I.

INTRODUCTION
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy before birth which results in the death of the unborn baby
called the fetus. Abortions can either be intentional or unintentional. Unintentional abortions happen
because a fetus does not develop normally or because the mother has a sickness that stops her from
being pregnant. This is called a miscarriage. On the other hand, intentional abortions occur because a
pregnancy is unwanted or risky to the mother’s health, or because the fetus is physically or mentally
defective.
Intentional abortion is among today’s problems. Present medical practices made these abortions simpler
and less dangerous.

II. TYPES OF ABORTION METHODS

A. Drug-Based Abortion Methods

Drug-based abortion called medication abortion compels the pregnant woman to drink two types of
drugs within the first weeks of pregnancy. The woman first takes the drug, mifepristone, a hormone
needed to continue the pregnancy. 48 hours after, she takes the second drug, misoprostol. This is a
prostaglandin that causes contractions in the uterus, where the fetus develops. These contractions push
out the fetus.

Another is the use of misoprostol with methotrexate, which is an anticancer drug that stops cell division.
The doctor injects a woman with methotrexate. About a week later, the woman drinks a pill with
misoprostol to increase contractions and push out the fetus.
The effectivity of these drugs is approximately 96 percent. It requires no anesthesia. However, these
drugs can cause negative side effects—some women experience nausea, cramping, and bleeding. Others
have edema and pneumonia, affect the heart and lungs and may cause death.

B. Surgical Abortion Methods

The effectivity of legal surgical abortion is 100 percent. To stop a pregnancy before it reaches eight
weeks, a doctor performs a preemptive abortion. A tube called cannula is inserted through the cervix
into the uterus. This attached to a suction like a a syringe, and what is inside the uterus, like the fetus,
are extracted. This normally do not require anesthesia and can be performed in a clinic and lasts a few
minutes. The most common complication is infection. Women may experience heavy bleeding for a few
days after.

The Vacuum aspiration is used for abortions in the 6th to 14th week. It requires that the cervix be
dilated, or enlarged, so that a cannula can be inserted into the uterus. Here, the cannula is attached to a
pump that removes the contents of the uterus. Sometimes, the lining of the uterus must also be scraped
with a tool called a curette to loosen and remove tissue called curettage. This may require anesthesia.
Minor bruising or injuries to the cervix may occur.

Dilation  and curettage involves dilating the cervix and scraping the uterine lining with a curette to
remove the contents. It requires general anesthesia. Possible complications include a reaction to the
anesthesia and cervical injuries.

An induction  abortion can be performed. Here, a small amount of amniotic fluid, the fluid that
surrounds the fetus, is withdrawn and replaced with another fluid. About 24 to 48 hours later, the uterus
begins to contract and the fetus is expelled. Heavy bleeding, infection, and injuries to the cervix can
occur.
Abortions performed at the end of the second trimester require major surgery. Two such late-term
procedures include hysterotomy and intact dilation and extraction. In hysterotomy, the uterus is cut open
and the fetus is removed like a cesarean section.
A partial birth abortion is the partially removing the fetus from the uterus through the vaginal canal, feet
first, and using suction to remove the brain and spinal fluid from the skull. The skull is then collapsed to
allow complete removal of the fetus from the uterus.

III. CAUSES AND EFFECTS

Social and Ethical Issues

Abortion is one of the most widely talked ethical problems today. The pro-choice are those who favor a
woman’s reproductive rights, including the right to choose to have an abortion. The other are the pro-life
advocates, who may oppose abortion for any reason or who may only accept abortion in extreme
circumstances, like the mother’s life would be threatened. Is it true that the fetus has no legal rights—the
rights belong to the woman carrying the fetus, who can decide whether or not to continue the
pregnancy? Or that the fetus is a human being from the time of conception and is entitled to be born.
Between these positions lies a ethical, religious, and political positions.

This combination of medical uncertainty and emotional confrontations has led to considerable hostility

in the abortion debate. Many women who consider themselves pro-life supporters are concerned about
possible threats to reproductive rights and the danger of allowing the government to decide what
medical options are available to them. Similarly, many pro-choice individuals are deeply saddened by
the act of abortion and seek to minimize its use through better education about birth control, and, in
particular, emergency contraception, birth-control methods that prevent pregnancy after unprotected
sexual intercourse.

Causes
Abortion is caused by a lot of factors. First are teenage pregnancies. Teenagers are either afraid of their
parents to know, or they feel that they cannot raise the unborn children because they are too young.
Second could be overpopulation. Some families are more than they could handle. They commit abortion
to stop the expansion of their brood. Third, abortion could be an escape for rape victims. They feel that
continuing the pregnancy would only remind them of the tragedy thus making the unborn child pay for
the sins of their fathers.

Effects
Abortion affects the mother’s health and morality. It endangers the life of the woman who takes the
medicine or goes into surgery. It could cause different sickness or even death. It might also make her
doubt her religious aspect as a person and lose faith in God. If the fetus does not die, it might cause the
child physical deformities or mental sickness. The society’s morality will also be affected in a way that
they may be calloused as to the issue of abortion. They will no longer be affected with the news of
abortion because it happens everywhere and that would definitely be a sad notion.

IV. ABORTION IN THE PHILIPPINES