Free Custom «Late Term Abortion» Essay Paper

An Annotated Bibliography on the Dangers and Risks of a Late Term Abortion

Introduction

Abortion is the act of terminating of a pregnancy before its nine term period reaches. The termination is either done through surgery or through the consumption of medication. It is considered illegal in most countries but has been legalized in some. Some of the reasons put forth to carry out an abortion include such as if the baby is considered to have a medical condition (physical and mental abnormalities) and if the mother’s health is at a risk. It is medically advised to carry out an abortion if the pregnancy is less than twelve weeks so as to minimize the risks. The older the pregnancy, the more the risk attached to carrying out an abortion for the mother. Therefore, late term abortions are considered to pose dangers. Hence, the procedure should not be carried out. They are considered late term as they are carried out after twenty four weeks during the gestation period (Coleman et al., 2010). 

The above mentioned authors are well known for articles in the medicine field of study. According to the researches they did, a comparison between early and late term abortions indicated that carrying out a late term abortion had a higher risk of physical health concerns on the mother as compared to an early abortion. Other than physical health concerns, the article indicated that patients who underwent late term abortions also suffered emotional distress. The victims could have nightmares and problems going to sleep. The article also emphasizes on the mental risk attached to the late term abortions.

Jane Lerner (2013), who is an editor for the journal news on various topics, emphasizes that late term abortions are only done in cases of severe abnormalities with the fetus. Alternatively it is done when the life of the mother is facing a threat brought about by the pregnancy. She highlights on the incomparability of life as some communities reject the idea of an abortion no matter the stage of pregnancy. As the author opined if the mother’s life is in a position to be saved then the idea of an abortion is advisable.

Gaufberg has written several articles on abortion as a whole over the years. In 2008, he addressed the complications brought about by late term abortions. He highlights the risk of hemorrhage (profuse bleeding) which if not addressed may lead to surgery and/ or blood transfusion. More risks include such as the injury of the cervix as the fetus at that stage is relatively big to pass through the cervix and other surrounding organs. Other concerns include blood clots in the uterus, the occurrence of incomplete abortions and a high probability of infections.

Long term risks attached to late term abortions include depression, sleeping disorders due to nightmares or fear, miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies in the future as well as a complication which is medically known as placenta previa. In such a case, the placenta covers the cervix which in turn causes severe bleeding before or during delivery in future pregnancies. The worst of the dangers as indicated in the article is the probability of death which is more likely in the late stages of a pregnancy (Bartlett et al., 2004).

The research carried out was based on a sample of women in the United States. The study looked at the risk factors that led to deaths due to induced abortions. The study indicated that the older the gestation period of the pregnancy, the more likely it was for a life to be lost. The older the pregnancy, the more dangerous the procedure was on the mother as observed in the United States (Drey et al., 2006).

The author looks into the factors that may lead to an individual waiting for a late term abortion. Like other researchers, Drey et al. (2006) found that the late term abortion would pose higher risks since the procedure is more dangerous. The reasons they address include late realization of the pregnancy whereby some individuals realize that they are pregnant months later, the professional delays, a referral for whatever reasons and a delay in funds.

The research identifies the reasons why abortions, especially late term abortions can be carried out. Some of the reasons include terminal illnesses, abnormalities observed on the fetus or if the mother’s life is at risk. The research findings are meant to minimize the incidences of abortions as a whole and more so late term abortions. Teenagers are more likely to undergo late term abortions as they try to hide it from their parents until it is too late. The implication of this study is to that one should undergo late term abortions based on medical reasons only leading to minimizing the number of dangers of abortion. As a result, professionals would not have to deal with any dangers after this kind of procedures thus saving more lives (Davenport. 2009).

Conclusion

As was observed in all articles, late term abortions entail high risk procedures. Hence, they should only be carried out in extreme cases where the mother is at risk of losing her life. The authors have agreed on the risks including physical health concerns and emotional distress. Therefore, with the number of disadvantages that come with the risks and dangers of a late term abortion, it is advisable to carry out an abortion within the first twelve weeks of the gestation period.