Abortion

Abortion – terminating a pregnancy – is a safe medical procedure that millions of women and other menstruators obtain at some point in our lives. The most common types of abortion are:

• Medication abortion, also called abortion with pills or medical abortion, makes up the majority of abortions in the United States.
• Aspiration, or suction abortion, is a minimally invasive procedure. It is the most common form of surgical abortion.
• D & E (dilation and evacuation) involves dilating the cervix before removal of the pregnancy tissue by forceps or suction.
• Induction abortion is very rare and performed later in pregnancy. It uses medications to induce labor and delivery of the fetus and pregnancy tissue.

Around the world, nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended, and about 60 percent of unintended pregnancies end in abortion. Unintended pregnancies happen for many different reasons. When we lack education and cannot get effective birth control, we are more likely to become pregnant whether we want to or not. Gender inequality, coercion, sexist social norms, and male violence all lessen our ability to choose when we have sex.

Unless we can decide for ourselves whether to continue a pregnancy, we cannot control our lives, enjoy our sexuality freely, or participate fully in society. There are more contraceptive options now than ever, but no birth control method is 100 percent effective. We have different access to reproductive health information and services depending on where we live and how poor or wealthy we are.

People around the world use abortion to control reproduction regardless of whether abortion is legal or illegal. Banning or restricting abortion makes abortion more difficult and more dangerous for those seeking them, however.

Feminist movements have recently won abortion rights in many countries, including Kenya, Australia, Macedonia, and in the Latin American “Green Wave” in Mexico, Argentina, and Columbia. However, abortion rights opponents in the United States have blocked legal abortion in most states. In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that had recognized a constitutional right to abortion. We are now dealing with the medical, political, legal, cultural, economic fallout of this massive step backward in reproductive rights.

Obtaining an abortion can be expensive. In the United States, the median costs of abortion services exceed $500. On average, the costs are higher for abortions in the second trimester than in the first trimester. State restrictions can make abortions even more expensive, because people have to travel when abortions are prohibited or unavailable in their area. Many people pay for abortion services out of pocket, but some have insurance coverage, and people can often obtain assistance from local abortion funds.

No one should have to remain pregnant or have a child against her will. Each of us must be able to decide whether or not to continue a pregnancy, based on what we believe is best for our own unique situation. Our ability to make these personal decisions should not be restricted by the government, religious institutions, or any other group or individual.