of conception. Let's test this statement by analyzing the development of the fetus throughout pregnancy. This development takes place in 3 stages or trimesters and is measured by gestational age. The 1st trimester begins with conception – when the egg is fertilized by the sperm. At that point, sex is determined and a unique genetic code is set for future characteristics. The fertilized egg (zygote) will then implant on the wall of the woman's uterus. During the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, physical characteristics begin to form in the fetus. Eyes, muscles, arms and legs all begin to develop. His heart beats regularly every 24 days and is estimated to be ¼ inch long (which they never told you). At four months, he enters the 2nd trimester and at seven months begins the 3rd trimester which ends at the 9th month. However, at just 8 weeks old, it is visibly a human baby in terms of development and physical appearance, as shown by an ultrasound. In this logic, a fetus is a baby from conception and it is clearly distinguished during the 1st trimester. According to the AGA/CDC, “89 to 92 percent of all abortions occur during the first trimester, before the 13th week of gestation” (cited in “US Abortion Statistics”). In short, a large majority of women think they are simply terminating “tissue-like” fetuses, not their babies. Abortion procedures are rarely discussed or publicized. Surgical abortion procedures, in particular, because they can be traumatic experiences and lead to unpleasant consequences. For starters, the procedures can be dangerous and have negative side effects on the female body, such as excessive uterine bleeding, scarring, or infections. Half of the world's women who have abortions experience unsafe abortion due to restrictive abortion laws (Haddad, Nour). These procedures are dangerous because they are inexpensive, illegal, or performed by unlicensed or untrained people. Worst case scenarios lead to death if an error occurs or the procedure is compromised. The different methods of abortion that women must choose from are vacuum aspirationvacuum or suction curettage, dilation and evacuation (D&E), partial birth abortion (D&X), and oral medications, such as RU-486 (Mifepristone) (“Abortion Procedures”). Vacuum suction is the most commonly chosen method. Before it is carried out, general anesthesia or deep sedation may be administered. The cervix must be dilated before gaining access to the uterus. However, forcing it open can cause lacerations. Once ready, a cannula, or small tube, is inserted inside and then attached in front of a vacuum cleaner which sucks it all up, thus "breaking the developing human being to pieces in the process" ("Procedures abortion", para. 6). An examination must then be carried out to ensure that the procedure is complete, that is, no part of the body is left inside. Certain methods, surgical or chemical, can increase the risk of breast or uterine (ovarian) cancer. In the case of breast cancer, this is because abortion potentially hampers hormone levels and leaves breast cells in an undeveloped (Kahlenborn) stage. , more research is needed in this area to prove this from now on. Breast cancer is the leading cancer among women in the world and many people suffer from it. Abortion slightly increases these risks. It is also true, on the other hand, that women can get out of it. after having an abortion, relatively unharmed, physically and/or emotionally, Yolanda, 29, testifies: “I had no money to have an abortion, but the clinic gave me a number to obtain a fund. . I told them I had children. They covered half of it. The clinic gave me copies of the ultrasound and I keep them in a drawer. I never cried about it. I don’t feel guilty” (Winter, par. 2). Another woman recounts how, despite the effects, she was still happy with her choice to abort: “When I was 19, I got pregnant for the first time. On the recommendation of a friend, I opted for a medical abortion. I was left alone to go through the process, which made the experience difficult. Although my side effects were unusually strong, I was grateful and relieved that I was able to have an abortion” (Tran, par 6). These women, and others, do not regret their abortion. Unbeknownst to most of the population, 64% of abortions in America are coerced (“forced abortion”). This situation is not unique to communist countries, such as China and its one-child policy. Women don't always choose what they would like to do with their body or their baby. Social pressure, relationship problems, family problems, financial instability, and religious reasons are all examples of women choosing to have an abortion even if they are personally against or uncomfortable with the procedure. Men are a major factor in a woman's choice to abort, whether because she did not want children or because she was no longer in the picture (Bauer, Allot). Often, boyfriends or husbands threaten to leave or stop supporting the pregnant woman if she does not have an abortion. Worse still, they will threaten them physically. Thus, abortion is used as leverage to manipulate relationships. This is especially true in the case of rape and incest. While, understandably, most women want nothing to do with a child conceived as a result of rape or incest, aborting the pregnancy also ends the evidence that such a crime has even been committed. Abortion further compounds the trauma of rape. Another victim, Jackie, admits: “I quickly discovered that the after-effects of my abortion persisted long after the memory of my rape had faded.faded. I felt empty and horrible. No one told me about the pain I would feel deep inside, causing nightmares and deep depression. They all told me that after the abortion, I could go on with my life as if nothing had happened” (Reardon, par. 5). We can infer that abortion for most female rape victims causes additional stress, rather than helping to alleviate the trauma already present. According to two studies carried out on pregnant rape victims, 70% of them surprisingly chose to keep (Terzo). It is worth noting that none of these women regretted giving birth rather than having an abortion. Alternatives to abortion are parenthood, temporary or short-term family placement, approaching the father and adoption. Although being a parent seems impossible because the pregnancy is unwanted, women should reconsider whether or not they can truly be mothers. After all, it is a natural phenomenon. Yet there are many negative connotations around pregnancy and child-rearing in modern society, especially in the case of teen moms. The reasons being that it hinders education, career goals, work, etc. Additionally, the changes a woman's body makes during pregnancy are considered unattractive and tedious. While it's true that an unplanned pregnancy can be difficult to adjust to a certain lifestyle, it's not impossible. In fact, it can serve as an incentive for higher education, according to the National Women's Law Center ("Pregnant & Parenting," par. 1). There are resources available in the community to help pregnant women and adolescents who decide to stay, such as pregnancy care centers. These centers provide contact information to maternity wards, provide baby clothes, food and other assistance. Certainly, there are still problems, especially financial ones, for teenagers or single mothers raising children. These can only be changed by appealing to the state and must therefore be initiated by the public. If a woman feels that she is in no way ready to become a parent at that time (e.g. work, age, difficulties, etc.), she can always place her child in short-term foster care. term, or “crisis care”. This is when the baby is placed in the foster care system for a period of time and when the mother is ready, she can take the child back. However, generally speaking, the foster care system is experiencing setbacks. Most children will be moved from one placement to another, finding no comfort in a secure “home”. There are cases where children were not reunited with their families early enough and are stuck in the system (“foster care”). Like most social protection systems, foster care is not perfect. Although it is unfortunate that such things can happen, foster care is still a valid system to consider. And if this is not preferable, there is still one last option: the last alternative to abortion is adoption. There are three types of adoption: open, semi-open and private. Open adoption is when the birth mother or parents meet a couple of their choice through an agency before and after the adoption. The level of interaction varies from case to case, but there are no limits. The biological mother has the right to request medical or educational information as well as visitation rights at any time. 3,980 pregnant women contacted the Independent Adoption Center, or IAC, in 2014 to consider adoption (“Adoption Statistics”). adoption.