Abortion

Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus before

it can survive outside the uterus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a
miscarriage or spontaneous abortion. When deliberate steps are taken to end a pregnancy,
it is called an induced abortion, or less frequently "induced miscarriage". The unmodified
word abortion generally refers to an induced abortion. A similar procedure after the fetus
has potential to survive outside the womb is known as a “late termination of pregnancy” or
less accurately as a "late term abortion".
Side Effect and Health Risk

Women who undergo a medical abortion often experience bleeding and cramping that can
last for up to two weeks after the procedure, including passing blood clots. Other common
side effects include:

 nausea and vomiting

 diarrhea
 feeling dizzy or heaving a headache
 short-lasting hot flashes

Most women will abort anywhere from a couple of hours to a day or two after taking the
second medication. However, it’s normal to experience light bleeding, spotting, and some
cramping for up to four weeks following a medical abortion. Note that you can get pregnant
almost immediately following an abortion.

Counselling

Counselling after an abortion provides a safe space to talk through the different emotions
you may be feeling. Therapies like CBT can be helpful in coping with unhelpful thoughts and
behaviours. It is often used for post-traumatic stress and can help you learn relaxation
techniques, emotional regulation and coping strategies whilst you’re struggling.
People have abortions all the time, regardless of what the law says

Ending a pregnancy is a common decision that millions of people make - every year a
quarter of pregnancies end in abortion.

And regardless of whether abortion is legal or not, people still require and regularly access
abortion services. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a US-based reproductive health
non-profit, the abortion rate is 37 per 1,000 people in countries that prohibit abortion
altogether or allow it only in instances to save a woman’s life, and 34 per 1,000 people in
countries that broadly allow for abortion, a difference that is not statistically significant.
Criminalising abortion does not stop abortions, it just makes abortion less
safe

Preventing women and girls from accessing an abortion does not mean they stop needing
one. That’s why attempts to ban or restrict abortions do nothing to reduce the number of
abortions, it only forces people to seek out unsafe abortions.

Unsafe abortions are defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as “a procedure for
terminating an unintended pregnancy carried out either by persons lacking the necessary
skills or in an environment that does not confirm to minimal medical standards, or both.”

Many countries are starting to change their laws to allow for greater access
to abortion

Over the last 25 years, more than 50 countries have changed their laws to allow for greater
access to abortion, at times recognizing the vital role that access to safe abortion plays in
protecting women’s lives and health. Ireland joined that list on 25 May 2018 when, in a
long-awaited referendum, its people voted overwhelmingly to repeal the near-total
constitutional ban on abortion. 

Access to safe abortion is a matter of human rights

Access to safe abortion services is a human right. Under international human rights law,
everyone has a right to life, a right to health, and a right to be free from violence,
discrimination, and torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

Human rights law clearly spells out that decisions about your body are yours alone – this is
what is known as bodily autonomy.

Forcing someone to carry on an unwanted pregnancy, or forcing them to seek out an unsafe
abortion, is a violation of their human rights, including the rights to privacy and bodily
autonomy.