Right to Choose, Right to Abort

WHAT IS ABORTION?

The word abortion means an induced miscarriage or a termination of pregnancy. It is a procedure that involves the ending of pregnancy eliminating or expelling out of the fetus or embryo. When termination of pregnancy occurs without intervention that is a spontaneous abortion its termed as a miscarriage. When a pregnancy is terminated by an intervention it is known as an induced miscarriage, however, this term is rarely used more commonly used term of an interventional procedure is induced abortion.

TYPES OF ABORTION

If the procedure of abortion is well executed it is believed to be the safest procedure carried out in medicine. However, the failure of this procedure is the foremost cause of maternal death. It is still considered to be a safer procedure when compared to childbirth caused maternal deaths. The spontaneous type of abortion takes place prior 24th week of gestation and mostly occurs due to chromosomal malfunctioning of the fetus whereas other conditions like infection, vascular diseases, diabetes, and hormonal imbalance are also a few commonly termed reasons. On the other hand, the induced type of abortion can be done due to health issues persisting maternally or a medical condition diagnosed related to fetal health. It can also be an elective decision between the parents.

METHODS OF ABORTION

During the initial stages of gestation, abortion can be carried out medically depending on the gestational age of the fetus by taking an abortion pill pack regime. Later stages of gestation involve surgical intervention. This can include vacuum aspiration int he first trimester considered to be the safest surgical procedure. During later stages, there is a higher risk of maternal death.

HOW ABORTION AFFECTS A WOMEN’S HEALTH?

Any procedural method that is mentioned above when opted comes with side-effects along with it. These side-effects are most commonly short-termed in most cases and do not persist for long after the procedure is done. The common side-effects include headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vaginal bleeding, and spotting. Even though not very common there are long-term health issues as well.

There can be a risk of secondary infertility, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, low birth weight, severe gestational, and childbirth complications. The risk of breast cancer is also a relevant possible complication. All of these may eventually affect the mental health of the woman and can cause long-term anxiety and depression disorders. Mental health issues are more prone to people who already have mental health issues before getting an abortion done which can further only worsen the pre-existing health issue. The women who are forced to or had to get an abortion done against their will are at a higher risk of mental health problems for a longer period which may carry on years.

POST-ABORTION CARE

It’s essential to have a positive attitude and showing empathy towards a woman during such a critical. Openly communicating, normalising the situation, and boosting her self-esteem to have faith in trusting the process of life will help her cope better and sooner.