Vacuum Aspiration (6 to 9 weeks): A powerful suction tube is inserted
through the cervix and into the uterus. The fetus is torn apart
by the force of the suction and sucked into a collection bottle, along
with the placenta and amniotic sac. Since the doctor cannot actually
see what he is doing, several possible complications can occur,
including infection (if any portion of the fetus or placenta remains in
the womb), uterine perforation (if the tube punctures the womb) and
cervical laceration.
Dilation and Curettage (8 to 16 weeks): A steel loop-shaped blade is
inserted into the uterus through the cervix. It is used to scrape clean the walls of the
uterus, removing the fetus and placenta. As with the aspiration method
described above, the doctor is working blind, and may be followed by
suction aspiration. It carries an increased risk of uterine
perforation, infection, and serious blood loss.
Mifepristone or RU-486 (5 to 7 weeks):
This drug blocks the action of
progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone which sustains the nutritive
uterine lining. As this lining withers, the embryo starves to
death. Administration of mifepristone is followed 36-48 hours later by
misoprostol, a synthetic prostaglandin, which causes uterine
contractions that expel the unborn child. Some women will deliver while still
at the clinic, while others will do so later, at home or at work.
Bleeding can be quite heavy and lasts for an average of nine days.
This method of abortion fails 5-10% of the time, and must then be
followed by a surgical abortion.
Methotrexate or "M&M" (5 to 9 weeks): Methotrexate is normally used for
treatment of certain cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, and certain
dermatological conditions. It is not approved for abortions by the FDA.
This drug is given by injection; it interferes with the growth process
of rapidly dividing cells. Like RU-486, it is followed by misoprostol
(hence the "M&M" nickname) to expel the fetus. This method fails at
least 4% of the time. Methotrexate can potentially cause serious side
effects, including severe anemia, ulcers and bone marrow depression.
(See box below)
The medical director of Planned Parenthood of New
York, Dr. Hakim Elahi indicated the side effects were so unpredictable
he would not use it as an abortion drug in any dose. In a letter to the
editors of the New York Times (April 8, 1996, at p. A14), abortion provider
Don Sloan warned that methotrexate can produce severe anemias, ulcers,
and bone marrow depressions that can be fatal, even at the doses used for
abortion and said "many of us in the abortion trade, as I am, are
recoiling at the stark irresponsibility of those who are parading this
medication in such cavalier fashion."
Source: "Existing Drugs
Induced Abortions but Some Warn about Toxicity," Newsday (New York), p. 7, 10/22/1993
Herbal Abortifacients: Though touted as natural ways to do-it-yourself,
such herbs are powerful drugs with potentially fatal consequences.
Unregulated by the FDA, herbal abortifacients can vary in potency and
effect. Pennyroyal, Black or Blue Cohosh and other similar herbs are
toxic in excess and can easily overtax the liver and kidneys, causing
headaches, extreme nausea, bleeding, or even death. Never take an herbal
abortifacient.
Eastside Hospital obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Sandra Sultan
treated a woman who said she drank Pennyroyal Tea "three times a day for
a week to end a six-week pregnancy." Sultan: "Within hours after I first
saw her, she was bleeding from every orifice. I've never seen anything
like it..." [more]
Late Abortion
D&E (13 to 20+ weeks): In this late term abortion
the cervix is dilated, either mechanically or
with laminaria. The physician uses forceps to dismember the fetus,
which must then be reassembled to
confirm that no parts have been left inside. Possible
complications include infection, cervical laceration and uterine perforation.
D&X (20 to 32+ weeks): This late in the pregnancy it is very
difficult to dismember the fetus in the womb. Therefore the physician
begins, but does not complete, a breech (feet first) delivery, taking
care to leave the head inside the uterus. The physician then
punctures the base of the skull and suctions out the brains. The child
dies, the head collapses, and the delivery is completed. This unsafe
procedure has been denounced by the American Medical Association as "bad medicine".
"... partial-birth abortion is never medically indicated to protect
a woman's health or her fertility. In fact, the opposite is true: The
procedure can pose a significant and immediate threat to both the
pregnant woman's health and her fertility."
Source: The Physicians' Ad Hoc
Coalition for Truth, Wall Street Journal of September 19, 1996.
Hysterotomy (24 to 38 weeks): The procedure is simply an early Caesarean
section. After an incision is made through the abdomen and uterus, the
unborn child is lifted out and allowed to die. The risks are the same as for a
normal Caesarean section.
Prostaglandin (16 to 38 weeks): This synthetic hormone is administered
via injection or suppository. It causes powerful uterine contractions
similar to labor. Live births are a common result. Possible
risks include convulsions, vomiting, and cardiac arrest.
Digoxin Induction (20 to 32 weeks): To avoid the live birth
complication described above, digoxin is first injected into the child's
heart, killing it. This is followed by a prostaglandin induction.
Saline (16 to 32+ weeks): A needle is inserted through the abdomen to
remove amniotic fluid. A strong salt solution is then injected, which
poisons the fetus and badly burns the lungs and skin. The child is usually
delivered within 24 hours. This method is rarely used any more, since it
can present serious, even fatal risks to the mother.
Mifepristone or RU-486 (5 to 7 weeks):