It’s Complicated
A.
Most pregnancies are normal, but not all! Pregnant women can experience medical and fetal complications that affect their well-being. Pregnancy conditions such as pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, high blood pressure, infectious, neurological, and vascular diseases can cause life-threatening circumstances.
B.
Pregnant women may discover that they have cancer during pregnancy. They may need to decide if the chemotherapy that will treat their cancer will have dangerous side effects for their growing baby. They may have to choose between their life and that of their baby.
C.
There are birth defects like Down syndrome, trisomy, that are not compatible with a child’s normal development. Parents, as a result, may face the difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy.
D.
Abortion procedure for medical and fetal conditions that are necessary to protect the life and the mental health of the mother are called Termination For Medical Reasons (TFMR).
These abortion procedures are often done in more advanced stages of the pregnancy, after the discovery of the genetic abnormality.
They are emotionally very difficult for the family.
E.
At times, the pregnancy has stopped growing inside the uterus, but has not aborted yet. To avoid serious bleeding from a spontaneous miscarriage, a surgical evacuation is performed. In this situation, fetal tissue may be studied for genetic abnormalities or infections, to identify the cause of fetal death.
These procedures are usually done with a surgical approach either in the office or in the hospital depending on circumstances.
F.
Sometimes, abortion procedures are necessary for women who have been raped or experienced incest trauma. They are done to terminate the unwanted pregnancy for mental health reasons. During these procedures, fetal tissue may be collected for forensic investigation.