What are some of the medical reasons why an abortion is necessary?

The right to a safe and legal abortion is a human right as per the United Nations human rights treaty. In some cases an abortion is a medically necessary and can even be lifesaving surgery where there are complications in the pregnancy impacting the health of the mother.

There are two types of abortions – a medical abortion and a surgical abortion. Medical abortion is a procedure that uses medication to end a pregnancy. This can be done in the doctors office or in your own home. You could have a medical abortion to complete an early miscarriage, end an unwanted pregnancy or if there is a medical reason to terminate the pregnancy e.g. life threatening condition of the mother. A surgical abortion on the other hand is performed by a doctor in a clinic where they will either use suction to empty the uterus or dilation and evacuation which is a combination of suction and medical tools.

The type of abortion you have will largely depend on how far you are along in the pregnancy, with a medical abortion before 9 weeks, suction abortion up to 14 -16 weeks and dilation and evacuation for pregnancies that are over 16 weeks. A trained professional can assist you in making a decision on the best choice for you.

Given the recent changes that have occurred in the United States with Roe v Wade being overturned, many women currently do not have access to a safe and legal abortion in the state they live in. Whilst there are many personal reasons why women may wish to have an abortion such as ending an unwanted pregnancy for emotional, financial, mental health reasons or simply not being in a position in their life to want to raise a child, there are also, as previously mentioned, many medically necessary abortions which are lifesaving procedures. The lack of access to a safe and legal abortion, will in some cases be detrimental to a woman’s health and may result in death.

Not in any way trying to take away from people who choose to have an abortion for non-medical reasons, which are equally valid, this post will explore some of the medical reasons for which an abortion is necessary.

1. Ectopic Pregnancy - Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is the main cause of maternal death during the first trimester of pregnancy and accounts for approximately 10% of all pregnancy-related deaths. An ectopic pregnancy is when the pregnancy occurs outside the uterus such as in the ovary or fallopian tube. Some ectopic pregnancies may resolve spontaneously but others need treatment - the only treatment for an ectopic pregnancy is an abortion. If the fertilised foetus continues to grow in the fallopian tube or ovary, it can burst resulting in internal bleeding and death.

2. An infection in the uterus – This may be due to the waters breaking early which can result in an infection inside the uterus. This can spread to the blood stream and cause sepsis which has a high risk of death. Therefore an abortion is typically encouraged if the patient breaks their water before 20 weeks. One such case sadly occurred in Ireland where Savita Halappanavar was denied access to terminate her pregnancy at 17 weeks resulting in sepsis and death.

3. Placental abruption – This is when the placenta starts to separate from the uterus either partially or totally. An abortion may be recommended as a life saving measure to prevent the mother bleeding to death in severe cases.

4. Pre-eclampsia – This is a pregnancy complication that involves developing high blood pressure and signs of organ damage. An abortion may be recommended in severe cases where the health of the mother is at risk.

5. If a patient has a life-threatening illness such as cancer, treating the cancer aggressively may also result in ending the pregnancy. The drugs used in cancer treatments are successful in treating the cancer but may impact the development of the foetus.

Whilst this article has focused on the ‘medically necessary’ reasons for abortions, there are many other reasons why people choose to have abortions, all of which are valid. To be forced to have a child and not have the choice to decide whether to have the baby or not can have a huge impact on the mental health of a person. Therefore, in my personal opinion, even abortions that are seen as being made for ‘non-medical’ or personal reasons, also can be supported by a medical need; to protect the mental health of the mother.

References

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-abortion-false-idUSL1N2TC0VD

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ireland-abortion-idUSBRE8AD1QD20121115

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-06-24/after-2-ectopic-pregnancies-i-fear-what-might-happen-without-roe-v-wade

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010782421000226