Abortion

Medical abortions use drugs, instead of surgical instruments, to end a pregnancy. Early Medical Abortion is administered up to 10 weeks from the last menstrual period (LMP). “The Abortion Pill” is the most common form of medical abortion. It was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for use in women up to 10 weeks after LMP.¹¹ It is even used beyond 10 weeks LMP, despite an increasing failure rate.^{12, 13, 14} It is done by taking a series of pills that disrupt the embryo’s attachment to the uterus, and cause uterine cramps which push the embryo out.¹⁵ Things to consider:¹⁶

• Bleeding can be heavy and lasts an average of 9-16 days.
• One woman in 100 need a surgical scraping to stop the bleeding.
• Pregnancies sometimes fail to abort, and this risk increases as pregnancy advances.
• For pregnancies 8 weeks LMP and beyond, identifiable parts may be seen.¹⁷
• By 10 weeks LMP, the developing baby is over one inch in length with clearly recognizable arms, legs, hands, and feet.¹⁸
• Methotrexate is FDA-approved for treating certain cancers and rheumatoid arthritis, but is used off-label to treat ectopic pregnancies and to induce abortion.^19,20 Given by mouth or injection, it works by stopping cell growth, resulting in the embryo’s death.

Medical Methods for Induced Abortion^21,22 – 2nd and 3rd Trimester. This procedure induces abortion by using drugs to cause labor and delivery of the fetus and placenta. Drugs may be injected into the fetus or the amniotic fluid to stop the baby’s heart before starting the procedure to avoid a live birth. There is a risk of heavy bleeding, and the placenta may need to be surgically removed.