WOMEN'S HEALTH AND SAFETY CHECKLIST FOR THOSE CONSIDERING ABORTION
Our commitment at Woman to Woman Support Network is to help women considering abortion realize what is in their best interest. This means helping them avoid being hurt physically and emotionally, or helping them find solutions to the distressing circumstances causing them to feel they have "no choice" but abortion. Having "no choice" is not a choice. We recommend you not "just get in and get it over with." Slow down and think about what's best for you. As with all surgery, abortion has inherent dangers that cannot be eliminated. Therefore, we cannot morally and ethically refer you to a specific clinic for an abortion. However, here is a nine point health and safety checklist that can help protect you against physical and emotional injuries.
1. Get a blood test or a laboratory quality urine test.
You may not be pregnant after all. We provide a laboratory quality urine test free of charge as a service to women. Because of the conflict of interest involved, do not confirm your pregnancy at the abortion center. Some doctors have had their licenses revoked for performing abortions on women who were not pregnant. Carol Everett, an abortion provider, testified in Congress that she regularly sold abortions to women who were not pregnant but who feared that they were. At centers like ours nationwide, advisors have seen numerous women who were told at abortion clinics that they were pregnant and who had made appointments for abortions but who tested negative in the pregnancy center offices. Make sure that you are tested by someone other than the abortion provider.
2. Do not allow anyone to sell you an abortion prior to the eighth week of pregnancy.
Providers will sell you one but then will not "guarantee success" prior to the eighth week. The fetus is simply too small to locate. Abortion is already a blind procedure (by feel and guess work) and when done prior to the eighth week, the dangers of internal damage are severe. The suction tube may perforate your uterus and bowel. More commonly, the abortion is incomplete and part of the fetus is left behind, causing severe infection. This can lead to infertility and, in some cases, to toxic poisoning and death. Don't be a victim of someone's desire to make a quick cash sale.
3. Ask for the name of the doctor performing the abortion.
Abortion is legal; malpractice and substandard medical treatment are not. Unless you insist on knowing the name of the doctor you may not be told. In case of injury, the abortionist is relying on your not wanting anyone to know that you were ever at their clinic; he (or she) is also counting on your not knowing who to hold accountable for the malpractice. In order to protect your interests in case of injury, know your doctor's name.
4. Verify that the doctor is competent and caring by calling your state's Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline.
In Rhode Island, the number to call is 401/222-3855. Call your own state's health department to get the phone number to call to check on doctors in your state. You do not have to give your name when making this call. Ask if there are or have been any complaints or malpractice suits lodged against your doctor and the abortion clinic. This is a matter of consumer protection. You should know if the doctor who will operate on you is competent. Some doctors have been under investigation for various malpractice and sexual assault offenses. Some clinics have malpractice judgments pending against them. Abortion providers routinely fail to inform clients about the risks of abortion. Many also have quality care problems. You deserve competent treatment, not substandard care.
5. Check to see if the abortion center is a licensed medical clinic.
Abortion providers are not required by law to be licensed clinics and therefore are not required to provide the standard of medical care that women deserve and expect. Abortion is the only field of medicine that is unregulated. Make sure that you only go to a clinic that at least meets the minimum safety standards required for a medical clinic license. Some clinics advertise themselves as licensed private practices. This gives a misleading sense of meeting high standards. It is actually the opposite. Others may be equally misleading. Ask and then check to see if the information, as you understand it, is true.
6. Understand that abortion is surgery and carries particular health risks.
Ectopic pregnancies: Studies show that risk of an ectopic pregnancy is twice as high for women who have had one abortion and up to four times as high for women with two or more abortions. Ectopic pregnancies, in which the fetus develops in the ovarian tube rather than in the uterus, account for 12% of all pregnancy related maternal deaths.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID): 30% of all women suffer PID following induced abortion. PID leads to fever and infertility.
Breast Cancer: An analysis of all reputable studies done to date suggests that women who abort their first pregnancy in the first trimester (first 3 months of pregnancy) face an alarming 50% increase in breast cancer, a rate which doubles with each successive abortion.
Psychological/emotional trauma: 50% of all post-abortive women report experiencing emotional and psychological disturbances lasting for months. These include acute feelings of grief, depression, and anger; fear of disclosure; preoccupation with babies; night mares; sexual inhibition; termination of relationships; emotional coldness; increased alcohol use; and thoughts of suicide. Many go into the clinic thinking, "This is my only choice!" but come out saying, "What have I done?" Be prepared.
If you are considering abortion only because of your circumstances, change your circumstances. Your ambivalence indicates that you have conflicted feelings. Take time to ask yourself "why" you have these conflicted feelings. Do not abort your conscience and values. They are what make you a strong woman. Fight and overcome your circumstances rather than submit to them. Our advisors are aptly trained in helping women in just such cases. Call us. There is never any fee for our services.
7. Demand your money back, should you change your mind, even when you're on the table.
Abortion providers know that this is an intensely agonizing decision and see women change their minds at the last minute because, as they say, "I simply can't kill my baby, no matter how difficult my circumstances." They may make you wait a long time, hoping once again that you'll change your mind. Know your rights. Don't be pressured.
8. Understand your legal rights following an abortion.
Some abortion providers insist that all patients sign a statement saying they will not hold the clinic or doctor liable for damages which might occur because of the abortion. However, this document has virtually no legal authority. If you are physically or emotionally injured, you always retain your constitutional right to seek financial compensation in a court of law, no matter what you signed. Call us. We can refer you to legal counsel.
9. Know what abortion is and why it is such a difficult and painful decision.
Why so painful? You should not have a surgical abortion prior to the eighth week. By this time, the fetus is well developed, complete with fingers, even finger prints and a fully recognizable body to go with them. The heart has been beating for over a month and the fetus has an entire nervous system and can feel pain. The fetus is a separate person with a different genetic code from yours, probably a different blood type, and, half the time, a penis. The fetus is in your body but not part of your body. Make sure that you don't deny yourself this vital information. You're not a child who needs to be screened from the facts; you're a mother in need of help. At Woman to Woman Support Network, we are dedicated to helping you make a decision you can live with, whatever the cost! We will always be there for you, no matter how often you need us including, if necessary, long after your first call to us. Feel free to contact us with any need or question.
There is never any charge for our services.
If you have read this health and safety checklist and are not in our area, we can refer you to a center like ours that will be near you. There are over 3000 such centers in the United States. Please give us a call.
Woman to Woman Support Network, Inc.
1341 West Main Road, Airport Plaza Unit 5
Middletown, RI 02842 (401) 841-9211
e-mail: jmartellino@home.com