Methods of Abortion
There are multiple types of abortion, all largely dependent on how far the pregnancy has gone. The three main types of abortions are chemical abortions, abortions that invade the uterus through the cervix, and those that invade the uterus through surgery in the abdomen.
Eight Weeks - Sixteen Weeks
At this point in development the child begins to suck its thumb, and hair and eyelids appear. Abortion of a fetus in this stage requires relatively little dialation of the cervix.
-A small tube is inserted and the fetus is suctioned out. Sometimes an infection results from this procedure, causing full dialation and manual scraping of the womb.
-Dialation and Cutterage is also a practiced method here, causing dialation of the cervix and then the scraping of the uterus using a curved knife blade.
Up to Eighteen Weeks
-Dialation and evacuation are is the main method used in fetuses up to eighteen weeks old. In this method, forceps are inserted into the uterus to grab hold of the fetus. The forceps are then twisted repeatedly until the fetus has been dismembered and then pulled out piece by piece. In order to get the fetus out, the spinal column must be cracked and the skull crushed.
Sixteen Weeks and Beyond
-The principal method used in sixteen week (four month) pregnancies is saline injection. With the saline injection, a long needle is inserted into the base of the fetus' skull and a strong, corrosive saline solution is injected. The saline burns the outer layer of skin and liquefies the internal organs. Labor occurs twenty-four hours or so after the procedure. The fetus is usually dead or dying, living fetuses are left unattended to die.
- Prostaglandin Chemical Abortion is another method used that injects a hormone into the uteral walls which causes violent, unnatural contractions of the uterus. The fetus is usually killed by these contractions or dies shortly after delivery.
-Another method involved a Caesarean section which opens the abdomen of the mother, exposing the child. The umbilical cord is then cut, causing the baby to suffocate.
Third Trimester: The Partial Birth Abortion
The most controversial of all abortion procedures, the partial birth abortion occurs when the baby is almost fully developed and capable of living on its own outside its mother's womb. The cervix is dialated and forceps are used to grab the baby's legs and pull it into the birth canal. The entire body of the baby, except for the head, is delivered. Scissors are then inserted into the baby's skull to widen the opening, and the brain is then suctioned out.