Abortion should be a right for all women under specific and appropriate guidelines. There are various ways an abortion can be done, and many different ways of looking at them and the aftermath. A look at some of the major controversial aspects of abortion:.
10 Important Facts About Abortion.
The most effective way to reduce the need for abortion is to reduce unintended pregnancies.
Almost half (49%) of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, including more than 30% within marriage. Better access to contraception, responsible sex education, and emergency contraception could cut the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions drastically. (Stanley K. Henshaw, Unintended Pregnancy in the United States, 30 Family Planning Perspectives 26-27, 1998).
In 25 states, women's freedom to choose is at risk of being restricted by the legislator and governor.
Twelve of these states would ban abortion in all or most circumstances if Roe v. Wade were overturned (Naral/The Naral Foundation, Who Decides? A State-by-State Review of Abortion and Reproductive Rights iii, 12th ed. 2003).
Access to abortion is limited.
Eighty-seven percent of all counties in the U.S. have no identified abortion provider. (Stanley K. Henshaw, Abortion Incidence and Services in the United States, 2000, 30 Family Planning Perspectives 6, 2003).
Abortion is a very safe procedure, especially in the first trimester.
The risk of complication is minimal- less than one percent of women experience a major complication.
The risk of death associated with childbirth is 10 times greater than the rish of death from an abortion.
Legal abortion is safer than a tonsillectomy, an appendectomy, and a shot of penicillin.
(Warren M. Hern, Abortion Practice 23-24 [1984]).
Nearly nine in 10 abortions take place early in pregnancy.
Eighty-eight percent of abortions are performed during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and 98 percent occur within the first 20 weeks (AGI, Facts in Brief: Induced Abortion [Dec.