Options
The hardest decision ever
deserves a lot of thought
Once you are certain you are pregnant, there are three possible paths to take:
- You can have an abortion.
- You can carry your baby to term and make an adoption plan.
- You can carry your baby to term and parent.
No matter what solution you choose, Pregnancy Solutions & Services is here to help by providing services that are confidential, caring, and at no cost to you.
The decision in front of you is huge. Each option deserves to be carefully considered. Pregnancy Solutions & Services provides peer counselors who help women and couples sort through these options. Feel free to contact them!
ABORTION
While abortion may seem like a “quick fix” to an unexpected or inconvenient situation, it is a permanent decision that comes with both physical and emotional risks.
As is the case with any medical procedure, the best decision is an informed one. If you’ve been told that abortion is safe because it’s legal, please take time to consider all of the risks associated with abortion.
Physical Risks
While deaths from abortion are rare, other physical risks include heavy bleeding, infection, sepsis (a total body infection), complications from anesthesia, damage to the cervix, scarring of the uterine lining, perforation of the uterus, and damage to internal organs. (Unfortunately, some of these complications could affect future pregnancies.)
Mental/Emotional Risks
While many women choosing abortion feel relief initially, many studies have found a connection between abortion and the woman’s emotional health for months and even years, with many experiencing guilt, grief, anger, anxiety, eating disorders, difficulty bonding with partners or children, clinical depression, drug and alcohol abuse, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and suicide.
More About Abortion
Abortion Procedures
The type of procedure is determined by how far along you are in your pregnancy.
Before 7 Weeks after Last Menstrual Period
(LMP) Manual Vacuum Aspiration – A long, thin tube is inserted into the uterus. A large syringe is attached to the tube and the embryo is suctioned out.
Abortion Pill and Mifepristone – This procedure usually requires three office visits. On the first visit, the woman is given pills to cause the death of the embryo. Two days later, if the abortion has not occurred, the woman is given a second drug which causes cramps to expel the embryo. The last visit determines if the procedure has been completed. (This procedure will not work in the case of a ectopic pregnancy, a life-threatening condition in which the embryo lodges outside the uterus.)
Approximately 6 to 14 Weeks after
LMP Suction Curettage – The most common surgical abortion procedure. Because the fetus is larger, the doctor must first stretch open the cervix using metal rods. Opening a cervix may be painful, so a local or general anesthesia is typically needed. After the cervix is stretched open, the doctor inserts a hard plastic tube into the uterus and then connects this tube to a suction machine. This suction pulls the fetus’ body apart and out of the uterus. The doctor may also use a loop-shaped tool called a curette to scrape the fetus and fetal parts out of the uterus.
Approximately 13 to 24 Weeks after
LMP Dilation and Curettage (D & E) – This surgical abortion is done during the second trimester of pregnancy. At this point in pregnancy, the fetus is too large to be broken up by suction alone and will not pass through the suction tubing. In this procedure, the cervix must be opened wider than in the first trimester abortion. This is done by inserting numerous thin rods made of seaweed (called laminaria) a day or two before the abortion. Once the cervix is stretched open, the doctor pulls out the fetal parts with forceps. The fetal skull is often crushed to ease removal. A loop-shaped tool called a curette is also used to scrap out the contents of the uterus, removing any remaining tissue.
Approximately 20 Weeks after
LMP to Full-Term Late Term Abortions – These procedures typically take place over three days, use local anesthesia and are associated with increased risk to the life and health of the mother. On the first day, under ultrasound guidance, the fetal heart is injected with a medication that stops the heart and causes the fetus to die. Also over the first two days, the cervix is gradually stretched open using laminaria. On the third day, the amniotic sac is burst and drained. The remainder of the procedure is similar to the D & E procedure described above.
If you are feeling pressured to have an abortion, remember that the decision is yours alone to make. No one can force you to have an abortion. In fact, it is illegal for someone to do so. Ultimately, you will be the one who must live with the decision you make.
If you choose to have an abortion or have had an abortion, Pregnancy Solutions & Services offers Post-Abortion Counseling to help you work through the emotions and after effects of abortion. Please contact Pregnancy Solutions & Services if you would like more information about abortion.
ADOPTION
Adoption is a legal procedure which places a child with adoptive parents who will raise the child as a member of their own loving family. Working with an adoption counselor, you can set up an adoption plan.
Choosing adoption means you are concerned about being a good mother and understand that raising a child can be difficult. It may be something that you realize you are not prepared for or capable of doing at this time in your life.
What is important is that you do what is best for you and your baby. Sometimes a birth parent simply is not ready to raise a child. By choosing adoption, you give LIFE to your child, the ultimate gift. It is a mature act of selfless love for your child.
Those who care about you will understand your decision. Most importantly, you will know that you have made the loving choice for you and for your child.
More About Adoption
A couple wanting to adopt a child must apply and be accepted as prospective adoptive parents. A home study is done to ensure that the couple will be able to provide care and love for a child.
After adoption, it’s normal to experience many emotions, including grief, sadness, and loneliness. These feelings are a healthy part of life. It means you realize there needs to be a time of healing. Many birth mothers have said they have peace, because they know they have made the best decision for themselves and their babies.
Adoption agencies offer counselors who can help you through the time after you’ve placed your child with a family. If you choose to carry your baby to term and have an adoption plan in place, Pregnancy Solutions & Services offers Referrals to Adoption Agencies that will help you prepare an adoption plan
PARENTING
If parenting is an option, but you are not sure where to turn for the support you will need, there are pregnancy centers across the country that would love to help you! If you are in the Akron, Ohio, area, contact Pregnancy Solutions & Services. If you are out of the area, visit OptionLine.org to find a pregnancy center near you.
If you choose to carry your baby to term and parent, Pregnancy Solutions & Services offers:
- A List of Agencies that offer a variety of information and assistance.
- Pregnancy and Parenting Classes to help prepare you for delivery and parenting.
- Maternity and Baby Items to help provide necessary goods for you and your baby.