Abortions can be performed in a variety of ways.
For instance:
The abortion pill, this is 2 small tablets taken through the mouth and is normally used if a pregnancy is up to nine or ten weeks. The two tablets should be taken 2 days apart and taken at the same time. These work by causing the uterus to spontaneously contract and therefore expel the embryo through the vagina. Side effects can occur such as diarrhoea, vomiting and severe pain.
A surgical abortion can be carried out up to 13 or 14 weeks, this is when the patient is put under general or local anaesthetic. Then a sterilized tube is inserted into the woman’s uterus through the vaginal opening. Suction is then applied to the end of the tube and the content of the uterus is sucked out and the pregnancy is consequently ended. However at 14 to 19 or 20 weeks the procedure is changed and instead the uterus neck is stretched so that the embryo or foetus can be removed by the usage of forceps.
Up to 24 or 25 weeks a medical abortion can be administered. However these are uncommon. The woman is given 2 tablets 48 hours apart orally and the tablets are administered at the hospital. The first one is taken and then the woman returns 2 days later. The pregnancy is usually terminated after 12 hours. Some of the side effects are pain in the vagina but pain relief can be given to ease the pain.
Abortions can be performed at 20 – 24 weeks this involves 2 different procedures of firstly stopping the foetus’s heart then being dragged out with forceps or other medical instruments.
Abortion law:
Abortion is legal until 24th week of pregnancy and in serious and maybe life threatening conditions an abortion can be performed later in Scotland England and Wales.
The abortion law was passed in 1967 however this did not give women the right to choose when or if to have an abortion it gave the doctors the ability to make the decision on whether or not the women should be allowed an abortion.
There are a variety of reasons why abortion was legalised. Some of which are as follows; having a law on abortion wouldn’t mean women would stop having abortions it just means they would find illegal places for their abortion to be carried out. People believe that every child born should be a wanted child (quote taken from ), accidents can happen and contraception which is used is never 100% effective.
International status of abortion law ()
Legal on request
Illegal with exception for rape, maternal life, health, mental health, social economic factors, and/or fetal defects
Illegal with exception for rape, maternal life, health, fetal defects, and/or mental health
Illegal with exception for rape, maternal life, health, and/or mental health
Illegal with exception for maternal life, health, and/or mental health
Illegal with no exceptions
Varies by region
No information
