Unplanned Pregnancies

• 

Pregnancy is often a pleasant surprise. Of course, there are times that pregnancy can come as a shock.

Although most unplanned pregnancies are still pleasant surprises, it doesn't make the situation much easier. There are steps you can take to make an unplanned pregnancy a pleasant experience.
First, speak with a friend or family member you can trust. You'll need someone who will be supportive and not condescending. It's already an emotional time for you. The last thing you need is the added stress of defending the pregnancy.

Second, once you're past the initial stages of finding out about your pregnancy, prepare yourself for the varying responses of other people. You may get receptions that are congratulatory, and you may get some who are judgmental. Be prepared for both. Also remember that what's done is done. It's not constructive to look back in regret, anger, or despair. It is better to look forward and to make the best of the surprise situation.

Third, don't feel as if you're alone. Unplanned pregnancies happen to many people. There are support groups both online and offline available to help you through this confusing time in your life. Seek their counsel. Don't be afraid to voice your own fears and concerns. You may find the sessions very therapeutic.

Fourth, prepare to inform the baby's father. Obviously, it won't be easy, and you'll get a varying range of responses from excitement to denial. Hopefully, the father will be supportive and can help you through the pregnancy.
Fifth, be aware that your body is in a different state. Because you're now pregnant, your body is flooded with hormones and is transforming every day. Take this into account when talking with people and prioritizing your life.

Induced Abortion
Induced abortion is the deliberate termination of pregnancy in a manner that ensures that the embryo or fetus will not survive. Attitudes of society toward elective abortion have undergone marked changes in the past few decades.

In some situations, the need for abortion is accepted by most people, but political and medical attitudes regarding induced abortion have continued to lag behind changing philosophies. Some religious concepts remain unchanged, resulting in personal, medical, and political conflicts.
About one-third of the world’s population lives in nations with nonrestrictive laws governing abortion. Another third live in countries with moderately restrictive abortion laws, i.e., where unwanted pregnancies may not be terminated as a matter of right or personal decision but only on broadly interpreted medical, psychologic, and sociologic indications.

The remainder live in countries where abortion is illegal without qualification or is allowed only when the woman’s life or health would be severely threatened if the pregnancy were allowed to continue.
An estimated 1 out of every 4 pregnancies in the world is terminated by induced abortion, making it perhaps the most common method of reproduction limitation. In the U.S., estimates of the number of criminal abortions performed prior to legalization of the procedure ranged from 0.25-1.25 million per year.

The number of legal abortions now being performed in this country approximates 1 abortion per 4 live births. In 1997, there were 1.33 million induced abortions compared to 3.88 million live births.
Legal Aspects of Induced Abortion in the United States
The United States Supreme Court ruled in 1973 (1) that the restrictive abortion laws in the U.S. were invalid, largely because these laws invaded the individual’s right to privacy, and (2) that an abortion could not be denied to a woman in the first 3 months of pregnancy.
The Court indicated that after 3 months a state may “regulate the abortion procedure in ways that are reasonably related to maternal health” and that after the fetus reaches the stage of viability (about 24 weeks) the states may refuse the right to terminate the pregnancy except when necessary for the preservation of the life or health of the mother.

Still, much opposition is raised by various “right-to-life” groups and religious groups. In spite of this opposition, over 1 million procedures are still performed annually in the United States, with about one-third being performed on teenaged women.
This dramatically emphasizes the inadequacy of sex education and the need for greater availability of adequate contraceptive methods in order to avoid such pregnancy wastage.

Evaluation of Patients Requesting Induced Abortion
Patients give varied reasons for requesting abortion. Since in some cases the request is made at the urging of the woman’s parents or in-laws, husband, or peers, every effort should be made to ascertain that the patient herself desires abortion for her own reasons. In addition, one should be certain that she knows she is free to choose among other methods of solving the problem of unplanned pregnancy, e.g., adoption or single-parent rearing.

Although the majority of abortions are performed as elective procedures, i.e., because of social or economic reasons as opposed to medical reasons, some women still request such services for medical or surgical indications.
For example, for women with certain medical conditions, such as Eisenmenger’s complex and cystic fibrosis, continuation of pregnancy may pose a threat to the life of the mother. Other indications are pregnancy resulting from a rape or pregnancy with a fetus affected with a major disorder, e.g., trisomy 13. In any event, the ultimate decision rests with the pregnant woman.