5 Largely Misunderstood Facts About Abortion
100,000 women admit to having attempted self-induced abortion but Still a taboo topic all over the world
The media often portrays blatantly untrue myths about abortion and that is one of the biggest reasons why even in the big year of 2022 abortion is a largely misunderstood topic. Chances are that many of you reading this probably hear and believe some truly wild myths about abortion, so continue reading so you can be a part of the movement that helps break the taboo!
1- There Are Different Abortion Methods
Most of us have either only heard of one abortion method or just regularly confuse the two existing methods with one another. As surprising as it may sound to a well-read person, not many people are aware that there actually exist two entirely different methods of abortion.
One is called medical abortion which is more commonly known as “taking the pill”. This method, true to its name involves taking medication prescribed by a doctor. Most doctors will also prescribe pain and nausea medicines to help ease the process.
This method can be chosen only by those people whose pregnancy has not reached 10 weeks and many prefer to use this method because it can be done in the privacy of one’s home and does not require one to go meet a doctor personally.
The other method is called the surgical method which involves getting operated on in a clinic. In this process, patients are given general anesthesia if available and the uterus is emptied out by suction and medical tools. This method is more commonly used when the pregnancy is past 10–11 weeks.
2- Abortion Is Not the Same as Morning-After Pills
Many women often confuse taking morning-after pills with getting an abortion when actually this is not true at all. An abortion refers to ending a pregnancy that has already happened when the sperm and egg have already come together.
Morning-after pills, on the other hand, are taken by women whose contraceptive method failed, it is taken to prevent a pregnancy from happening which is done by preventing ovulation altogether so that the sperm is not able to meet the egg.
3- First-Trimester Abortions Are One of the Safest Medical Procedures
Medical procedures and surgeries are generally notorious for being prone to unexpected complications and doctors always have to stay prepared for unforeseen circumstances. However, abortions have been listed as one of the safest medical procedures that very rarely carry the risk of the patient ending up in hospital care.
Only about 0.05% of first-term abortions include serious complications. Furthermore, getting an abortion is 14 times safer than giving birth as women are more likely to pass away during or after childbirth.
4- Most Women Who Get Abortions Are Already Mothers
Perhaps one of the most common misunderstandings is that if a woman is already a mom, she is less likely to get an abortion. Surprisingly, the actual fact is the complete opposite.
According to many studies, 3 out of 5 women getting abortions are already parenting a child and in 2014, 59% of women getting abortions had already birthed at least one child. This proves that abortion is not an outrageous act of murder and can be taken by people who have experienced the many challenges and joys of parenting firsthand.
5- Some Women Report Having Attempted Self-Induced Abortion
It is a commonly known fact that women in different states of America regularly get deprived of legal and safe methods of abortion. Though the purpose of making abortion illegal was to reduce the number of abortions, all it has done is reduce safe abortions.
A survey done in Texas showed that about 100,000 women admit to having attempted self-induced abortion and a truly disturbing detail is that the real number of self-induced abortions might just be as high as 240,000!
This just further proves the undeniable fact that keeping someone from their basic human right of bodily autonomy will only lead to them obtaining said right through illegal and unsafe means.
In Closing
Women who get abortions are often made to look like soul-less murderers committing a horrific act against humanity when in actuality that is blatantly untrue and a propagandized version of the truth.
Even in 2022, the women of the US and many other countries all over the world continue to fight a battle where they are regularly denied their rights and subjected to facing life-long punishments if they do not submit.
As unfair as it sounds, the reality is that people can easily get away with spreading white lies and horribly distorted facts against women. It is important to speak up and play a part in the fight against patriarchy by debunking these lies and spreading the truth.
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