56 million abortions occur annually worldwide
And though opinions on the matter are strong,
many are simply unaware of how they actually work
So, regardless of whether you're pro-life or pro-choice:
What actually happens during an abortion?
Abortion procedures range from taking a pill to surgical options
often based on availability or how far along a pregnancy is
And 92% of legal U.S. abortions take place within the first thirteen weeks of gestation
The oral tablet is effective 49 days from one's last menstrual period
Often containing mifepristone, it works by blocking the hormone progesterone
Progesterone promotes smooth muscle relaxation in the uterine wall throughout pregnancy
and so the pill causes the uterus to contract
and the embryo to be expelled in what seems like a heavy period
Vacuum aspiration is a surgical procedure
usually used up to 16 weeks after conception
and is typically performed under local or general anaesthesia
The cervix is numbed and opened wide enough to pass the Slender Tube into the uterus
where suction is used to empty the contents
Within the same time line, a D&C or dilation and curettage abortion can be used
First, this cervix is dilated using small instruments or medication
and then a curette is used to remove the contents of the uterus
If your pregnancy is between 12 to 24 weeks,
a D&E or dilation and evacuation abortion is likely used
although only 1.2 percent of abortions occur after 21 weeks
In a D&A abortion, the cervix needs to be dilated wider
often using osmotic dilators which are short rods made of seaweed or synthetic material
which absorb moisture and slowly stretch the cervix
These are usually inserted the day before surgery
Once dilated a fetal, aplacental tissue is removed at the evacuation of forceps and a curette
The decision to have an abortion after 24 weeks is extremely rare and often due to severe fetal anomalies
When abortions are allowed by the local law, they are one of the safest procedures in medicine
with case fatality rates less than one death per 100,000 procedures
In the U.S., the risk of death associated with childbirth is 14 times higher in women than that of an abortion
There are also myths that abortion is linked to an increased risk of cancer as well as
difficulties in conceiving or carrying a future pregnancy
But both of these claims have been refuted by extensive medical research
However, unsafe abortions practiced by individuals without the necessary skills
or in an environment that does not conform to medical standards
caused an estimated 68 thousand women to die yearly
while a further 5 million suffered temporary or permanent disability
Methods range from ingesting toxic solutions, inserting foreign bodies into the uterus and even trauma
The World Health Organisation has called unsafe abortions a 'preventable pandemic'
And laws that limit a woman's access to an abortion or make abortions illegal do not reduce the number of abortions
Countries where abortions are illegal have roughly the same number of abortions
What changes instead is the incidence of unsafe abortions
A 2011 study did find that state-level anti-abortion laws in Texas
correlated with lower abortion rates in the state
But these results did not account for women traveling to other states with less restrictive laws to receive a procedure
Conversely, researchers have found that sex education and access to contraceptive methods do reduce the number of abortions
by minimizing unwanted pregnancies
This can be seen in the abortion rates decreasing significantly in the developed world since 1990
Ultimately, access to legal abortions make women's lives safer and healthier
If you'd like to learn about plan B or emergency contraceptive
which is not the same thing as an abortion
you can check out our video on that [here]
And don't forget to subscribe for more weekly science videos every Thursday