When abortion was illegal in the late 19th/early 20th century, an estimated 2 million unsafe abortions occurred annually in the US, often resulting in death. Legalization began in the 1960s due to women's rights activism. While legal nationally since 1973, anti-abortion groups use violence and legislation to restrict access. Methods include medication, vacuum aspiration, and later-term procedures. Despite legalization, barriers like costs, regulations, and harassment continue to impact women's reproductive healthcare options.
2. WHEN ABORTION WAS A CRIME
There was an estimated 2 million abortions a year in the
1890s and 1-2 million annually during the 1920s and
„30s when abortion was illegal
Whether a woman could have an abortion depended on
her: race, economic situation, and where she lived
Women with money could leave the country or find
expensive doctors
Poor women were at the mercy of incompetent
practitioners
3. WHEN ABORTION WAS A CRIME
Women also tried dangerous self abortions by
inserting knitting needles or coat hangers into
the vagina and uterus, douching with dangerous
solutions, or swallowing strong drugs or
chemicals.
All women were subjected to the desperation,
humiliation, and fear created by the
criminalization
Scholars estimate about 5,000 women died
annually in the US because of abortions
Nearly 4 times as many women of color as white
women died as a result of illegal abortions
4. JANE COLLECTIVE
Before abortion was legalized there was an underground
feminist abortion service, the Jane Collective.
They provided safe, effective, inexpensive, and
supportive illegal abortions
Over a 4 year period they provided more than 11,000
first and second trimester abortions
Also some dedicated & well-trained doctors and other
medical practitioners risked imprisonment, fines, and
loss of their medical licenses to provide abortions
5. LEGALIZING ABORTION
Inspired by the civil rights and anti-war movements,
women began standing up for themselves in the 1960s
They marched, rallied, and lobbied for legislative reform
As a result – some states liberalized abortion laws,
allowing women to have an abortion only in certain
circumstances, such as rape or incest
New York became the first state to legalize abortion
Eventually, the Supreme Court decided a woman‟s
decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy in the
first semester was protected under the “right of
privacy… founded in the Fourteenth Amendment‟s
concept of personal liberty”
6. FINE PRINT
Even though abortion was legalized, the court allowed
states to place restrictions in the second trimester to
protect a woman‟s health, and in the third trimester to
protect a viable fetus
7. ANTI-CHOICE MOVEMENT
Legalizing abortion began an aggressive, often violent
campaign to:
intimidate abortion providers
Block access to clinics
Stigmatize abortion
Pass legal restrictions
Their main goal was to outlaw abortion entirely, but their
approach has been to wear away access to clinics
Harassment and violence against providers has led to a
sharp decrease in services
8. OPERATION SAVE AMERICA
Originally Operation Rescue, Operation Save America
gained a bad reputation in the 1980s for blockading
clinic entrances, provoking tens of thousands of arrests
worldwide
Abortion clinics have been the targets of:
Bombings
Arson
Anthrax threats
Acid attacks
9. OPERATION SAVE AMERICA CONTINUED
State restrictions have been devastating for the most
vulnerable women:
Young women
Women with low incomes
Women of color
Women who live in rural areas
Women who depend on the government for health care
10. FREEDOM OF ACCESS TO CLINIC ENTRANCES
ACT (FACE)
Congress passed this act to try to stop the massive
protests and invasions of clinics but failed
Individual doctors and their families were harassed, their
yards were picketed, wanted posters circulated the
communities, and people also listed their name on the
internet
11. DIFFERENT TYPES OF ABORTION
Medication
Vacuum Aspiration – also known as suction curettage
Dilation and evacuation
Induction
12. MEDICATION ABORTION
Ends pregnancy within the first 9 weeks
Can only be used if pregnancy has no exceeded 9 weeks
2 types are drugs are taken within 2-7 days after each other
Pills can either be taken orally or inserted into the vagina
First drug is taken at clinic, but the second pill may either be sent
home with you to take or you will have to return to the clinic to take
it
Cramping & bleeding will usually begin within a few hours
Bleeding may be heavier than normal period
Cramps will range from mild to intense – severe lower
abdominal cramps typically mean the pregnancy tissue is passing
down the cervix
Most common side effects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, or
fatigue
They should not last long & will resolve on their own
Spotting may continue for several days to a few weeks
A follow up appointment must be scheduled to the clinician can be
13. VACUUM ASPIRATION
Suction is used to terminate the pregnancy in one appointment
Can be used as a method of abortion up to 16 weeks of pregnancy
Before starting the procedure the clinician performs a pelvic exam to
check the size & position of the uterus
A speculum is inserted into the vagina to separate the vaginal walls to
bring the cervix into view
Local anesthetic solution is injected around the cervix in two or more
places
The cervix will gradually dilate by insertion and removal of dilators of
increasing size
A cannula, a sterile straw like tube is inserted through the cervix into the
uterus.
• It is attached to the vacuum device or electric pump and the pregnancy
tissues are removed by moving the cannula back & forth
• There will be some cramping as the uterus contracts & empties – these
are important because they squeeze the blood vessels of the uterus shut
Cramps may also range from mild to intense but will lessen right
after the cannula is removed
14. DILATION & EVACUATION AND INDUCTION
ABORTION
Dilation and Evacuation Induction Abortion
Similar to vacuum Involved medications that cause the
uterus to contract and expel the
abortion pregnancy
Painful contractions may last for
However, cervix needs to several hours or even a just one day
be open wider because Takes place in a hospital – most
the pregnancy is further hospitals don‟t have a special area
for induction abortions so women
along requiring a may be on the maternity ward
clinician to soften & As the fetus is expelled, there is a lot
of pressure in the rectal area
dilate the cervix ahead of If the placenta does not exit the body
time within an hour or two, your provider
may use suction to remove it
Usually takes between
10-20 minutes
15. SURPRISING FACTS!
Pregnancy Crisis centers are often listen under abortion alternatives in
the phone book. They provide advertising about counseling & referral
agencies but they are actually run by anti-choice groups.
They advertise free pregnancy testing but actually try to dissuade
women from having abortions by giving misleading information
such as, telling you your pregnancy is further along than it actually is
Some states require a 1-2 day waiting period between counseling & the
procedure making women wait even longer cause a second trimester
abortion
You can continue to test positive for pregnancy 4-6 weeks after a
successful abortion
Not all hospital have specific areas for women getting induction
abortions so they may end up on the maternity ward – I think this could
cause severe emotional problems
16. ABORTION FACTS
88% of abortions are performed during the first trimester
Length of pregnancy is counted from the first day or the last
menstrual period not the day of conception
The method of abortion a woman uses depends on a few
things: medical history, including any medical conditions or
drug allergies, how far along the pregnancy is, the equipment
& supplies available, the training of the person performing the
abortion, and your own preferences.
If you have a choice of abortion procedures (meaning the
pregnancy is not too far along) you should consider:
effectiveness, duration & predictability, pain & pain relief
options, convenience & privacy, and cost
You can get pregnant shortly after an abortion, even before
your first period, so it’s important to use reliable birth control
It is normal to feel relief after an abortion, but it is also normal
to have mixed or even negative feelings
17. FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Only 18% of ob-gyn residency programs train all
residents in abortion procedures, do you think
everyone should be trained so women can have a
wider choice when choosing who will terminate their
pregnancy?
Do you think we should develop more abortion
clinics for women of lower socioeconomic status?
Think about your views of abortion right now. Now
think about it if you or someone you love was raped
& got pregnant from that rape – do you still feel the
same way about abortion?