Well, it's down to the wire and I still don't know what
to write for this column. I have been desperately wracking my brain for the words to continue what I started in my last article but for some reason, I don't seem to be able to get any sense of what I'm supposed to say. I was just talking earlier to a friend I met on this wonderful WWW and I was saying how I can feel my whole being "preparing" for the dreaded anniversary that is coming up on me all too quickly. When that happens I begin to have all kinds of feelings that just seem to flow over me, unwelcome, that I don't know what to do with.
A lot of things go through my mind like should have...., could have and what if. But none of them can make any difference now. I've often wondered if I had known the truths that I now know whether the outcome would have been different. And then I think
about my last trip to the doctor and what transpired there and how I should have had the opportunity to be as well informed of the potential dangers of abortion as I was of the Side effects and precautions of the topical cream that they were prescribing for a skin condition that I have recently developed.
You are probably aware of the legal and medical ramifications of informed consent when contemplating any kind of surgical procedure. Your doctor must inform you of any potential risks or possible complications that could occur during the procedure and any long lasting or future complications. You must be informed of the risks of anesthesia, long term ill-effects of the surgery or permanent changes in your body that could occur from the procedure.
Your pharmacist is responsible for labeling you prescriptions bottles with special instructions or precautions that you need to know before beginning to take any new medicine. Full disclosure has become a selling tactic with pharmacies , health plans and even physician practices. Informed Consent is now not just a medical and legal protection, but a way of selling a service to the public. Media ads will tell you that if you are not getting the "whole story" you should take your business where you will.
What confuses me so, is that this concept does not seem to apply to the topic of abortion. It seems to be just the opposite. The less you are told the better for the abortion business. Now you may think that this comment reflects my post-trauma experience. But those words came not from me,but from a former abortion provider. And as I listened to the sales pitch she described, I got all cold inside because I know a little bit about that sales
pitch.
You can probably tell that I'm having trouble with this article so I'll apologize for my rambling and try to make some sense. It's just that when I think of how very little information I got regarding the abortion procedure, I wonder just why it is that we
don't ask more questions. Is it that we don't really want to know or are we in such an emotional turmoil that we don't know what to ask? If I were to go on my experience, I would say that I was so distraught that I never even stopped to consider that this was a surgical procedure and could have complications. Even though I was a nurse at the time, I reacted just like any other woman without a medical background. So maybe I will just give everyone a little information about the physical effects of abortion. Information is always good to have.
DID YOU KNOW............
Infections occur in 30% of elective abortions.
Endometritis(infection of the uterine lining) occurstwice as frequently in younger women as in older women.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is the most common infectious complication. This infection can lead to increased likelihood of infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Multiple episodes can lead to sterility, recurrent pelvic pain, menstrual pain, and painful
intercourse.
Chlamydia, the most prevalent STD(sexually transmitted disease)can cause incidence of PID following abortion. Few clinics test women for chlamydia prior to abortion, increasing the likelihood of incidences of PID following abortion. Many clinics test for gonorrhea, and some physicians give a prophylactic antibiotic prior to the procedure, but this is not a complete treatment plan for chlamydia, therefore many women end up in the Emergency Room or their own physician with PID. These incidences of PID are then rarely associated with abortion because of the time delay in diagnosis.
Hemorrhage is the major complication of abortion. It can result from a myriad of circumstances: uterine perforation, uterine atony, or incomplete removal of products of conception.
In each of the situations above there can be furthe complications such as emergency surgery to repair damage done by perforation that could ultimately lead to a hysterectomy. In uterine atony, the muscles of the uterus fail to contract to stop the bleeding and if not diagnosed can lead to DIC(disseminated intravascular coagulation), which is a total loss of clotting factors in the blood, requiring transfusions, and possibly an emergency hysterectomy.
Incomplete removal of the products of conception means that embryonic tissue or placental tissue are still imbedded in the uterus and continue to bleed. When a pregnancy is prematurely ended, the placenta is less likely to separate from the wall of the uterus, necessitating further scrapping of the uterus which can lead to further complications such as infertility or hysterectomy.
Other complications may that may arise are bowel and/or bladder perforation, cervical damage, undiagnosed tubal pregnancies, unsuccessful abortions due to uterine abnormalities, anesthetic
complications and lastly, DEATH.
Is this too much for us too digest during the time of our crisis pregnancy. Probably. But if your doctor is telling you that you have a tumor, do you not need to know all of the possibilities that could accompany the treatment for this tumor?
In the same way, women need to know how an abortion may effect their health and future as a wife and /or mother. Sadly we are not usually given the TIME nor the information to make an INFORMED CHOICE about a crisis pregnancy. We have laws to protect almost anything that is jeopardized today: the rain forest, endangered wildlife, the environment.... ! Who protects the women in crisis from the pressures of a hurry up decision of abortion without her having ALL the information she needs to make the right decision.
Has the right to choose opened up a whole new way for women to be taken advantage of by those who have the right sales pitch. I'm not sure that I've even scratched the surface of this can of worms. But if any of this information finds its way to someone who needs it then my job has been done. I am aware that many people don't want to contemplate this kind of information, but the sad fact is this. We cannot depend on statistics to keep track of the many women who are hurt by the abortion procedure and the community of abortion providers. Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop sited two specific reasons for the inaccuracy and inability to compile statistics on abortion and its complications:
1. 50% of all abortions are done in free-standing clinics where records are not kept.
2. 50% of all women who have had abortions, when questioned, deny having had one.
What have we done????? Have we become so obsessed with preserving "rights" that we will do so at ANY cost. I guess this is enough for this time. I hope that someone who needs this information will read it and take the time to make an informed decision.
'Til next time ..... Sadie
