re are quite a few different forms of drug based abortions, the most popular is the morning after pill. This drug is most commonly given to rape victims. It gives the woman large doses of estrogen within a seventy- two hour window of the event; and then again in twelve hours. Such high doses of hormone halts the fetal development at the earliest stages after conception. The only known side effects of this drug are nausea, headache, dizziness, and fluid retention (Merz 2). Within the first seven weeks of pregnancy, a combination of two drugs can be given in order to abort the fetus. First the drug mifeprlstone (RU-486), which blocks progesterone (a hormone needed to maintain pregnancy.) Forty- eight hours later, she will take misoprostol, which causes the uterus to contract. It is the contractions of the uterus, which expels the fetus (Merz 1).Vacuum aspiration is used for abortions between the sixth and fourteenth week of pregnancy. The cervix has to be dilated. Dilators can be used to dilate the cervix. Cannula is attached to an electrically powered pump that removes the contents of the uterus (Merz 2). Induction abortion (a second trimester procedure) between the sixteenth and twenty- fourth weeks. A small amount of the fluid the surrounds the fetus (an amniotic fluid), is removed. Another fluid is injected, this is usually a strong saline solution, and this causes the uterus to contract. This procedure can cause heavy bleeding, infection, and injuries to the cervix can occur. A hospital stay of one or more days is required (McGee 20).Some countries ban together altogether, in 1803, England banned all abortions, this policy quickly soon spread to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In 1920 the former USSR legalized abortion, followed by Japan in 1948, by the 1970s, the United States and much of Europe, Asia, and Canada all had legalized abortion (McGee 24). In some African countries, illegal abortions contribute to up t...
