Know the options when facing the unthinkable

By the time I moved in my sophomore year, more than half of my girl friends had had at least one pregnancy scare, whether imagined or real. Since pregnancy is a possibility in this hormone-raging age population and abortion is often considered, it's best to know your options.

The abortion pill was legalized by the FDA in September of 2000, and it is available as an alternative to surgical abortion by many abortion clinics nationwide, including those in Maryland. The pill goes by the brand name Mifeprex and is also known as RU486.

The abortion pill consists of the artificial steroid mifepristone, which blocks the hormone progesterone. Without progesterone, the uterine lining breaks down and begins to slough off, ending the pregnancy. A few days after mifepristone is taken, the drug misoprostol is administered to induce uterine contractions in order to expel the uterine lining, and the pregnancy is ended as an induced miscarriage.

Drug-induced medical abortion differs from surgical abortion mainly in procedure. The abortion pill can be taken until the eighth week of pregnancy and requires at least two visits to the clinic. At the first appointment, an ultrasound is performed to confirm that the woman is less than eight weeks pregnant, and mifepristone is administered orally. At this time there may be some bleeding. The woman is given four tablets of misoprostol to take home with her.

One to three days later, she will take the misoprostol either buccally, where it is held between the cheek and gum, or vaginally. Bleeding will occur soon after. Most women will miscarry within the next eight hours, experiencing bleeding similar to but heavier than a period with large clots. The woman may experience mild to strong cramping throughout the abortion, and bleeding may continue for up to two weeks.

Within two weeks, the woman should return to the clinic for a follow-up to make sure the abortion was complete. According to the Feminist Women's Health Center (FWHC), medical abortion is successful in 97 percent of cases. If it fails, the next step is surgical abortion.

Medical abortion is preferred by some women because it affords her more privacy. Although she takes the first pill at the clinic, she can take the second set of pills in the privacy and comfort of her own home, with supportive people nearby. The abortion is non-invasive and requires no surgical instruments or shots.

There are two methods of surgical abortion: manual or machine vacuum aspiration. Manual vacuum aspiration utilizes a special syringe to apply suction, whereas machine vacuum aspiration uses a hollow tube (called the cannula) attached to a bottle and pump to apply suction.

Surgical abortion can be performed until the end of the first trimester, or for the first 12 weeks. It requires one visit to the clinic, and the abortion procedure itself takes less than 10 minutes. A follow-up visit to the clinic is recommended.

At the first appointment, the woman is given pain medication and misoprostol to soften the cervix. The cervix and vagina are cleaned with antiseptic, and the cervix is injected with local anesthetic. The woman may choose to be sedated.

The cervix is dilated to reduce the risk of injury during the operation, the cannula is inserted into the uterus and suction is administered. The fetus and placenta are gently suctioned out, and sometimes the doctor may use a curette, or loop-shaped knife, to scrape the uterine lining away from the uterus.

The woman may experience mild to strong cramping throughout the procedure. Light to moderate bleeding may continue for up to eight weeks afterward. Surgical abortion is often preferred to medical abortion because it is faster, there's less cramping and there are medical personnel present. Surgical abortion is 99 percent successful, according to FWHC.

Although some women believe that medical abortion is more natural, since it is an induced miscarriage and non-invasive, I would like to remind my readers that an abortion is an abortion, no matter how it happens.

While researching this article, I came across several Web sites where women posted questions concerning abortion. On one site, a 13-year-old girl stated that she was two weeks pregnant, was ill prepared for a child, felt terrified and wanted an abortion.

The response that most visitors to the Web site supported was that this child should not even think about abortion - she thought she was old enough to have sex and now she had better face the consequences. Furthermore this baby had been created and deserved a chance to live, and it was this girl's obligation and punishment to have the baby.

I am astounded by the lack of empathy shown to this girl. At 13, she is little more than a child herself, just barely a teenager. Teenagers make mistakes. I agree that the baby deserves a chance to live. But what about the girl?

It is true that her baby may not be a curse but a blessing in disguise. And there are other options, like adoption. But, regardless of her age or situation, this girl, and all pregnant women facing the choice of abortion, deserve some compassion. Any choice will, initially at least, be punishment enough. To support a woman in her choice will only help make her life, and other lives, better.