abortionpprocedures

Common Abortion Procedures:

RU-486 - This is a drug that produces an abortion. It is a pill taken after the mother misses her period. It can be used up to the second month of pregnancy. It works by blocking progesterone, a crucial hormone during pregnancy. Without progesterone, the uterine lining does not provide food, fluid and oxygen to the tiny developing baby. The baby cannot survive. A second drug is given which stimulates the uterus to contract and expel the dead baby.

Suction-Aspiration - In this method, the cervical muscle ring must be paralyzed and stretched open. The abortionist then inserts a hollow plastic tube with a knife-like edge into the uterus. The suction tears the baby's body into pieces. The placenta is cut from the uterine wall and everything is sucked into a bottle.

Prostaglandin Abortion - Prostaglandin is a hormone that produces labor. The baby usually dies from the trauma of delivery. If the baby is old enough, it will be born alive; this is called a "complication". To prevent this, some abortionists use ultrasound to guide them as they inject a "feticide" (a drug that kills the fetus) into the unborn baby's heart. Prostaglandin is then administered and a dead baby is delivered. This type of abortion is used in mid-term and late-term pregnancies.

Dilation & Curettage (D & C) - This is similar to a suction procedure except a curette (a loop-shaped steel knife) is inserted into the uterus. The baby and placenta are cut into pieces and scraped out into a basin. Bleeding is usually very heavy with this method.

Dilation & Evacuation (D & E) - This type of abortion is done after the third month of pregnancy. The cervix must be dilated before the abortion. Usually laminaria (sterilized seaweed compressed into thin sticks) are inserted into the cervix. When inserted, they absorb moisture and expand, thus enlarging the cervix. A pliers-like instrument is inserted through the cervix into the uterus. The abortionist then seizes a leg, arm or other part of the baby and, with a twisting motion, tears it from the body. This continues until only the head remains. Finally the skull is crushed and pulled out. The nurse must then re-assemble the body parts to be sure that all of them were removed.

Dilation & Extraction (D & X) - This abortion is used on mid-term and late-term babies. From 4 to 9 months gestation. Ultrasound is used to identify how the unborn baby is facing in the womb. The abortionist inserts forceps through the cervical canal into the uterus and grasps one of the baby's legs, positioning the baby feet first, face down (breech position). The baby's body is then pulled out of the birth canal, except for the head which is too large to pass through the cervix. The baby is alive, and probably kicking and flailing his legs and arms. The abortionist hooks his fingers over the baby's shoulders, holding the woman's cervix away from the baby's neck. He then jams blunt-tipped surgical scissors into the base of the skull and spreads the tips apart to enlarge the wound. A suction catheter is inserted into the baby's skull and the brain is sucked out. The skull collapses and the baby's head passes easily through the cervix.

THIS PROCEDURE IS ALSO REFERRED TO AS PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION.