Abortion Poses a Risk: FALSE

Anti-abortion organizations frequently assert that abortions lead to uterine scarring and cervical damage. These are false claims due to there being no medically recognized evidence to support these claims or any other link between abortion and any illness or condition. According to statistics from the Guttmacher Institute, complications after abortion are quite uncommon, occurring in about 0.5% of cases.¹ When compared to delivery, abortion is a safer option, and early abortion is much safer. According to studies, women who are pregnant have a 14 times higher risk of dying during childbirth than from complications related to an abortion.²

After having an abortion, you cannot become pregnant: FALSE

These statements and any other assertion that there is a connection between abortion and any disease or condition, as was indicated in the previous section, are not supported by any medically acknowledged evidence. Any form of safe abortion has no effect on fertility. Infertility, miscarriages, birth abnormalities, or ectopic pregnancies are not likely to occur from abortions in subsequent pregnancies. The right to sexual & reproductive freedom belongs to everyone, including those who choose to have an abortion. Many people have undergone an abortion procedure because they did not want a kid at the time, but later decided they would like to have a child, and do so, at a preferred point in their lives. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ research reinforces this as well. Researchers discovered that within a month of abortion, 83% of women ovulate, which allows the possibility of someone getting pregnant before their next period.³

Abortion-related regret or severe grief are common long-term consequences among those who have abortions: FALSE

An abortion procedure is an experience that means different things to different people. It invites a broad range of emotions to be felt and might be an emotional experience for some, while others might approach it pragmatically. In general, after having an abortion, people frequently experience sentiments of loss or sadness. It is important to remember that this passes over time, and grief counselors are a resource for people who have a prolonged phase of feelings of grief. With this being taken into consideration, it should be noted that over 95% of the women in a UC San Francisco study stated having an abortion was the right choice for them five years after the procedure.⁴

Breast cancer is caused by abortion: FALSE

Similar to earlier statements in this blog, there is no medically recognized proof to back up this claim or any other argument that there is a connection between abortion and any illness or condition. A study was published in a 1997’s New England Journal of Medicine to investigate this hypothesis. The study’s findings revealed no direct correlation between abortion and breast cancer. The American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society have since issued comments refuting the notion that abortion and breast cancer are related as a result of this research and conclusion.⁵

Emergency Contraception Is an Abortion, Not Birth Control: FALSE

It’s a common misperception that utilizing an emergency method of birth control, such as Plan B, is equivalent to having an abortion. Levonorgestrel-containing over-the-counter medications like Plan B, which lower the risk of pregnancy if taken within 72 hours after sexual activity, are the most popular type of emergency contraception.⁶ It functions by postponing ovulation for a few days; as a result, there is no egg for the sperm to fertilize, and pregnancy is not able to occur. Birth control methods like emergency contraception are used when there is no pregnancy to expel.

Emergency contraceptive measures do not induce an abortion, or harm a fertilized egg, in a woman who is already pregnant. When compared to an abortion pill like misoprostol, which is taken after the pregnancy process has started as a result of an egg being fertilized by sperm, this is completely different. In order to help the body expel tissue and end the pregnancy, an abortion pill dilates the cervix and another one manipulates the uterus to contract. It is to be noted that morning after pills may not work if you weigh more than 165 pounds.⁶

Sources:

1.       https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2015/06/abortion-reporting-promoting-public-health-not-politics

2.       https://www.reuters.com/article/us-abortion/abortion-safer-than-giving-birth-study-idUSTRE80M2BS20120123

3.       https://flo.health/health-articles/can-you-get-pregnant-after-an-abortion

4.       https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/01/416421/five-years-after-abortion-nearly-all-women-say-it-was-right-decision-study

5.       https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm199701093360201

6.       https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/morning-after-pill-emergency-contraception/whats-plan-b-morning-after-pill