Abortion - History of

Essay by AJ3000 October 2004

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Ever since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, Abortion has

changed its course in society. With the new decision made by the United States, abortion

was now legal. Many abortions were performed before the Supreme Court decision, but

the settlement made it less risky for the doctors involved. Abortion has caused society to

be divided by a pro-choice group and pro-life group. Two groups with struggles that will

never end.

There are many different types of abortions that can be preformed. The type used

depends on how far along in the pregnancy the woman is. In the very early stage of the

pregnancy, up to 49 days after conception, the woman has two choices. The first is to

take a combination of drugs. This is called a medical abortion. The embryo is then passed

out. The other method is to use a syringe, and gently suck the embryo out.

The next type can be preformed six to fourteen weeks after conception. The

method the doctors use is to insert a tube in the vagina, and then hook it up to a suction

machine. The fetus is then removed. This procedure takes about ten minutes.

The second trimester abortions are called D&E, which stands for dilation and

evacuation. These are preformed up to the twenty-fifth week of pregnancy, and usually

take ten to twenty minutes. The way they are preformed is the woman is given absorbent

dilators which open up the cervix and absorb the fluids. After this is left in overnight the

woman then is ready for the evacuation stage. The fetus is easily removed with

instruments and suction.

In the last trimester of the pregnancy abortions are preformed mainly if the

woman's life is in danger or the fetus is severely deformed. Only one out of...