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11 Perpetuating Misinformation And Myths About In-Clinic Abortion.

When you search on the internet information on abortion, you would be surprised by the number of contradicting information you find. The anti-abortion movements from religious institutions to NGOs have flooded misleading information regarding abortion designed to scare and guilt-trip anyone seeking to have an abortion and the general public.

Even in the traditional media platforms and in specific education systems worldwide and the conversations around the topic, many myths and misinformation are peddled as facts. In reality, these ‘facts’ are nothing but distortions of the truth and complete ignorance of the real reasons people seek abortions and what happens in abortion clinics.

This article examines some of the myths that are mostly used to deny you your right through scaring you or shaming you.

Myth 1: Abortion is dangerous

Fact: Abortion is a safe medical procedure, and it is one of the most common procedures in the US today. When done in abortion clinics and other professional health centers, abortion is one of the safest medical procedures. Most abortions, about 90%, are done in the first trimester, and with bout 1.3 million people having an abortion per year, less than 1% of these procedures result in any severe complications.

Even more significant, though, is that abortions are more than ten times safer than carrying the pregnancy to full term. Every new month and week in the pregnancy increases the risk of a variety of complications, and the fatality rate of childbirth is far higher than that of abortion.

Myth 2: Abortions leads to future infertility

Fact: All professionally done abortions do not impact on your fertility

This myth purports that having an abortion leaves a scar or, in some other way, damages your womb, which prevents your ability to be pregnant again. In some other versions, the myth suggests that having an abortion increases the chances of you having an ectopic pregnancy, i.e., one that forms outside the uterus.

The myth is based on the ignorance of what happens during an abortion procedure and the various medication and surgical procedures used. These procedures do not harm your uterus and your ability to have a baby in the future should you choose to have one. Reading on the different abortion methods and talking to your doctor will help you understand this myth’s falsehood.

Myth 3: Abortion causes mental health problems

Fact: There is no relation between abortion and mental health problems

Another false claim is the effect abortion has on your psychological health. This study’s base is the fictional mental condition referred to as Post Abortion Syndrome, which is a term created to describe false emotional and mental difficulties women experience after having an abortion. The American Psychological Association released its study in 2008 based on scientific evidence that found no proof that abortion causes mental illness. Another study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute also further debunked this myth.

In practice, women’s feelings vary after having an abortion and rightly so. However, a majority of them report not to have found abortion psychologically or emotionally harmful. Even those who find it more stressful and experience feelings of sadness, only feel so in a short time and manage to cope positively in the long-term.

Myth 4: Abortion affects your health including a higher risk for breast cancer

Fact: there is no link between abortion and breast cancer

Another myth that seeks to scare women from seeking abortions is by linking it to breast cancer, a disease that mostly affects them. The myth has been around for decades without any scientific proof. The lack of a study focusing on it drove the myth for long until, in 2013, a study disproved these claims. There is no evidence that abortion is linked to any disease or medical condition. The procedures are straightforward, and there is no scarring or cervical damage as many opponents of the procedure will want you to believe.

Myth 5: You are always in control of whether or not you get pregnant

Fact: Women are not always in control of whether they become pregnant or not

This myth seeks to blame women for becoming pregnant in the first place. It assumes that contraception options are always available and 100% foolproof. It also assumes that women are always in a position to consent to sex. Studies have shown that this is not always the case. About half to a third of the women who seek abortion were using contraception when they conceived.

Contraception does not always work all the time, while factors like irregular periods, medical conditions, menopause, and drug use all affect women’s fertility and contraception use.

Further, sex is not always voluntary with rape happening even in marriages and relationships.

Myth 6: Criminalizing abortion will stop abortion

Fact: Criminalizing abortion only stops safe abortions

This myth sees making abortion illegal as an effective way to end abortion. The only impact this has is stopping safe abortion practice done by licensed and trained professionals in safe abortion clinics and health centers. As a result, abortion is left to unlicensed practitioners whose training is debatable, and it is conducted in poorly equipped facilities.

In such conditions, it is easy for complications to arise, increasing the risk of fatalities. Proof of this is in the fact that countries that have illegalized abortion have similar rates to countries where abortion is permitted. Criminalizing abortion only increases rates of self-induced abortions and unregulated abortion providers.

Myth 7: An adoption is an equivalent option and alternative to abortion

Fact: Adoption and Abortion are not equivalent options

Adoption is always presented as some middle-ground and direct alternative to abortion. An adoption is an essential option for unintended pregnancies; people who choose this option should be supported along with the adoptive parents. But this is not an option for everyone seeking an abortion because adoption requires one to carry the pregnancy to full term.

Besides the risk and complications that come with that, it is not possible for some people due to health, family situation, work, and childcare responsibilities. For some, having to carry the baby to full term and relinquishing it can be extremely traumatic.

Myth 8: Abortion is anti-parenthood and motherhood

Fact: Abortion and parenthood/motherhood are not in opposition to each other

This myth aims to pit abortion against parenthood as if they were competing interests. However, many people who seek abortion are already parents themselves, and they understand what parenting entails. Parents and mothers who choose abortion know what it requires to raise an additional member of the family.

Those who are not yet parents understand their position, and forcing parenthood on them does not help strengthen parenthood and, if anything, can be a significant cause of strife. This myth also assumes all abortions are done by people who are ready to get into parenthood.

Myth 9: People seeking abortion are escaping responsibility for their promiscuous behavior

Fact: Abortion is never about promiscuity and irresponsibility but women’s health and well being

Here is another myth that seeks to shame people seeking abortion blanketing them with promiscuity and ignoring any underlying conditions that lead to unintended pregnancies. People from different backgrounds and experiences have unintended pregnancies. It is not a morality issue, and the fact that sex and women’s bodies are viewed negatively is a cultural and societal issue.

Contraceptives fail, and even their use and sex itself is not always voluntary. The view of sex being inherently wrong contributes to this myth. This myth oversimplifies the causes and circumstances around unintended pregnancies.

Myth 10: Abortion targets most of the time female fetuses

Fact: Abortion does not target any sex and in most cases happens before the sex the child is known

This myth aims to profit from human rights and the feminism language by trying to place these issues against abortion. In reality, over 90% of abortions occur before the completion of the first trimester. At such a point in the pregnancy, it is impossible to know the sex of the baby. There could be cases where one sex of a baby is preferred, but such cases have to be rare and reflect the society rather than on the merits of abortion.

Myth 11: There is no need for abortion with contraceptives readily available

This myth again places the responsibility of having a pregnancy on the woman. Contraceptives are not always readily available, and even they do not always work when used. Abortion does not replace contraceptives, and they are not alternatives. People make decisions based on their unique circumstances and the resources available to them.

Having access to abortion is part of comprehensive healthcare services. You have the right to decide whether you will have an abortion or carry the pregnancy to term. If you choose abortion based on your circumstances, our abortion clinic will treat you with the compassion and care you deserve and guide you for the whole process.

We have trained and experienced professionals who will give you personalized care and support required to take you through a successful procedure and quick recovery. Visit our abortion clinic today for further consultation or to schedule an appointment.

Dr James S Pendergraft | Orlando Women’s Center | Abortion Clinic Orlando