ABORTION. The loss of a fetus before it is able to live outside the womb
is called abortion. When abortion occurs spontaneously, it is often called
a miscarriage. Abortion can also be intentionally caused, or induced.
Induced abortion is regarded as a moral issue in some cultures. In others
it is seen as an acceptable way to end unplanned pregnancy. Abortion is
a relatively simple and safe procedure when done by trained medical
workers during the first three months (first trimester) of pregnancy.
Abortion is less safe when performed after the 13th week of pregnancy.
Before the right of a woman to obtain an abortion was affirmed by the
United States Supreme Court in the 1973 ruling on Roe vs. Wade, many
abortions were performed illegally and in unskilled ways. This caused the
deaths of many women from infection and bleeding. It also caused much
sterility, or the permanent inability to have a child. The usual surgical
technique of abortion during the first trimester is to insert a metal or
plastic tube into the uterus through its opening, the cervix. A spoonlike
instrument at the end of the tube is used to gently scrape the walls of the
uterus. A suction machine at the other end of the tube removes the
contents from the uterus. This procedure is called vacuum aspiration and
is done primarily in a medical clinic or doctor's office using a local
anesthetic for the cervix. During the second trimester, abortions are
usually done by means of dilation and evacuation. This procedure uses
forceps, curette, and vacuum aspiration. Although rarely sought,
third-trimester abortions may be performed when the fetus has severe
genetic defects or because continuing the pregnancy would be a threat to
the woman's health. A controversy began in 1988 over a drug,
developed in France, called RU 486, which, when taken during the first 7
weeks of pregnancy, causes the embryo to become detached from the
uterus. The drug was reported to be safer and less expensive than
surgical abortion. Antiabortion groups in France succeeded in temporarily
halting the sale of the drug, although the government later ordered it to
be made available. The use of RU 486 was supported by family-planning
agencies in the United States, France, and elsewhere and by the World
Health Organization and the World Congress of Gynecology and
Obstetrics. The long-term effects of RU 486 on women's health were
unknown. Abortion as a way to end unplanned pregnancy is practiced in
many countries. In Europe by 1992 only Ireland had a complete ban on
abortion. In the United States the legality of abortion was affirmed with
Roe vs. Wade in 1973 over the objections of some groups, the Roman
Catholic church in particular. Many opposed to abortion believe it is the
taking of a human life. Those who favor the legal availability of abortion
cite the right of women to control their reproduction and of physicians to
perform abortions without fear of criminal charges. Other arguments in
favor of abortion include population control, the social problems caused
by unwanted children, and the dangers of illegal abortion. In 1989 and in
1992 the United States Supreme Court in 5-4 rulings upheld provisions of
a 1986 Missouri law and a 1989 Pennsylvania law restricting abortion. In
Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services and Planned Parenthood vs.
Casey the court stopped short of overturning the landmark Roe vs. Wade
ruling, but it upheld the power of individual states to impose restrictions.
The battle over abortion rights moved to the state legislatures and to the
streets as massive demonstrations for and against legalized abortion
continued into the 1990s. Missouri's and Pennsylvania's laws to impose
severe restrictions on abortion were partially upheld, but similar attempts
in Illinois and Florida were rejected. In 1989 the United States Congress
approved the use of Medicaid funds to finance abortions for poor women
in cases of rape or incest, but President George Bush vetoed it. The most
restrictive law in any state was passed in Idaho in 1990, but the governor
vetoed the bill. A related controversy arose in the late 1980s centering
on the use of tissues from aborted fetuses for medical research and
treatment. Experiments using cells from aborted fetuses showed that
these cells were uniquely capable of alleviating certain conditions, such
as Parkinson's disease, when transplanted into the diseased tissues of a
host. The debate over the ethics of using tissues from miscarried fetuses
did not halt research or the application of these discoveries.
. ABORTION. The loss of a fetus before it is able to live outside the womb is called abortion. When abortion occurs spontaneously, it is often called a miscarriage. Abortion can also. were unknown. Abortion as a way to end unplanned pregnancy is practiced in many countries. In Europe by 19 92 only Ireland had a complete ban on abortion. In the United States the legality of abortion. to abortion believe it is the taking of a human life. Those who favor the legal availability of abortion cite the right of women to control their reproduction and of physicians to perform abortions