5 Things You Need to Know About Abortion

1. Pictures Don't Lie

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to your future, it's important to get all the facts. Before considering abortion, make sure you get an ultrasound picture. You can get a free ultra sound from any one of many pregnancy care centers. OptionLine also refers women to a pregnancy center in their area if they need support, pregnancy test, equipment, clothing or post abortion counseling. Call them at (800) 395-HELP.

2. Know the Health Risks

All medical procedures come with some risk, and an abortion is no exception. Aside from post abortion syndrome--an emotional disorder that happens immediately after or sometimes years after a woman has an abortion--there are also medical risks. A report from the Mayo Clinic says that a surgical abortion may cause scarring to the inside of the uterus or weaken the cervix, which may affect your ability to carry a child in the future. Some reports link abortion to an increased risk of breast cancer, while others show little connection. In addition, the FDA reported that after using mifepristone and misoprostol, drugs used to induce a chemical abortion, several women experienced what they called "serious adverse events." These events unfortunately included several deaths. These deaths were from sepsis, or blood infection, which is another known risk from any type of abortion.

3. Do Some Heartfelt Research

You should answer for yourself the basic question of when life begins. Outside of the uterus, a living human being is one with a heart beat and brain activity. You can hear a heart beating in a pregnancy about one week after you miss your period. It may actually start beating sometime before, and since a heart beat requires brain activity, the brain is active even sooner. The brain stem is formed before most women even know they are pregnant.

4. Know What You are Getting Into

Getting the details of the procedure before you make your decision is important since it is a decision you'll have to live with for the rest of your life. One type of abortion, RU-486, might seem as easy as popping a pill, but what you might not know is that it blocks your pregnancy hormones and effectively starves the baby to death. Other methods, like the D and C, D and E and suction and aspiration require a stretching of the cervix and then a removal of the "products of conception," with either a vacuum or knife. You have the right, up until the time of the start of the abortion, to change your mind. You also have the right to know what the risks of the procedure are, and receive counsel before the procedure.

5. Make Sure You Get All the Facts

Know exactly what the procedure entails and what risks are associated with it. And just like you wouldn't get all your information about where to buy a car from a car dealer, don't get all your information about abortion from an abortion provider. Four great places to do some research are Abortionfacts.com (http://www.abortionfacts.com/), Religioustolerance.org (http://www.religioustolerance.org/), Teenbreaks.com (http://www.teenbreaks.com) and OptionLine (http://www.pregnancycenters.org).