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This sticky contains accurate, unbiased information and resources about abortion.

This sticky and guild are pro-choice. If you disagree, either keep it to yourself or keep your posts neutral. Posts attacking pro-choice or persons who've had an abortion will result in you being immediately banned from the guild without a warning beforehand.

The information from posts 5-8 in this sticky was taken from a stand set up in a local mall where I used to live. Some of the information I thought was a little pro-life, or might be inappropriate, and so it's been edited out. However, I included the information from that pamphlet because it was written by 2 doctors: Teri K. Reisser, M.S., M.F.T. and Paul C. Reisser, M.D. So if you have a problem with what is written, blame them. xp


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Table of Contents:

- Post 1: Introduction <--- You are here
- Post 2: What is an Abortion? [internet]
- Post 3: Types of Abortion [internet]
- Post 4: Reproductive Choice: A Right For All Women [pamphlet]
- Post 5: Introduction [to the "Healing After Abortion" pamphlet]
- Post 6: The Grieving Process [part of the pamphlet]
- Post 7: The Tasks of Healing [part of the pamphlet]
- Post 8: Symptoms (of PAS) [part of the pamphlet]
- Post 9: Guild Member Posts from the Original Sticky
- Post 10: Canadians For Choice - FAQ [pamphlet]
- Post 11: History of Abortion in Canada [pamphlet]
- Post 12: Info For Teens About Abortion [pamphlet]
- Post 13: Resources [internet]
- Post 14: Reserved
- Post 15: Reserved

Types and Methods of Abortion [internet]

CAUTION: The link provided below contains a few detailed and graphic (non-violent) pictures which some people may find unsettling, upsetting, disturbing, etc. Please click this link at your own risk! It is provided for educational purposes only.

Furthermore, the information in this post contains educationally graphic descriptions of abortion. DO NOT READ THIS POST IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH ABORTION. Read this post at your own risk!

If you attack the information provided here, or the people who are coming here for support, you will be banned from the guild without warning.


Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion


Types of Abortion

Spontaneous
Spontaneous abortion (also known as miscarriage) is the expulsion of an embryo or fetus due to accidental trauma or natural causes before approximately the 22nd week of gestation; the definition by gestational age varies by country. Most miscarriages are due to incorrect replication of chromosomes; they can also be caused by environmental factors. A pregnancy that ends before 37 weeks of gestation resulting in a live-born infant is known as a "premature birth". When a fetus dies in utero after about 22 weeks, or during delivery, it is usually termed "stillborn". Premature births and stillbirths are generally not considered to be miscarriages although usage of these terms can sometimes overlap.

Between 10% and 50% of pregnancies end in clinically apparent miscarriage, depending upon the age and health of the pregnant woman. Most miscarriages occur very early in pregnancy, in most cases, they occur so early in the pregnancy that the woman is not even aware that she was pregnant. One study testing hormones for ovulation and pregnancy found that 61.9% of conceptuses were lost prior to 12 weeks, and 91.7% of these losses occurred subclinically, without the knowledge of the once pregnant woman.

The risk of spontaneous abortion decreases sharply after the 10th week from the last menstrual period (LMP). One study of 232 pregnant women showed "virtually complete [pregnancy loss] by the end of the embryonic period" (10 weeks LMP) with a pregnancy loss rate of only 2 percent after 8.5 weeks LMP.

The most common cause of spontaneous abortion during the first trimester is chromosomal abnormalities of the embryo/fetus, accounting for at least 50% of sampled early pregnancy losses. Other causes include vascular disease (such as lupus), diabetes, other hormonal problems, infection, and abnormalities of the uterus.Advancing maternal age and a patient history of previous spontaneous abortions are the two leading factors associated with a greater risk of spontaneous abortion. A spontaneous abortion can also be caused by accidental trauma; intentional trauma or stress to cause miscarriage is considered induced abortion or feticide.

Induced
A pregnancy can be intentionally aborted in many ways. The manner selected depends chiefly upon the gestational age of the embryo or fetus, which increases in size as the pregnancy progresses.[13] Specific procedures may also be selected due to legality, regional availability, and doctor-patient preference. Reasons for procuring induced abortions are typically characterized as either therapeutic or elective. An abortion is medically referred to as a therapeutic abortion when it is performed to:

- save the life of the pregnant woman;
- preserve the woman's physical or mental health;
- terminate pregnancy that would result in a child born with a congenital disorder that would be fatal or associated with significant morbidity;
- selectively reduce the number of fetuses to lessen health risks associated with multiple pregnancy.

An abortion is referred to as elective when it is performed at the request of the woman "for reasons other than maternal health or fetal disease."



Methods of Abortion

Medical
"Medical abortions" are non-surgical abortions that use pharmaceutical drugs. As of 2005, medical abortions constitute 13% of all abortions in the United States. Combined regimens include methotrexate or mifepristone, followed by a prostaglandin (either misoprostol or gemeprost: misoprostol is used in the U.S.; gemeprost is used in the UK and Sweden.) When used within 49 days gestation, approximately 92% of women undergoing medical abortion with a combined regimen completed it without surgical intervention. Misoprostol can be used alone, but has a lower efficacy rate than combined regimens. In cases of failure of medical abortion, vacuum or manual aspiration is used to complete the abortion surgically.

Surgical
In the first 12 weeks, suction-aspiration or vacuum abortion is the most common method. Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) abortion consists of removing the fetus or embryo, placenta and membranes by suction using a manual syringe, while electric vacuum aspiration (EVA) abortion uses an electric pump. These techniques are comparable, and differ in the mechanism used to apply suction, how early in pregnancy they can be used, and whether cervical dilation is necessary. MVA, also known as "mini-suction" and "menstrual extraction", can be used in very early pregnancy, and does not require cervical dilation. Surgical techniques are sometimes referred to as 'Suction (or surgical) Termination Of Pregnancy' (STOP). From the 15th week until approximately the 26th, dilation and evacuation (D&E) is used. D&E consists of opening the cervix of the uterus and emptying it using surgical instruments and suction.

Dilation and curettage (D&C), the second most common method of surgical abortion, is a standard gynecological procedure performed for a variety of reasons, including examination of the uterine lining for possible malignancy, investigation of abnormal bleeding, and abortion. Curettage refers to cleaning the walls of the uterus with a curette. The World Health Organization recommends this procedure, also called sharp curettage, only when MVA is unavailable.

Other techniques must be used to induce abortion in the second trimester. Premature delivery can be induced with prostaglandin; this can be coupled with injecting the amniotic fluid with hypertonic solutions containing saline or urea. After the 16th week of gestation, abortions can be induced by intact dilation and extraction (IDX) (also called intrauterine cranial decompression), which requires surgical decompression of the fetus's head before evacuation. IDX is sometimes called "partial-birth abortion," which has been federally banned in the United States. A hysterotomy abortion is a procedure similar to a caesarean section and is performed under general anesthesia. It requires a smaller incision than a caesarean section and is used during later stages of pregnancy.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has recommended that an injection be used to stop the fetal heart during the first phase of the surgical abortion procedure to ensure that the fetus is not born alive.

Other Methods
Historically, a number of herbs reputed to possess abortifacient properties have been used in folk medicine: tansy, pennyroyal, black cohosh, and the now-extinct silphium (see history of abortion). The use of herbs in such a manner can cause serious—even lethal—side effects, such as multiple organ failure, and is not recommended by physicians.

Abortion is sometimes attempted by causing trauma to the abdomen. The degree of force, if severe, can cause serious internal injuries without necessarily succeeding in inducing miscarriage. Both accidental and deliberate abortions of this kind can be subject to criminal liability in many countries. In Southeast Asia, there is an ancient tradition of attempting abortion through forceful abdominal massage. One of the bas reliefs decorating the temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia depicts a demon performing such an abortion upon a woman who has been sent to the underworld.

Reported methods of unsafe, self-induced abortion include misuse of misoprostol, and insertion of non-surgical implements such as knitting needles and clothes hangers into the uterus. These methods are rarely seen in developed countries where surgical abortion is legal and available.

Introduction [ to the pamphlet]


If you have ever had an abortion, you probably feel very much alone with the memories of your experience. Perhaps the father of the baby has long since passed out of your life. Or it seems as if no one wants to hear about your pain anymore. So you've taken all those complicated feelings surrounding the abortion decision and stuffed them down, and tried not to think about them, right?

Did you know that 44% of all American women will have an abortion at some point during their lifetime? More than 1 million American women will have an abortion this year, but hardly any of them talk about it. Why is that?

Many women who have abortions are very uncertain about their decision. On the one hand, their feeling say, "This is my baby... I will do what I need to do in order to protect and nuture this child." But too often, their circusmtances say, "This is not a good time to have a baby... abortion is legal and easy; it'll be as if it never happened... it's the only solution to this mess."

Simply put, most women who choose abortion are going against their own moral codes, and this explains why they feel guilt afterwards. And the guilt is what stops them from talking about it or getting the emotional help they deserve. A number of counsellors who have explored this issue in depth have identified a condition they call "post-abortion syndrome" (or PAS), defined as the ongoing inability to:

- Process the painful thoughts and emotions (especially guilt, anger and grief) which arise from one or more unplanned pregnancies and/or abortions.

- Identify (much less grieve) the loss that has been experienced.

- Come to peace with [insert religious figure here], herself, and others involved in the pregnancy and abortion decision

Symptoms [part of the pamphlet]


- Guilt (resulting from violating one's own sense of right and wrong)

- Anxiety (headaches, dizziness, pounding heart, abdominal cramps, muscle tightness, difficulty sleeping, etc)

- Avoidance Behaviors (of anything remindful of pregnancy and children)

- Psychological "numbing" (the unconscious vow to never let anything hurt this badly again can hamper the ability to enter fully into an emotional, intimate relationship)

- Depression (sad mood, sudden and uncontrollable crying episodes, deterioration of self-concept, sleep and appetite disturbances, reduced motivation, loss of normal sources of pleasure, thoughts of suicide)

- Re-experiencing events related to the abortion (persistent thoughts and flashback memories, or nightmares involves themes of lost or dismembered babies)

- Pre-occupation with becoming pregnant again (representing an unconscious hope that a new pregnancy will replace the baby that was aborted)

- Anxiety over fertility and childbearing issues (being convinced that [insert religious figure of choice] will punish by withholding future pregnancies)

- Interruption or disruption of the bonding with present and/or future children (underbonding or overbonding with children, whether born before or after a woman has an abortion)

- Self-abusive/self-destructive behaviors (eating disorders, alcohol and/or substance abuse, cigarette smoking, abusive relationships, promiscuity, failure to take care of one's self medically)

- Anniversary reactions (an increase in symptoms around the time of the anniverary of the abortion, the due date of the aborted child, or both)

- Brief psychotic disorder (a psychotic break with reality, lasting for a short period of time within 2 weeks of the abortion)

Guild Member Posts From the Original Sticky

History of Abortion in Canada [pamphlet]


- 1869: Abortion is made illegal, under the threat of imprisonment. Dissemination of information about birth control is also made illegal.

- 1892: Parliament enacts the first Crimincal Code, which prohibits abortion and the sale, distribution and advertisement of contraception.

- 1926-1947: 4,000-6,000 Canadian women die as a result of bungled illegal abortions.

- 1936: Social worker Dorothea Palmer is arrested and charged under the Criminal Code with offering birth control information.

- 1967: A federal committee considers amendments to the Criminal Code on abortion. The committee hears from many groups and individuals on both sides of the issue, including Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who urges repeal of the abortion law and freedom of choice on abortion. Around this time, an estimated 35,000-120,000 illegal abortions are taking place every year.

- 1969: Parliament ammends Section 251 of the Criminal Code, decriminalizing contraception and allowing some abortions under extremely restricted conditions. Some hospitals with Therapeutic Abortion Committees can approve and provide an abortion, if the pregnancy would endanger the woman's life or health. Access to abortion is applied unevenly and unfairly across the country. Women wait an average of 8 weeks for an abortion. Some provices refuse to provide abortion services at all, and abortion is largely unavailable to women outside major cities.

- 1969: Dr. Henry Morgentaler defies Section 251 of the Criminal Code and performs abortions in his medical practice in Quebec. In June, Morgentaler's office is raided by police and he is charged with conspiracy to perform an abortion.

- 1970: The Vancouver Women's Caucus, a group of independent feminists, organizes political opposition to Section 251. The Caucus organizes the Abortion Cararvan, the first national feminist protest. Women travel over 3,000 miles from Vancouver to Ottawa, gathering numbers as they go. In Ottawa, the Abortion Caravan, now 500 women strong, holds two days of demonstrations. Thirty women chain themselves to the parliamentry gallery in the House of Commons, closing Parliament for the first time in Canadian history.

- 1971-1973: 10 more criminal charges are laid against Dr. Morgentaler. In November 1973, a Montreal jury of 11 men and 1 woman acquit Morgentaler. In an unprecedented move, the Quebec Court of Appeal overturns the jury verdict and finds Morgentaler guilty in 1974. The doctor appeals his case to the Supreme Court of Canada. In 1975, the court votes 6-3 to uphold the Quebec Court's conviction and Morgentaler is sentenced to 18 months in prison. While serving his sentence, he is tried on a second charge. A jury acquits him again, and the Quebec Court of Appeals upholds that acquittal.

- 1974: The Canadian Abortion Rights Action League (CARAL) is founded, the first national group promoting abortion rights in Canada.

- 1976: The Federal Minister of Justice sets aside Morgentaler's conviction on the first charge and orders a new trial. Morgentaler, who had suffered a heart attack in jail, is freed after serving 10 months of his sentence. In September, he is acquitted at the retrial of the original charges, the third time a jury acquits him. In late 1976, the Quebec government drops all further charges.

- 1977-1983: Clinics open in Quebec, Toronto and Winnipeg in spite of Section 251. Prince Edward Island refuses to fund abortions and all hospitals stop providing the service. Morgentaler's Winnipeg and Toronto clinics are raided by police, and Morgentaler is charged with conspiracy to procure a miscarriage, along with other doctors. At the 1984 trial, everyone is acquitted.

- 1985: The Ontario Attorney General appeals the 1984 jury acquittal. In October, 1985, the Ontario Court of Appeal sets aside the jury acquittal and orders a new trial. Dr. Morgentaler appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada.

- 1986: The BC Coalition for Abortion Clinics (now called the Pro-Choice Action Network) is founded to establish clinics in BC.

- 1988: On January 28, the Supreme Court of Canada strikes down Canada's abortion law as unconstitutional. The law is found to violate section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it infringes on a woman's right to life, liberty, and security of the person.

- 1989: In March, the Supreme Court of Canada refuses to decide on the claim of Joe Borowski that fetuses have a constitutionally guaranteed right to life, saying his case was moot, due to the abortion law being struck down.

Dr. Morgentaler opens a clinic in Nova Scotia after the provincial government passes legislation prohibiting abortions at clinics. Morgentaler is charged under the provincial Medical Services Act. In 1990, a provincial court strikes down the Act as unconstitutional and acquits Morgentaler.

In Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, ex-boyfriends try to get injunctions to stop their former girlfriends' abortions. Chantal Daigle of Quebec is refused an abortion under an injunction and appeals to the Supreme Court. During the hearing in August, the court learns that Ms. Daigle has already had an abortion in the US, but overturns the injunction against her anyways.

The federal government introduces Bill C-43, as an ammendment to the Criminal Code that would prohibit abortion unless a doctor finds the pregnancy is a threat to the woman's physical, mental or psychological health.

- 1990: In May, the House of Commons passes Bill C-43 and the legislation is sent to the Senate for approval. In 1991, the bill is narrowly defeated by the Senate in a tie vote. Abortion is now treated like any other medical procedure.

- 1992: A firebomb destroys the Toronto Morgentaler clinic. No one is heart, but the perpetrator is never caught.

- 1994: In November, Dr. Garson Romalis of Vancouver is shot and seriously wounded in his home by an unknown sniper hiding in the back alley. This is the first of what would become known as the infamous "Remembrance Day" shootings of abortion providers.

- 1995: In response to the shooting of Dr. Romalis, BC introduces the Access to Abortion Services Act, the first legislation in Canada to prohibit protests outside abortion clinics, doctor's offices and homes. In early 1996, a court strikes down 2 provisions of the act, saying they are an infringement of freedom of expression. In September 1996, the BC Court of Appeal restores the Act to its full force, saying that specific, geographical limits on free sppech are justified to protect vulnerable groups.

In November, Dr. Hugh Short of Hamilton, Ontario, is shot in the elbow while relaxing at his home.

1996: In November, the Edmonton Morgentaler clinic suffers a butyric acid attack. Butyric acid is a toxic, foul-smelling chemical that is injected through the walls and ceilings of abortion clinics.

- 1997: 2 more doctors are shot and wounded in their homes in November, an anonymous doctor in upstate New York, and Dr. Jack Fainman of Winnipeg. A national police task force is created to investigate the Remembrance Day shootings and catch the sniper.

- 1998: In November, Dr. Barnett Slepian of Buffalo, New York becomes the first fatality in the Remembrance Day shootings. The FBI joins the Canadian Task Force. His murderer is still at large.

10 years after the Morgentaler decision, Canadian women in most major centres have access to abortion. Medicare pays for abortion in only some provinces, however, and rural women still have difficulties with access.



Pro-Choice Action Network
#512-1755 Robson St.
Vancouver, BC
V6G-3B7

Phone: 604-736-2800
Fax: 604-736-2869

E-mail: info@ProChoiceActionNetwork-Canada.org
www.ProChoiceActionnetwork-Canada.org


Pregnancy Options
In the event of an unwanted pregnancy, you do have choices.

Counsellors are available to discussion your concerns and options with you through the Pregnancy Options Servoce, a free phone line staffed by professional counsellors.

Lower Mainland (BC): 604-875-3163
Toll-Free: 1-888-875-3163


Abortion Services

Everywoman's Health Clinic
604-322-6692

Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic
604-736-7878

C.A.R.E. Program
604-875-2022

Wiebe Medical Clinic
604-874-9897

Women's Services Clinic (Kelowna)
250-979-0251


Birth Control

Planned Parenthood of BC
Lower Mainland: 604-731-7803
Toll-Free: 1-800-739-7367


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The information in this post belongs to the Pro-Choice Action Network, copyright 2002. I do not claim to own any of this information, nor am I trying to profit from it.

Resources [internet]


For Women Who Are Needing Support




- Post-Abortion Healing and Help

- Post-Abortion Resources



For Women With No Regrets

- Abortion Decisions: Many Voices, Many Choices

- I'm Not Sorry.Net

- Creator's Blog for I'm Not Sorry.Net



Other Resources

- Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada

- Experience Project - "I Had an Abortion"

- PlannedParenthood.org - Abortion

- American Woman Services

- Planned Parenthood - EC Info

Reserved.