The deliberate
break with the past was inevitable. It was a
cancer wrapped around my
vital organs, choking off
growth, both physical and spiritual. Too long I remained attracted to the
beauty of the wondrous and addictive
demon, which I had only discovered through you. Too long I clutched onto these
foolish hopes you had sworn were
truths. You stroked my hair, looked into my eyes, and filled my universe with
lies. Your excuse was
ignorance; mine was
denial. The
cards were before me the entire time. I just could never bring myself to
read them.
This little creature we made threatened to swallow me. First I ignored it. Then I fed it and nursed it. It grew, and claimed more of me for itself. Meanwhile, you refused to acknowledge it as your own; its existence was confirmation of the night whispers which I relished speaking but you secretly feared. In my strained mind, I could only do one thing. While it slept, I crept in and strangled it, and felt my lifeforce die along with it. But unlike that murdered dream, I will live again. I did this for myself, yes, but also for you. You never recognized that... you never saw or felt what it was I had to do for you. That, my weakness, my jealousy, was the source of my anger.
So I carve out a piece of myself, and offer it to you, and to our mutual salvation. This is a moment of supreme sadness and tragedy. We have created the negative, and with that sobering knowledge I leave you.
Abortion methods
Here are the ways
science has figured out for making a
live fetus turn into a
dead fetus. Since
1973, about 35 million
Americans have been terminated in one of these ways. There are many
additional practices that are not listed here due to their
rarity.
First Trimester Abortions
SUCTION ASPIRATION (Also known as "vacuum aspiration"):
This is the most common method used for first trimester abortions. The cervix is numbed and then stretched open. A hollow tube with a knife-like edge is inserted through the cervix into the uterus and attached to a very powerful suction apparatus. The suction effect dismembers the fetus or embryo and desposits the torn human matter into a jar. The placenta is also sucked along with the fetus. Possible side effects include bleeding, infection, and perforation of the uterus.
DILATION AND CURETTAGE ("D&C", "sharp curettage"):
Relatively similar to suction aspiration, D&C is accomplished by inserting a curette (a type of loop-shaped steel knife) into the uterus through the cervix. The curette is then used to scrape the embryo or fetus from the uterine wall. Like suction aspiration, the placenta is also removed. The curette tears the fetus to pieces, and the fetal parts are then removed through the cervix by suction or additional scraping. Because of the scraping, this method usually requires anesthesia, as there may be considerable bleeding.
RU-486 ("mifepristone"):
At present, RU-486 is licensed for use only in France, Britain and Sweden, and has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Update 9/28/00: now it has). It is used in the fifth to ninth weeks of pregnancy. RU-486 inhibits production of the progesterone needed to prepare the uterine wall to support and nourish the pregnancy. Unable to obtain proper nutrients, the fetus starves. During the next visit, the woman is given Cytotec (misoprostol), a prostaglandin, which induces labor and expels the dead fetus from the woman's body. In the 5-10 percent of cases in which this is not successful, the woman must undergo a surgical abortion. Possible side effects include nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, heavy and extended bleeding, heart attack, hemorrhage, impaired future fertility and harm to future children, significant blood loss, and in very rare circumstances, death. Long term effects of use are not yet known.
METHOTREXATE ("MTX"):
Methotrexate has been approved by the FDA for treatment of cancer. However, a very few doctors have used it for inducing abortions. First, MTX is administered as an intermuscular injection. The MTX interferes with folic acid and kills rapidly growing cells, and is sometimes used for termination of life-threatening ectopic pregnancies (in which fertilized eggs grow outside the uterus). MTX is a toxic anti-cancer drug and can destroy the trophoblast, the protective outer layer of the fetus. Cytotec is again used for expulsion of the fetus. Potential complications include liver damage, kidney destruction, heart muscle damage, pulmonary failure, gastrointestinal problems, stroke, convulsions, nausea, diarrhea, bone marrow depression, severe anemia, methotrexate-induced lung disease, and death.
Second and Third Trimester Abortions
SALINE AMNIOCENTESIS ("saline injection", "salt poisoning"):
This method is used only after sixteen weeks of pregnancy. A needle is inserted into the woman's abdomen and a highly concentrated salt solution is inserted into the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus. The fetus dies as it breathes in and swallows the saline solution. Initially, the fetus struggles and sometimes convulses. As the salt takes effect, salt poisoning, dehydration, hemorrhages of the brain, and failure of other organs cause the fetus's body to become covered with bruises. Simultaneously, the salt soution chemically burns away the fetus's fragile skin. The death of the fetus is quite slow and usually takes more than an hour. Approximately 24 hours after the procedure, the woman gives birth to a dead fetus. This method was developed in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany and is virtually no longer used in the United States because of instances of women giving birth to still-living (yet severely injured) fetuses. The UREA ABORTION uses a similar method with urea solution.
HYSTEROTOMY ("Caesarean section abortion"):
Practically identical to a Caesarian section delivery, the hysterotomy is generally used when chemical methods fail. Incisions are made in the abdomen and the fetus, placenta, and amniotic sac are removed. This method is rare, as it is the most fatal to the mothers and is one of the least successful (fetuses often live through the procedure and are left to die of neglect or otherwise killed outside of the womb). It is a major surgery that usually brings with it many painful side effects for the woman.
DILATION AND EXTRACTION ("D&X", "Partial Birth Abortion"):
D&X is performed on babies from the fifth month of development until birth. First, the cervix is dilated for two days using Cytotec or laminaria. When the cervix is sufficiently dilated on the third day, the amniotic fluid is drained away and the doctor inserts forceps through the woman's vagina and cervical canal into the uterus. The fetus is grasped by the leg and pulled through the vagina feet-first until only the head remains inside the woman. Surgical scissors are inserted into the base of the fetus's skull and spread apart to enlarge the opening. A suction tube is inserted into the skull and the fetus's brain matter is suctioned out through the tube. This causes the skull of the fetus to collapse, and the fetus is instantly killed. With the head of the fetus collapsed, it is easily removed from the vagina. Finally, the afterbirth is cut away. Because many of the fetuses exterminated in this nature are old enough to be viable, accidental births occur if the head slips out of the vagina during the procedure, meaning that continuing with the abortion is legally murder. The American Medical Association refuses to support this procedure.
I did a lot of research on this, but I still may be in error. If you would like me to better explain a procedure or believe I'm wrong about something, please contact me. Also let me know if you feel that I have left out any significant method. - Uber