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CHAPTER THREE

ABORTION

     An abortion removes the fertilized egg and developing tissue from the woman's body. It ends the pregnancy.

Types of abortion differ. The type used depends on when you have the abortion. All abortions are safest in the first three months.

The earliest can be done five to seven days after the first missed period. In this type of abortion, one end of a small tube is put through the vagina into the uterus and the other end is attached to a pump. The lining of the uterus is sucked into the tube. If the woman is pregnant, she won't have her period that month but otherwise she will be okay. It hurts a little but usually not enough for the woman to need painkillers. This is called suction abortion. It must be done in a doctor's office, clinic, or hospital.

If a suction abortion is done after six weeks of pregnancy, the woman will need a painkiller. She may get a shot of novocain, like what a dentist gives. A suction abortion can be done any time up to twelve weeks of pregnancy. Abortions after the twelfth week of pregnancy are harder on the woman. She may need to stay in a hospital overnight and she may need to be put out instead of just getting a shot of painkiller. The methods used after the twelfth week but before the sixteenth week are: dilation and curettage ("D & C") and dilation and evacuation. In both of these methods the doctor scrapes the lining of the uterus. Getting an abortion as early as possible is easier on the woman's body than getting an abortion after twelve weeks of pregnancy. Abortions can be done even later than sixteen weeks, but by that time the process is more like giving birth.

     Finding a clinic to do an early abortion is easier now that abortion is legal, though not all areas of the country, or all doctors, or all hospitals offer abortions. You can begin by looking in the Yellow Pages of the telephone book. Look under Abortion Information, Birth Control Information Centers, Clincs, or Social Service Organizations. If you are near a PLANNED PARENTHOOD center you can ask for advice there. Some of these centers have their own abortion services; others will give you the names of clinics so you can choose one for yourself. A social worker, doctor, minister, or rabbi might also be able to refer you to a good clinic.

What should you look for? A good clinic should be clean and licensed by the state. Ask if there are arrangements with a hospital in case of emergency, a place for you to rest afterward, and counselors you can talk with.

When you make an appointment with a clinic for an abortion, you will need to give them some basic information. They will want to know your mane, your age, and when you had your last menstrual period. The clinic should check you for pregnancy. If you have had your pregnancy test and arranged for your abortion early enough, try to have a gonorrhea test too. If it should turn out that you have gonorrhea, it is best to have it treated before the abortion.

     You won't need your parents' permission, but you may need a judge's okay if you really want to keep your parents from knowing. You may have to tell your parents if you need money to pay for an abortion or if the abortion requires a hospital stay. Some teens are so afraid of letting their families know about their pregnancy that they would do anything rather than face them with the news. Some parents do get very angry, but many don't. Hard as it may be, telling parents is probably the single most helpful thing an unmarried teen can do. Don't be shy about asking for money for an abortion. But if you need an abortion and can't pay for it, don't let the first three months go by while you try to scrape up the money. Get in touch with a social worker or a Planned Parenthood clinic right away. Make arrangements for how to pay ahead of time.