Birth Control Vs Abortion Research Paper

Birth Control versus Abortion
Melissa Frazier
Com/156
03/13/11

With the vast amount of methods of birth control that is available today, abortions to end an unwanted pregnancy should not be an option. Both men and women have a multitude of options for preventing an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy that they are not ready for financially, emotionally or for any reason that they may have. Abortions are available into the third trimester. However, the methods of removing the unborn child or fetus become crueler as the pregnancy progresses. Thus abortions border on moral and ethical boundaries for both women and men.
Both men and women play an active part concerning the right type of birth control contraceptive that can be used. Some have
higher effectiveness rates than others, but only a few have the added benefit of protecting against sexually transmitted diseases. Men in reality, have three options when making decisions about what types of methods that they will use when preventing pregnancy. Condoms not only protect against pregnancy, they are also one of the few methods that against most forms of sexually transmitted diseases. With the multitude of types that are available and the low costs; this should be one of the easiest decisions for a man to make. Withdrawal is another method that men can choose to use, although it is not as effective. The risk pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases when using this method is increased as well. Precise timing should be used, although one can say that it would “ruin the moment.” The final form of birth control that a man could use is sterilization. This form was once called permanent, but can be reversed. The drawback is that the male may not be as fertile as he once was.
Women have different forms of birth control to choose from. From hormonal contraceptives to barrier contraceptives and beyond, there is virtually no reason that abortions of unwanted pregnancies should occur. Birth control pills, the Depo-Provera injection, hormone implants and patches are the forms of hormonal contraceptives. If these are taken or used, the effectiveness against conceiving a child is substantial. Birth control pills are taken by mouth daily. A woman can take these for however long that she would like in her life. Depo-Provera injections are given every three months by a doctor to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Hormone implants last up to three to five years. There are only two known types of implants that last the same amount of time as the Depo-Provera shot; often called Norplant or Implanon that work the same way the shot does. The hormone patches are replaced each week for maximum protection against pregnancy. One of the newest forms of birth control is the NuvaRing. It is changed every three weeks for maximum protection. Much like the birth control pill the week that the ring is not used is the week that the woman would have a menstrual cycle. None of these prevent against sexually transmitted diseases so additional preventative measures should be taken. Cervical caps, contraceptive sponges, diaphragms, female condoms, and spermicide are the different types of barrier contraceptives. The effectiveness of barrier contraceptives against preventing unplanned pregnancies is also very prominent. All of these should be inserted before intercourse, and removed up to eight hours after sex. However, the female condom does not need extra spermicide, and should be removed immediately. Douching is not advised because it reduces the effectiveness of the spermicide. All of these barrier birth control methods are available over-the-counter and are relatively cheap. Other forms of birth control that are uncategorized are the emergency contraceptive pill, IUDs, tubal ligation, the lactational amenorrhea method or LAM for short, and natural family planning. The emergency contraceptive pill is often called the “morning after pill.” Women often use this if the other types of birth control that she is taking somehow fail. An example is if the condom that the male or even the female condom breaks or has a tear or hole in it and either partner suspects that conception may have been possible. Tubal ligation is often called “getting fixed” by some women. This surgical procedure is often the last choice that a woman makes so that she does not have children. Many times they get their tubes cut, burned, or clamped shut. It is reversible but at the same risks the male has when he is sterilized. Intrauterine devices or IUDs are used if the woman is not quite sure if she is completely ready for sterilization. Generally the IUD lasts about five years but can be taken out at any time the woman chooses. Lactational amenorrhea or LAM is practiced by breastfeeding women with children younger than 6 months of age. Breast feeding somehow prevents the mother from ovulating, only if the child is fed about six to ten times per day. Once the child reaches six months however, the woman should choose another form of birth control to prevent a pregnancy. The last form of birth control is natural family planning. This is basically just a couple not having intercourse when the woman is ovulating. This takes months of charting and practice to get perfect, but if a couple is patient, they can achieve great results.
Being faced with an unwanted pregnancy is a scary thing but no one tells the horrible tales of what happens during an abortion.
Each month, the experience of having the abortion worsens. In the first trimester, methotrexate and misoprostol or MTX, mifepristone and misoprostol, and suction aspiration are used. MTX and mifepristone and misoprostol are drug induced abortions whereas suction aspiration is a surgical method that literally vacuums out the developing fetus with a hollow tube that has a knife at the tip. This tip tears at the fetus and rips it into shreds and the vacuum sucks away the dead remains and discarded as waste. In the second trimester surgical procedures called dilation and evacuation, dilation and curettage, and induction abortion are performed. All are very cruel with no thought to what the growing fetus feels in mind. Dilation and curettage is often known as D&C is where they use a hook-shaped instrument, much like the suction aspiration to tear the child into pieces and the remains are scraped out. Dilation and evacuation is often referred to as D&E. This is where the doctor uses forceps to tear the developing child limb from limb, the spine is snapped and the skull is crushed. The dead baby is then removed from the womb and discarded like trash. Induction abortion is often called salt poisoning and is available in the second and third trimester. The doctor sticks a long needle into the womb and inserts a very strong salt solution into the
amniotic fluid. Within hours the growing baby swallows the salt solution as it burns the outer layer of its skin. Soon after, labor begins and the dead baby is delivered. In some cases though, the baby is born alive. When this does happen either the baby is left alone to die of exposure or is taken care of and then later adopted. This procedure is done also in the third trimester. Another cruel method that doctors use in the third trimester is called the partial birth abortion. This method is where the baby is delivered breech, turned onto its stomach, and scissors are forced into the back of the baby’s skull. Death is almost instantaneous, and the dead child’s head is removed from the mother and again discarded like trash. Prostaglandin chemical abortions are also done in the third trimester. The chemicals that are used cause the uterus to have violent, probably painful contractions that force the baby from the womb. Often these children are decapitated during birth, but some have been lived through this horrendous trauma. The final process that can be done for a third trimester abortion is called hysterotomy or caesarean section. This is often started just like a caesarean delivery with one major alteration to the schedule. Instead of taking the baby out of the womb and cutting the umbilical cord, the baby is left in the womb when the cord is cut. This causes the unborn child to suffocate on the amniotic fluid, much like drowning. If the baby does not die, it is removed and left to die of exposure and neglect.

While most of these methods of abortions can be called cruel and inhumane, nearly all of them can be avoided if the couple chooses to use birth control.
Men may only have a few choices in this matter but women have many. From taking a small pill daily, to having her tubes cut or tied to prevent pregnancy, abortion of children that are not wanted are very easily preventable. Abortions not only cause unwanted pain to the child, but to the mother as well. Some of the pain is physical, some of it can be mental pain; that only comes after there is no turning back and the child is gone. Birth control can prevent an innocent child that did not ask for any of the pain that he or she may go through when they are aborted. It is also a very practical decision in a person’s life when the thought of not wanting children is
discussed.

Sites:

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/unplannedpregnancy/abortionprocedures.html http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/contra_types.html http://www.fhi.org/en/RH/FAQs/male_steril_faq.htm http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/can-vasectomy-be-reversed http://www.women.webmd.com/mifepristone-andmisoprostal-for-abortion
http://www.women.webmd.com/methotrexate-andmisoprostal-for-abortion