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Common Myths About Abortion

myths about abortion

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removing or expulsing an embryo before it is ready to survive outside the uterus. Medically speaking, abortion is defined as the loss of a fetus, for any reason, before it can survive outside the uterus. This includes both miscarriages and deliberate termination. Abortion in the context of this article refers to the deliberate termination of a pregnancy. So many myths surround abortion, and we'll be debunking some of them in the article.

1. An abortion is dangerous to a woman's health.

An abortion is not dangerous when done with a method recommended by the World Health Organization that is appropriate to the duration of the pregnancy, and when done by a qualified medical practitioner. There are two WHO-approved ways of ending a pregnancy: in-clinic abortion and a medical abortion (the abortion pill).

According to the WHO, an abortion is deemed unsafe when the pregnancy is terminated either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards or both. The following are unsafe abortion procedures:

  • Traditional practitioners vigorously battering the woman's lower abdomen to disrupt the pregnancy. This can cause the uterus to rupture and kill the woman.
  • Dilatation and curettage performed incorrectly by an unskilled provider.
  • The insertion of an object or substance (root, twig, or catheter or traditional concoction) into the uterus.
  • The ingestion of harmful substances.

Women and pregnant teens resort to unsafe abortion methods when they can't access safe abortion for reasons such as: stigma, restrictive laws and high cost.]

2. Having an abortion will result in infertility.

A safe abortion does not impact a woman's ability to reproduce in the future. A first-trimester abortion is 'ten times safer' than childbirth. Claims of abortion being linked to infertility in future are unsubstantiated by scientific data.

3. Criminalizing abortion will stop it.

Criminalizing abortion will not stop abortions as a whole. It will only stop safe abortions, thereby endangering women's health. It is worth noting that unsafe abortions can result in hemorrhaging, infertility and death. Statistics show that abortion rates in countries where abortion is illegal are approximately the same as in countries where abortion is legal.

4. Only promiscuous and/or irresponsible women have abortions.

Making such an assumption fails to take into consideration the following facts:

  • Women are not always in a position to consent to sex, such as women who are raped.
  • Contraception is not always 100% available and effective. All contraceptives, even when properly and consistently used, fail occasionally.
  • Women's bodies are often wrongly used in arguments about morality.

 


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