INFORMED CONSENT, A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO KNOW

If you went into the hospital for any type of procedure, you would be given information on the procedure and risks, and asked to sign a release form. When you go in for an abortion, you are typically not given that information. In fact, in 1993 in response to a more conservative abortion position of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Maine legislature passed a radical pro-abortion law. One provision of that law prohibits requiring abortionists to provide information on fetal development and abortion alternatives. (For more information on this law, see our Maine Abortion Laws page) We believe that the modern knowledgeable and capable woman wants all the information needed to make a truly informed choice. Since abortionists are not required to provide that information, we would like to offer a source for accurate, non-sensationalized information. We have included information on fetal development, abortion procedures, and risks of abortion, both physical and emotional. FETAL DEVELOPMENT As scientific advances are increasingly applied to the study of human development within the womb, scientists have been amazed to discover what actually happens during a pregnancy, and how early in the pregnancy some developments occur. We want to list a few of the more amazing findings. Three weeks after conception the baby's heart begins to beat and pump blood. (1) 6 wks At six weeks after conception, the baby has brain waves that can be measured with an electroencephalogram. (2) According to the medical profession, life is defined as the presence of brain waves, and death as the cessation of brain waves. According to this definition the fetus can be proven to be alive. 7 wks At seven weeks after conception, the baby begins swimming freely in the amniotic sac, though the mother is not aware of the movement until much later. (3) 11 wks At eleven weeks after conception, a baby has developed all the body parts required to experience pain, including all of the nerves, spinal cord, and thalamus. (4) 18 wks At eighteen weeks after conception, a baby is fully formed. Kenya King Kenya King was born June 16, 1985 at 19 weeks after conception, weighing only 18 ounces, and survived. Medical technology continues to advance, making possible even smaller surviving infants. (5) This picture was taken when she was 5 pounds. ABORTION PROCEDURES There are several different techniques used for inducing abortions, depending on the stage of the child's growth in the womb. PROCEDURES First Trimester Suction Aspiration RU 486 Methotrexate Dilation and Curettage (D&C) Second Trimester Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) Second or Third Trimester Saline Amniocentesis Urea Prostaglandins Hysterotomy Partial Birth Abortion