Termination of pregnancy

Under a Termination of pregnancy medical professionals understand the intentional termination of an existing pregnancy. This results in the death of the unborn embryo, which is why the procedure is still controversial. Abortions, too abortion or Abortion called, can be for health or personal reasons.

What is an abortion?

A Termination of pregnancy describes the premature and, above all, deliberate termination of a pregnancy. The decision to have an abortion can be made for either health or personal reasons.

If pregnancy is not desired (for example because of personal circumstances or after being raped) or if it poses a threat to the mother's health and life, she can opt for an abortion.

The embryo is removed from the body so that no further growth can occur. The embryo dies during this process and is then "disposed of" medically. From a legal point of view, termination of pregnancy is a criminal offense; however, there are numerous exceptions.

Function, application & goals

The goal of one Abortion is, as the name suggests, the termination of a pregnancy. This happens when the mother-to-be does not want to give birth to the child for personal reasons or is unable to do so for health reasons.

The abortion takes place in a clinic and is carried out by trained medical professionals. There are different procedures that can be used to terminate pregnancy. Since abortions can only be performed up to the 12th week of pregnancy and the embryo is not yet viable on its own at this point in time, these are usually quite small interventions.

A very common abortion method is suction. In this procedure, a tube is inserted into the uterus through which the embryo is suctioned. The complication rate with this procedure is rather low, as are the physical after-effects for the patient. If larger pieces of tissue have to be removed as part of the termination of pregnancy, so-called scraping is carried out (this can also be done in addition to suction).

In addition to the surgical methods for ending a pregnancy, medical abortions can also take place. By taking the so-called "abortion pill", the embryo is rejected by the body and excreted through moderate to heavy bleeding. However, the use of this drug is only permitted up to the ninth week of pregnancy. The process is always monitored by the attending physician. In some cases, surgical intervention is necessary afterwards to remove any tissue residues from the uterus.

If a so-called late termination takes place after the 12th week (e.g. if the child would not be able to survive due to an illness or disability), this can also be carried out with medication. The result is a miscarriage or stillbirth. To prevent a live birth, the fetus can also be killed in the womb.

Risks & dangers

Apart from that the Termination of pregnancy is still legally and ethically (partly also religiously) controversial, it can mean a great physical and psychological burden for the patient concerned.

During procedures such as suctioning, the physical pain is limited, and in most cases there are no complications with a professionally performed abortion. In countries where abortions are forbidden and are therefore also carried out secretly by unqualified personnel, there is much more often serious damage that can even endanger the patient's life.

However, the later the abortion takes place, the higher the risk of suffering consequential damage, such as a so-called cervical weakness, even with a professionally performed procedure. In addition, the probability of having a premature birth after an abortion and a new pregnancy is statistically higher. If complications arise as part of an abortion, the fertility of the patient may also suffer.

As well as the physical strain, the psychological after-effects, which often result after an abortion, must also be taken into account. These occur particularly strongly when the person concerned encounters incomprehension or rejection in their social environment due to their decision.