Abortion Facts
The decision to have an abortion or continue with a pregnancy is a difficult one. Knowing the facts about abortion can help you decide the best course of action for you at this point in your life. Many myths and misconceptions about abortion continue to circulate despite scientific evidence supporting its safety.
Safety Of Abortion
Abortion is one of the safest surgical procedures performed in the United States today. In fact, the National Abortion Federation reports that complications from a first-trimester abortion are less frequent and less severe than complications from live birth. But abortion has not always been so safe. Before abortion was legalized, women had serious complications — and sometimes died — after trying to induce abortions themselves, or by going to untrained practitioners who operated in unsafe conditions. Since 1973, women have benefited from advances in medical and surgical technology and greater access to safe, high-quality services — such as those performed in our office.
Abortion Statistics
Nearly half of all pregnancies that occur in the United States every year are unintended. Of these unplanned pregnancies, forty percent are terminated by abortion. According to the NAF, one in three American women will have an abortion by the age of 45.
More than half of women who have abortions were using some sort of contraceptive method (usually the pill or condoms) during the month they became pregnant, and considered themselves at a low risk of pregnancy.
Abortion Myths
Myth: Abortion increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. There is no scientific evidence that abortion leads to an increased risk of breast cancer.
Myth: Making abortion illegal will end abortion once and for all. In countries all over the world where abortion is illegal, abortion remains a leading cause of death among women. Nearly 70,000 women worldwide die every year from unsafe, illegal abortions. Keeping abortion legal makes helps protect women from unsafe and unsanitary procedures at the hands of untrained practitioners.
Myth: Abortion causes a type of post-traumatic stress disorder. Though some argue that abortion can lead to severe negative reactions and poor mental health, the existence of “post-abortion syndrome” is not recognized by any medical or psychological organization. The American Psychological Association has stated that severe negative psychological reactions after abortion are rare, and that no scientific evidence exists to suggest that abortion leads to an increase in mental health problems.