QuestionQUESTION: Hi. Is it true that abortion is more dangerous and painful than giving birth? My cousin who is against abortion told me that pregnancy and childbirth are natural, and not as painful and horrible as what pro abortion people make it out to be. That the worst thing that can happen is a little nausea, and maybe some back pain in the later stages. That it would be selfish to kill a baby just because it caused a few minor aches and pains. And that it can lead to health problems like breast cancer, infertility or mental illness? Do you know how likely it is that a woman will suffer complications during an abortion (i.e. hemmorhage, perforated uterus)? I am considering abortion, but anti abortion people make it sound so scary and dangerous. i'm afraid. Also, I sometimes feel bad for thinking about it. Maybe it IS a bit selfish, but I'm just not ready to be a mom yet. And I want to wait until I'm done school and can give my baby a good home, and all the things that he/she deserves. I don't want to end up on welfare like a lot of the girls at my school who have had babies. Can you please help? Thank you!
Julie
ANSWER: Hi Julie :)
miscarriage would also be in the category with pregnancy and childbirth, since it happens in 24% of all pregnancies. The medical term for a miscarriage is spontaneous abortion. So an abortion is inducing a process your body does naturally. I encourage her to look at the statistics of how many women die from childbirth vs. abortion.
3 deaths per 100,000 live births
infant mortality rate was 679 per 100,000 live births
-- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20427256/
abortion is 11 times safer than childbirth and less than 1% of those who undergo abortion procedures experience major complications
current death rate from abortion is 0.6 per 100,000 procedure
----http://www.now.org/issues/abortion/roe30/beforeafter.html
Also, this for breast cancer/mental illness/infertility:
http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/myths/index.html
http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/facts/index.html
It's not selfish to not want to be pregnant. It's the opposite-choosing your well being over that of a child who would exist being what would cause you the loss of your well being. 61% of women who abort are mothers, making sure they're existing children can eat and have a decent lifestyle. And for women who are non mothers, they're making sure they themselves are doing well enough before trying to deal with anyone else.
Depending on your age, you might need a parent's permission or knowledge to get the procedure done. If you're 18 or over, then no.Let me know any specific resources you would like!
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you for your help Danielle. I feel a bit better. Can you please tell me how long an abortion takes? My cousin said it would be easier and less painful to just go ahead and give birth, but that doesn't seem right to me. I've heard that abortion only takes about ten minutes (not sure if that's true?) while obivously you have to be pregnant for nine months, and isn't it true that labor can take several hours or even days?! Also, my cousin said that she was going to pray for me, because if you kill a baby you go to hell. Is abortion really killing a baby? Will it feel pain? I'm sorry for all the questions, I just have a lot of questions and don't have anyone to ask. Also, will I bleed a lot and feel lots of pain? Thanks.
Julie
PS: I live in Canada, and we do not need parental consent to have an abortion. My boyfriend's mother is going to take me to the clinic. If that's what I decide. But I think that's what I am going to do. Thanks again!
AnswerIf the procedure is surgical, and within the 1st trimester, depending on what the timing is, anywhere from 3-10 minutes. Medical (pill) abortions take a few days. Labor can last 6-17 hours.
I don't want to come off too rude, but your cousin is flat out wrong. About everything. It is not killing a baby-it's a group of cells! Does she think miscarriage is killing a baby? Because it's the same process. The pregnancy does not have the ability to feel pain, since it hasn't developed yet.
Don't apologize! Ask more! That's why I'm here. :)
This is also an excellent resource, and has a bunch of stories from women who have terminated: http://community.livejournal.com/abortioninfo/profile
How much you bleed and how much pain you feel depends on numerous things-your pain tolerance, what procedure, and how far along you are. Anything from spotting to a period-like flow.
