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Abortion: Pregnancies
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The development of anti-abortion legislation not only reflected ideas of race and class, but ... affected gender roles. Before the mid-nineteenth century, women held a stronger position in realm of pregnancy, childbearing, and abortion than afterward. Childbirth took place at home, often with the assistance of a midwife; pregnant women were looked after by other women; and individuals had access to natural herbs that were known abortifacients. In addition, only a pregnant woman knew when quickening took place. The devaluation of quickening by the medical community had already weakened a woman's authority in her own pregnancy. Criminalizing abortion, except under a doctor's recommendation, and abortifacients without a doctor's prescription, further weakened her authority.
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A few different methods can be used to induce abortion. One method is the use of mifepristone, a drug to end the pregnancy. No surgery is required. Mifepristone is generally used up to 49 days since the first day of the last menstrual period. Mifepristone is from 90 to 95 percent effective and is not available in all clinics.
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Spontaneous abortion may become evident clinically either as ‘threatened’ or ‘inevitable’. A threatened abortion is said to occur when a woman bleeds from the uterus before 24 weeks of pregnancy. There are three possible outcomes: the bleeding may settle and the pregnancy continue; the fetus may die but be retained in the uterus (confirmed by an ultrasound examination) and this is known as a ‘missed’ abortion; a missed abortion may proceed to an inevitable abortion, with continued or intensified bleeding and expulsion of the products of conception. Bleeding may be severe, causing shock; in some cases this is life-threatening and blood transfusion may be required. Death occurs in a few cases where medical care is poor or absent. In the UK the death rate is of the order of 12.5 per million pregnancies.
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The law on abortion in Northern Ireland has something of a confusing history, and remains ambiguous to this day. Originally outlawed in 1861, it was modified in 1945, stating that abortion was not an offence if it was done to save the mother's life. However, this new legal status only applied to abortions carried out after the 28th week of pregnancy, leaving doctors to use their individual judgement on cases up to 27 weeks.
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RU-486 is a drug that produces an abortion. It is taken after the mother misses her period. It can be used up to the second month of pregnancy. It works by blocking progesterone, a crucial hormone during pregnancy. Without progesterone, the uterine lining does not provide food, fluid and oxygen to the tiny developing baby. The baby cannot survive.
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The report claims that 12,603 pregnancies were terminated, the highest level since abortion was made legal in 1967. Source. BBCNews, news.bbc.uk. For the complete story, please click here (last visited May 24, 2006, reo).
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