Be informed Abortion should not be the main solution to dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. Operation Rescue reports that, in America alone, 4 out of 10 unwanted pregnancies are terminated (“Abortions in America”). No woman wants to be in this situation, faced with the grave choice of whether to have an abortion or not. Most hide the fact that they have had an abortion or want to have one. Although abortion is legal in the United States, women are still initially afraid or unsure of the choice. It's a controversial issue where women find themselves in the crossfire. Women deserve better. They deserve to be accurately informed about the stages of pregnancy, the different abortion procedures and the alternatives that, contrary to popular belief, are better in the long term. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the reasons women struggle with abortion is that they don't know when life actually begins during a pregnancy. There are myriad sources reporting contrary facts. The majority of Americans believe that the fetus is just “tissue” and justify abortion in the early stages of pregnancy. The opposing party, however, maintains that the fetus is a human life, a child, from the moment of conception. Let's test this statement by analyzing the development of a fetus during pregnancy. This development occurs in 3 stages or trimesters and is measured based on gestational age. The 1st trimester begins with conception – when the egg is fertilized by sperm. At this time the sex is determined and a unique genetic code for future characteristics is set. The fertilized egg (zygote) will then implant itself on the wall of the woman's uterus. Within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, physical characteristics begin to form in the fetus. The eyes, muscles, arms and legs begin to develop. His heart is beating regularly at 24 days old and is estimated to be ¼ inch long (What They Never Told You). At four months it enters the 2nd trimester and at seven months it begins the 3rd trimester which ends at the 9th month. At just 8 weeks old, however, he is visibly a human baby in development and physical appearance, as can be seen on the ultrasound. Following this line of thinking, a fetus is a baby already at the moment of conception and is clearly distinguishable during the 1st trimester. According to the AGA/CDC, “89-92% of all abortions occur during the first trimester, before the 13th week of gestation” (qtd. in “US Abortion Statistics”). In short, the vast majority of women think that they are simply suppressing "tissue-like" fetuses, and not actually suppressing their babies. Abortion procedures are rarely discussed or publicized. Especially surgical abortion procedures, as they can be traumatic experiences and lead to unpleasant consequences. For starters, the procedures can be dangerous and have negative side effects on the female body, such as excessive uterine bleeding, scarring, or infections. Half of women worldwide who have abortions undergo unsafe abortions due to restrictive abortion laws (Haddad, Nour). These procedures are unsafe because they are cheap, illegal, or performed by people who are unlicensed or trained. Worst case scenarios lead to death if an error occurs or the procedure is compromised. The different abortion methods women must choose from are vacuum aspiration or suction curettage, dilation and evacuation (D&E), partial birth abortion (D&X), and oral medications, such as RU-486 ( Mifepristone) (“Abortion Procedures”). Vacuum suction is the most commonly chosen method. Beforegeneral anesthesia or deep sedation can be administered during the execution. The cervix must be dilated before the uterus can be accessed. Forcing it open, however, can cause tears. Once ready, a cannula, or tube, is inserted inside, which is then fixed in front of an aspirator which aspirates everything, thus "tearing the developing human being to pieces" ("Abortion procedures" , par.6). An examination must then be carried out to ensure that the procedure is complete, i.e. that no body parts are left inside. All methods, from surgical to chemical, can increase the risk of breast or uterine (ovarian) cancer. In the case of breast cancer, this is because abortion potentially hinders hormone levels and leaves breast cells in an undeveloped (Kahlenborn) stage. , more research is needed in this field to prove this. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the world and many fall victim to it after having an abortion relatively unscathed, physically and/or emotionally. One of these women, Yolanda, 29 years old, gives this testimony: “I didn't have the money to have an abortion, but the clinic gave me a number for a fund. I told them I had children. They covered half of it. The clinic gave me copies of the ultrasound and I keep them in a drawer. I've never cried about it. I don't feel guilty” (Winter, par. 2). Another woman tells her story of how, despite the effects, she was still happy with her choice to have an abortion: “When I was 19, I got pregnant for the first time. On the advice of a friend I opted for a medical abortion. I was left to go through the process alone, which made the experience difficult. Although my side effects were unusually strong, I was grateful and relieved that I was able to have the abortion” (Tran, par 6). These women, and others, do not regret their abortions. Unbeknownst to most of the population, 64% of abortions in America are forced (“Forced Abortion”). It is not a phenomenon exclusive to communist countries, such as China and their one-child policy. Women don't always get to choose what they would like to do with their bodies or their children. Social pressure, relationship problems, family problems, financial instability and religious reasons are all examples of women choosing to have an abortion even when they personally are against or feel uncomfortable with the procedure. Men are at the forefront as a determining factor in a woman's choice to have an abortion, either because she did not want a child or because it was no longer at stake (Bauer, Allot). Often, boyfriends or husbands threaten to leave or stop supporting the pregnant woman if she doesn't have an abortion. Even worse, they will physically threaten them. Therefore, abortion is used as leverage to manipulate relationships. This is especially true in the case of rape and incest. While of course most women want nothing to do with a child conceived as a result of rape or incest, terminating the pregnancy also puts an end to evidence that such a crime has been committed. Abortion further aggravates the trauma of rape. Another victim, whose name is Jackie, confesses: “I soon discovered that the consequences of my abortion continued long after the memory of my rape had faded. I felt empty and horrible. No one told me about the pain I would feel deep down causing nightmares and deep depression. Everyone told me that after the abortion I could continue my life as if nothing had happened” (Reardon, par. 5). From this we can deduce that abortion for the majority of women victims of rape causes additional stress, rather than helping to alleviate the trauma already present. According to two studies conducted on victims ofrape pregnant women, 70% of them surprisingly chose to continue (Third). It should be noted that none of these women regretted having given birth rather than having an abortion. The alternatives to abortion are parenthood, temporary or short-term foster care, contact with the father and adoption. Although parenthood seems impossible because pregnancy is unwanted, women should reconsider whether or not they can really be mothers. After all, it is a natural phenomenon. However, in modern society there is a lot of negative connotation regarding pregnancy and raising children, especially in the case of teenage mothers. The reason is that it hinders education, career goals, work, etc. Additionally, the changes a woman's body makes during pregnancy are considered unattractive and burdensome. While it's true that an unplanned pregnancy can be difficult to fit into a certain lifestyle, it's not impossible. In fact, it can serve to motivate higher education, according to the National Women's Law Center (“Pregnant & Parenting,” para. 1). There are resources available in the community to help pregnant women and teenagers who decide to stay, such as pregnancy care centers. These centers provide contact information to maternity homes, provide baby clothes, food and other forms of help. Of course, there are still problems, for example financial, for teenagers or single mothers raising children. These can only be changed by appealing to the State and therefore require intervention from the public. If a woman feels that she is in any way not ready to be a parent at this time (job, age, difficulty, etc.), she can always place her child in short-term foster care or "crisis therapy." This is when the child is placed in foster care for a period of time and then, when the mother is ready, she can take the child back. However, in general, there are setbacks in the foster care system. Most children will be moved from one facility to another, without finding any comfort in a safe “home.” There are cases where children were not reunited with their families early enough and are instead stuck in the system (“Foster Care”). Like most welfare systems, foster care is not perfect. While it is unfortunate that these things can happen, foster care is still a valid system to consider. And if that's not preferable, then there is still one last option. The final alternative to abortion is adoption. There are three types of adoption: open, semi-open and private. Open adoption is when the birth mother or parents meet a couple of their choice through an agency before and after the adoption. The level of interaction varies from case to case, but there are no limitations. The birth mother has the right to request medical or school-related information at any time along with visitation rights. 3,980 pregnant women contacted the Independent Adoption Center, or IAC, in 2014 to consider adoption (“Adoption Statistics”). Semi-open adoption is the same as open adoption at the basic level, except that some confidentiality is maintained. Private, or closed, adoptions are strictly confidential. The birth mother or parents have no contact with the adopted parents and vice versa. In the possibility that a mother does not want to choose either foster care or adoption, there is always the father and his family, if still involved. They should also be held responsible for the care and well-being of the child. So, if they are safe, a woman need not hold back in asking them to take care of the baby. In conclusion, abortion not only ends the life of a child, but can also harm the mother, physically and emotionally. The women.