Many people claim that women have abortions because they do not use contraception. However, studies indicate that 54% of women who had an abortion had been using a contraceptive method the month they became pregnant (R. K. Jones, Darroch, & Henshaw, 2002a). Some of these women were using methods incorrectly or inconsistently. In fact, only 8% of women who have abortions never have used any contraception.
Women who have abortions do so for a variety of reasons. The majority report that a baby would interfere with other responsibilities, such as educational or career goals. Other reasons include an inability to financially provide for a child; difficulties in the relationship with the father; not wanting people to know they are sexually active; pressure from their partners or families; fetal deformity; risks to mother’s health; having several children already; and rape or incest. From this research, the only thing that is clear is that there is no simple answer to the question of why a woman decides to have an abortion. The decision-making process is difficult and has no easy answers.
How do you feel about these reasons? Do any of these circumstances seem more justified than others? Do you feel that there are legitimate reasons for aborting a fetus?
Abortion Procedures
Abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States, and the majority of procedures are performed in specialized abortion clinics today (Henshaw & Finer, 2003). However, this has not always been the case. After Roe v. Wade in 1973, most abortions were performed in hospitals. The move away from hospitals and into clinics has reduced the cost of an abortion. Surgical abortion procedures involve risks, the most serious of which include uterine perforation, cervical laceration, severe hemorrhaging, infection, and anesthesia-related complications. These risks are greater when general anesthesia is used. In fact, the risk of death during a general anesthesia abortion is two to four times greater than during one with local anesthesia (Tietze, 1983).
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