ABORTION
If you have a positive pregnancy test, you may feel you have to make a decision very quickly. Abortion is permanent. Evaluating your options carefully is vitally important in the decision-making process. LIFEBRIDGE supports informed consent and a woman's right to accurate information about abortion procedures before she makes a decision. All of our services are FREE of charge and provided in a confidential, private and caring environment.
Having accurate information about the viability of your pregnancy is important. Having accurate information about the gestational age of your pregnancy gives you the information you need to determine if a medical abortion is an option. Only an ultrasound will provide you with the most accurate information regarding what the abortion clinic procedure might be at your gestational age; all of these are important factors. Click the titles below for more information.
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I was told if I take the abortion pill and I have an ectopic pregnancy that I could die. Is that true? CLICK HERE
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What if I started the chemical abortion and change my mind? Abortion Reversal Pill
HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ABORTION?
Chemical Abortion - RU-486
RU-486 available prior to 63 days (9 weeks LMP) A combination of two different drugs administered on two different days (the oral drug on day one and either another oral drug or vaginal suppositories after). Follow-up appointments are required to determine if the abortion is complete (if everything was expelled from your uterus). If everything does not pass from your uterus, an infection could occur. The clinic will ask you to consent to a surgical abortion if the medical abortion fails. The cramping and abdominal pain that may result from a medical abortion can mask the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy, a condition that would require you to seek medical care. Please remember that RU-486 is part of a medical abortion procedure and is therefore provided through a physician or clinic. This, not a medication to purchase and use without a preliminary evaluation and ultrasound.
Medical Abortion - Suction Aspiration/D & C Abortion
Suction Aspiration/D & C Abortion (generally available 4 – 14 weeks LMP) A tool is used to scrape the uterus so the embryo and placenta can be removed through a suction tube.D & C Surgical Abortion (generally available 14 – to 24 weeks LMP) At 14 – 24 weeks LMP, forceps are used to remove the fetus in small parts prior to suction because the fetus is larger.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Abortion and the risk of subsequent preterm birth: a systematic review with meta-analysis. (2009). The Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 54, 2, 95-108. National Abortion Federation, NAF website, prochoice.org/about_abortion/facts FDA Drug Label Information: Mifeprex:pp. 6, 14; www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label-2005/020687s013lbl.pdf National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, Drug Information: Mifepristone; www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a600042.html M. Fischer, J. Bhatnager, J. Guarner, et. Al. “Fatal toxic shock syndrome associated with Clostridium sordellii after medical abortion,” New England Journal of Medicine, 2005, 353:2352-60.
Abortion Risks
Side effects for both medical and surgical abortions include: cramping, bleeding, nausea, diarrhea, and pain. Although rare, other risks may include: hemorrhage (life-threatening, heavy bleeding), infection, damage to organs (tearing or puncture by abortion instruments during surgical abortion), pre-term birth in later pregnancies, and life-threatening anesthesia complications (surgical abortion). Some women experience a range of long-term adverse psychological and emotional effects. If you are a person of faith (Muslim, Christian, Hindu, etc…) you may also be more at risk for guilt and/or depression-like symptoms if your decision to abort conflicts with your spiritual beliefs.
LIFEBRIDGE DOES NOT PERFORM, REFER FOR, OR RECOMMEND ABORTION
At LIFEBRIDGE we experience, hear and see the real results of abortion on women and their families. The united message they share is that abortion was not the empowering choice they thought it would be.