Abortion Procedures

There are different methods and procedures for doing abortions. That’s because the fetus (that’s a Latin word that means “little person” and it’s also correct to call a fetus an unborn child) is growing and with that growth acquires certain characteristics that make one method more preferable over another.

Keep in mind that these descriptions are graphic, but they are accurate. We wish that we didn’t have to tell you, but you need to know.

Suction Aspiration

This involves placing what amounts to a vacuum hose in your vagina, through the cervix and into your uterus. Now they can’t do this until the muscles of the cervix are relaxed and pried open with rods, sometimes made of seaweed, called laminaria.

The person doing the abortion guides this suction tube into the uterus. There is usually a shot to the cervix to lessen any pain.

The suction machine is then turned on so that the contents of your uterus are vacuumed out. That means blood, tissue and the fetus. The fetus is torn to pieces in the process. Sometimes the person doing the abortion has an ultrasound to guide what he or she is doing, but many times, they operate by touch alone, being unable to see the inside of your uterus.

The whole process can take five to ten minutes. To prevent infection, the contents of your uterus have to be reassembled after they are sucked out so as to make sure that nothing is left inside.

This procedure is usually done when the fetus is less than 3 months (12 weeks) old.

Dilation and Curettage (D&C)

This procedure is just like suction aspiration with one major difference. The person doing the abortion uses a loop-shaped knife to scrape the walls of your uterus. As he or she does so, the fetus and other tissue in your uterus is cut into small pieces that can then be pulled out through the cervix and vagina. You may also hear this procedure called D & C.

Dilation and Evacuation (D&E)

This procedure is used generally after the fetus is 12 to 14 weeks old. It is also known as D & E.

At this stage of development, the fetus has larger and stronger bones and so your cervix must be dilated wider than in the previous methods. What resembles a large set of very sharp forceps is used to grab the fetus and tear it apart so that the pieces may be removed from the uterus.

Dilation and Extraction (D & X)

As time passes, the fetus continues to grow with features that becoming clearer, bones that become stronger, and a body that gets bigger. He or she gets bigger and their bones get stronger, so different techniques, tools and methods are needed.

Dilation and Extraction, also known as D & X, involves opening the cervix and rupturing the membranes or amniotic sac filled that are filled with fluid (your “water”) so the person doing the abortion can reach up inside your uterus to grab hold of the fetus. Forceps may be used to grab one or two legs of the fetus and pull him or her to the vagina.

Once in the vagina, the body is pulled until just the skull remains in the cervical opening. At that point, a very sharp pair of scissors is jammed in the back of the skull and a vacuum hose is then inserted to suck all of the brains out. The little skull then collapses and the entire body can be removed.

The D & X method is also known as Partial Birth Abortion and is used after 16 to 20 weeks.

Saline, Prostaglandin, Hysterotomy

These methods are not the most common, but they are used to some extent.

In the saline procedure, what is essentially a very strong saltwater solution is injected into the fluid surrounding the fetus. A very long needle is used to penetrate your belly and uterus. The solution, also known as saline, eventually kills the fetus by essentially burning him or her to death. Other chemicals in place of saline may be used to kill the fetus by poisoning him or her.

Prostaglandin is a very highly concentrated dose of a naturally occurring hormone. When injected into the amniotic fluid, it causes you to go into labor, causing you to deliver a baby too premature to live. In other words, you feel contractions and you give birth to a dead baby.

A hysterotomy is like a Caesarean Section where the person doing the abortion cuts through your abdomen. The fetus and amniotic sac are removed along with the placenta. The fetus then dies as a result of being deprived substinence and necessary fluids, if not as a result of the operation. Hysterotomy is sometimes used when saline and prostaglandin methods don’t work to expel the fetus.

RU 486

This involves several trips to the abortion facility. The first trip is generally a diagnosis to determine any problems. The second trip is when you take the RU 486 pills that block the production of progesterone. Without progesterone, the fetus cannot obtain the nutrients needed from the uterus lining, and so starves to death. The third visit consists of taking prostaglandins or other concentrated hormones to expel the dead child from your uterus. You can lose the dead baby at any time, even when you are going to the bathroom.

What About The Fetus, This Little Person, The Unborn Child ?

At six weeks of age, the little fellow has a heart beat and brain waves. You can see eyes, ears, and the small hands and feet are beginning to bud. The growing baby has a brain and nerve cells, and can so can feel pain. At eight weeks, arms and legs are longer with muscles becoming evident so he or she starts moving around. The fetus, or child, sleeps, wakes and makes a fist while swallowing the amniotic fluid at twelve weeks. By the time sixteen weeks arrives, the baby has features and characteristics that clearly identify him or her with their parents.

We all know that when you are pregnant you are carrying a little person—your son or daughter.

Truth Helps, Inc. 2003
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