ABORTION

BY:UMI
MUHAMMAD
DATE:03/NOV/2008
TEACHER:JOHN
SULINE
SUBJECT:WORLD
ISSUES
DEFINITION: An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the
removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in
or caused by its death. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to
complications during pregnancy or can be induced. Abortion as a term
most commonly refers to the induced abortion of a human pregnancy,
while spontaneous abortions are usually termed miscarriages.
FACTS:
 Abortion has a long history and has been induced by various
methods including herbal abortifacients, the use of sharpened
tools, physical trauma and other traditional methods. Modern
medicine utilizes medications and surgical procedures to induce
abortion. The legality, prevalence, and cultural views on abortion
vary substantially around the world. In many parts of the world
there is intense public debate over the ethical and legal aspects of
abortion. The approximate number of induced abortions
performed worldwide in 2003 was 42 million, which declined
from nearly 46 million in 1995.

TYPES OF ABORTION
 Spontaneous abortion (also known as miscarriage) is the
expulsion of an embryo or fetus due to accidental trauma or
natural causes. Most miscarriages are due to incorrect replication
of chromosomes; they can also be caused by environmental
factors. Spontaneous abortions, generally referred to as
miscarriages, occur when an embryo or fetus is lost due to natural
causes before the 20th week of gestation. A pregnancy that ends
between 20 and 37 weeks of gestation, if it results in a live-born
infant, is known as a "premature birth". When a fetus dies in
utero after about 20 weeks, or during delivery, it is termed
"stillborn". Premature births and stillbirths are generally not
considered to be miscarriages although usage of these terms can
sometimes overlap.
INDUCED ABORTION

• A pregnancy can be intentionally aborted in many ways. The

manner selected depends chiefly upon the gestational age of the
embryo or fetus, in addition to the legality, regional availability,
and doctor-patient preference for specific procedures. Reasons
for procuring induced abortions are typically characterized as
either therapeutic or elective.

REASONS:
 There are probably as many reasons for abortions as there are
women who have them. Some pregnancies result from rape or
incest, and women who are victims of these assaults often seek
abortions. Most women, however, decide to have an abortion
because the pregnancy represents a problem in their lives.

 Some women feel emotionally unprepared to enter parenthood

and raise a child; they are too young or do not have a reliable
partner with whom to raise a child. Many young women in high
school or college find themselves pregnant and must choose
between continuing the education they need to survive
economically and dropping out to have a baby. Young couples
who are just starting their lives together and want children might
prefer to become financially secure first to provide better care for
their future children.

 Another reason this ugliness continues is that Planned

Parenthood has raked-in billions of dollars making abortion into
a powerful industry that puts enormous pressure on our elected
representatives. They educate children to use condoms (thus
encouraging sexual activity rather than teaching why it is
important to abstain from promiscuous sex). Then, they give them
free condoms knowing full well that many will not use them.
Finally, they perform the abortions when the girls get pregnant.
 EFFECTS

 Bladder Injury: If your uterus is perforated, your urinary

bladder can be perforated, too. This can also cause peritonitis (an
inflamed, infected lining of the abdomen) with all of its pain,
dangers and necessary reparative surgery.
 Bowel injury: If your uterus is perforated, your intestines can be
perforated, too. This will cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain,
fever, blood in stool, peritonitis (an inflamed, infected lining of the
abdomen) and death if not treated quickly enough. A portion of
the intestine may have to be taken out, and a temporary or
permanent colostomy may be put in your abdomen.

Ectopical Pregnancy:

 An ectopic pregnancy is any pregnancy that occurs outside the

uterus. After an abortion, you are 8 to 20 times more likely to
have an ectopic pregnancy. If not discovered soon enough, an
ectopic pregnancy ruptures, and you can bleed to death if you do
not have emergency surgery. Statistics show a 30% increased risk
of ectopic pregnancy after one abortion and a 160% increased
risk of ectopic pregnancy after two or more abortions. There has
been a threefold increase in ectopic pregnancies in the U.S. since
abortion was legalized. In 1970, the incidence was 4.8 per 1,000
live births. By 1980 it was 14.5 per 1,000 births.

POST-ABORTION SYNDROME:

 Frequently after an abortion, women suffer a range of mental and

psychological problems. These may include recurrent dreams of
the abortion experience, avoidance of emotional attachment,
relationship problems, sleep disturbances, guilt about surviving,
memory impairment, hostile outbursts, suicidal thoughts or
actions, depression, and substance abuse. These problems may
occur days to years later.
Perforation of the uterus:

 Women suffer a perforated uterus in between 1 out of 40 and 1

out of 400 abortions. This almost always causes peritonitis (an
inflamed, infected lining of the abdomen), similar to having a
ruptured appendix.

NATIONAL LEVEL:
 OTTAWA, January 18, 2002 (LSN.ca) - Statistics Canada
released its abortion statistics for 1999 today but noted that
abortions for the province of Ontario were not included due to
"changes in reporting requirements in Ontario." The report notes
that "women in provinces and territories other than Ontario
obtained 65,627 abortions in 1999, down 3.2% from 67,785 in
1998." However, since Ontario usually accounts for about 40% of
abortions in Canada (according to the agency), the quality of the
federal agency's report is severely undermined.

GLOBAL LEVEL
 Approximately 26 million legal and 20 million illegal abortions
were performed worldwide in 1995, resulting in a worldwide
abortion rate of 35 per 1,000 women aged 15–44. Among the sub
regions of the world, Eastern Europe had the highest abortion
rate (90 per 1,000) and Western Europe the lowest rate (11 per
1,000). Among countries where abortion is legal without
restriction as to reason, the highest abortion rate, 83 per 1,000,
was reported for Vietnam and the lowest, seven per 1,000, for
Belgium and the Netherlands. Abortion rates are no lower overall
in areas where abortion is generally restricted by law (and where
many abortions are performed under unsafe conditions) than in
areas where abortion is legally permitted.
ABORTION WORLDWIDE

CHINA

 Harrowing details have emerged in recent news reports of alleged

forced abortions in China's impoverished Guangxi province.
Earlier this month as many as 61 pregnant women were injected
with an abortive drug after being dragged to local hospitals,
according to media accounts. Human rights activists say actions
allegedly carried out by family planning officials there are
unlikely to be isolated. Along with forced sterilization and other
coercive methods of birth control, forced abortion continues to be
practiced occasionally by officials in remote parts of China
 despite its having been banned by the central government in
Beijing.

NO LAW PROTECTS THE UNBORN

 In Canada, the debate over induced abortion continues to divide

the nation. Unlike most other medical procedures, whether
abortion will remain legally available to Canadian women
depends upon laws governing its provision. In January 1988, the
Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a section of the nation's
abortion law was unconstitutional because it limited access to a
medical procedure. The Court said this limitation infringed upon
a woman's right to life, liberty and security of the person as
guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

 For three years, debate persisted over whether replacement

legislation should be enacted. This legislation would have
reinstated abortion as an indictable offense unless a medical
practitioner deemed that the health or life of the woman was
threatened by her continued pregnancy. However, in 1991,
Canada's Parliament defeated the replacement bill, thus making
abortion a regulated medical procedure, no different from other
procedures under the Canada Health Act.

SOLUTION

 Adoption is a viable alternative to abortion and accomplishes

the same result. And with Canadian families wanting to adopt
a child, there is no such thing as an unwanted child.
  It is time to stop this immoral slaughter of innocent human life. It
is time for a constitutional amendment to protect the unborn – but
very much alive – children of our nation. It is time to stop taking
their precious lives to pay the salaries of Planned Parenthood's
butchers!
 Use of contraceptives or abstain from sex.

References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2
5s3099.html

http://family.jrank.org/pages/2/Abortion-
Reasons-
Abortions.htmlhttp://hubpages.com/hub/Ty
pes-of-Abortion

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/jan/0
2011802.html

http://images.google.com/imgres?
imgurl=http://www.economist.com/images/
20070519/CIR991.gif&imgrefurl=http://fat
knowledge.blogspot.com/2007/06/world-
abortion
Jakki Jeffs, executive director of Alliance for Life Ontario told LifeSite
that Ontario and British Columbia have been trying for years to avoid
reporting abortion statistics. She noted that the current Statistics
Canada report does not include demographic information specifying
such things as how many abortions were repeat abortions and marital
status. Jeff’s said it was an outrage that the Ontario statistics are
withheld since "abortion impacts women's health and it is publicly
funded."

She noted that one reason why Ontario seems to be eliminating the
paper trail on abortions may be to conceal eventual liability. Jeffs
recalled that new studies are continuing to she detrimental effects of
abortion. Ontario appears to be one of the very few governments in the
world that withholds abortion statistics from its taxpayers who pay for
all Ontario abortion services. The United Nation's regular country-by-
country abortion statistics will have to report a seriously incomplete
statistic for Canada for 1999.
CHINA
 Harrowing details have emerged in recent news reports of alleged
forced abortions in China's impoverished Guangxi province. As
many as 61 pregnant women were injected with an abortive drug
after being dragged to local hospitals, according to media
accounts. Human rights activists say actions allegedly carried out
by family planning officials there are unlikely to be isolated.
Along with forced sterilization and other coercive methods of
birth control, forced abortion continues to be practiced
occasionally by officials in remote parts of China despite its
having been banned by the central government in Beijing.
 In Canada, the debate over induced abortion continues to divide
the nation. Unlike most other medical procedures, whether
abortion will remain legally available to Canadian women
depends upon laws governing its provision. In January 1988, the
Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a section of the nation's
abortion law was unconstitutional because it limited access to a
medical procedure. The Court said this limitation infringed upon
a woman's right to life, liberty and security of the person as
guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

 For three years, debate persisted over whether replacement

legislation should be enacted. This legislation would have
reinstated abortion as an indictable offense unless a medical
practitioner deemed that the health or life of the woman was
threatened by her continued pregnancy. However, in 1991,
Canada's Parliament defeated the replacement bill, thus making
abortion a regulated medical procedure, no different from other
procedures under the Canada Health Act.