At the first appointment, the woman who wants the abortion would be given the opportunity to talk about your situation. She will be informed about the different methods of abortion, and which method is suitable for her stage of pregnancy. However, the would related risks and complications.
She would be tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and may be given antibiotics to stop an infection developing after the abortion.
Before having an abortion, there would be:
- an ultrasound scan (if there is any doubt about how many weeks pregnant the woman is)
- a vaginal (internal) examination
- a cervical screening test (if appropriate)
There are many different methods of abortion. And the appropriate method to be used on the woman would be decided based on the number of weeks she is pregnant.
Early medical abortion (up to 9 weeks of pregnancy)
An early medical abortion involves taking two different medicines 48 hours apart. The effect of the medication will be similar to an early natural miscarriage.
The women will be given an abortion pill called mifepristone, which blocks the hormone that makes the lining of the womb suitable for the fertilised egg.
A few women will have mild cramps and a little bleeding, but most will not.
On the second visit to the hospital or clinic, the women will be given the second medicine, prostaglandin. Within 4-6 hours of taking prostaglandin, the womb lining will break down and be lost, along with the embryo, through bleeding from the vagina. This part of the process can be painful.
Medicines used during an early medical abortion may make women sick may cause women to have diarrhoea.
In some areas of the UK, the second dose of medication is administered on an outpatient basis and the abortion can be managed at your home.
Vacuum aspiration or suction termination (from 7-15 weeks of pregnancy)
Vacuum aspiration, or suction termination, is a procedure that uses gentle suction to remove the foetus from the womb. The procedure usually takes 5-10 minutes and can be carried out under a local anaesthetic (where the area is numbed) or general anaesthetic (where the women are put to sleep).
The cervix (womb entrance) will be dilated (widened) to make accessing your womb easier. A tablet would be placed inside the vagina a few hours before the abortion to soften the cervix and make it easier to open. Sometimes, an alternative ‘preparing’ tablet is given by mouth.
A small, plastic suction tube connected to a pump will then be inserted into the womb and used to remove the foetus and surrounding tissue.
After having a vacuum aspiration abortion, women will usually experience some bleeding which can last for up to 14 days.
In most cases, the bleeding will be quite heavy for 2-3 days before settling down. Some women only bleed for 3-4 days in total. They may experience mild or moderate cramps.
Late medical abortion (from 13 weeks of pregnancy)
As well as being used for early abortion, mifepristone and prostaglandin can also be used for abortion later in pregnancy. However, the abortion will take longer and more than one dose of prostaglandin may be needed. This type of abortion is similar to having a late natural miscarriage.
In rare cases, a second course of prostaglandin tablets may be require. In a small number of cases (less than 1 in 20), the placenta or afterbirth does not pass. In this case, the woman may need to have a small operation under a general anaesthetic to remove the placenta.
Surgical dilation and evacuation (from 15 weeks of pregnancy)
Surgical dilation and evacuation (D&E) is a procedure carried out under general anaesthetic. The cervix will be gently stretched and dilated and forceps and a suction tube will be used to remove the foetus.
Surgical D&E usually takes 10-20 minutes to perform and. As with vacuum aspiration, the woman may experience some bleeding for up to 14 days.
Late abortion (20-24 weeks)
There are two options for a late abortion carried out at 20-24 weeks. Both require an overnight stay in hospital and are described below.
- Surgical two-stage abortion - stage one stops the heartbeat of the foetus and softens the cervix. Stage two is carried out the following day and involves removing the foetus and surrounding tissue. Both stages are carried out under general anaesthetic.
- Medically induced abortion - is similar to a late natural miscarriage and involves the medicine, prostaglandin, being injected into your womb, making it contract strongly (as in labour). Contractions can last 6-12 hours. The women will remain awake during the procedure and may be given medicines to help control the pain.
Here is a video on the process of Abortion:
Reflections: I feel that abortion is morally wrong. Simple because, you are destroying a life. It is inhumane to destroy an innocent life. Although we are left with Hobson's choice, we should not take the life of a human being. Furthermore, abortion would cause so much pain, and the women would also experience heavy bleeding during and sometimes, after the process. Since so much cost, pain and injustice is caused by abortion, we should not even allow abortion in Singapore. Abortion, to me is like destroying an innocent life. We should spare the child and raise him/her. Abortion should be made illegal in Singapore. Abortion could also cause the women to feel emotional discomfort. This was because she would not feel good for destroying a life just like that. Therefore, abortion is morally incorrect. 
However, in some instances, I feel that keeping the baby is really not an option, especially for young teenage girls. Because of a moment's folly, they actually had sexual intercourse with another boy, causing her to get pregnant. Imagine yourself, getting pregnant at say age 15? And the father has shirked responsibility and abandoned you? You will definitely have no other choice but to turn to abortion. This is because the teenage girl would have to continue to pursue her studies and she would have no time for the baby. If she keeps the baby, the baby would be fatherless and she would not be able to spend abundant time with the baby. On the other hand, if abortion was the choice, the teenage girl might be too young to go through such torture and pain. Eventually, she would have no choice but to go for an abortion. I hope that scientist can invent a new method that would be able to carry out abortion with no pain involved. For example, the mother could take some medicine to kill the baby. Maybe, this kind of drug should be used to carry out abortion, instead of the painful ways that is being used now. With this invention, teenage girls who get pregnant would no longer face the pain she would need to go through during the abortion. Strict laws, on the other hand, have to be implemented to prevent the widespread usage of this new drug if it is really invented. This is because people might start to misuse it and use it to kill the baby. Therefore, the current abortion is definitely not worthwhile and should only be used as a last resort.
Resources: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Abortion/Pages/How-is-it-performed.aspx http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBOAPleF1t0 Google Images
However, in some instances, I feel that keeping the baby is really not an option, especially for young teenage girls. Because of a moment's folly, they actually had sexual intercourse with another boy, causing her to get pregnant. Imagine yourself, getting pregnant at say age 15? And the father has shirked responsibility and abandoned you? You will definitely have no other choice but to turn to abortion. This is because the teenage girl would have to continue to pursue her studies and she would have no time for the baby. If she keeps the baby, the baby would be fatherless and she would not be able to spend abundant time with the baby. On the other hand, if abortion was the choice, the teenage girl might be too young to go through such torture and pain. Eventually, she would have no choice but to go for an abortion. I hope that scientist can invent a new method that would be able to carry out abortion with no pain involved. For example, the mother could take some medicine to kill the baby. Maybe, this kind of drug should be used to carry out abortion, instead of the painful ways that is being used now. With this invention, teenage girls who get pregnant would no longer face the pain she would need to go through during the abortion. Strict laws, on the other hand, have to be implemented to prevent the widespread usage of this new drug if it is really invented. This is because people might start to misuse it and use it to kill the baby. Therefore, the current abortion is definitely not worthwhile and should only be used as a last resort.
Resources: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Abortion/Pages/How-is-it-performed.aspx http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBOAPleF1t0 Google Images 