If there’s one thing we can tell about the politicians obsessed with regulating uteruses—they have no idea what the hell abortion is really about. While the GOP might be a lost cause, education can be a powerful tool for others who might not really “get it” when it comes to the legal, yet controversial, procedure. Knowledge is power, after all.
So Planned Parenthood made some videos on the two types of abortion available to help answer some questions many don’t know the answer to. One on medication abortion, aka “the abortion pill,” which is explained on their website with:
"Abortion pill" is the popular name for using two different medicines to end a pregnancy: mifepristone and misoprostol.
Your doctor or nurse will give you the first pill, mifepristone, at the clinic. Pregnancy needs a hormone called progesterone to grow normally. Mifepristone blocks your body's own progesterone. You'll also get some antibiotics.
You take the second medicine, misoprostol, 24-48 hours later, usually at home. This medicine causes cramping and bleeding to empty the uterus. It's kind of like having a really heavy, crampy period, and the process is very similar to an early miscarriage.
There’s another video on in-clinic abortion, which comes in two forms:
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In-clinic abortion works by using suction to take a pregnancy out of your uterus. There are a couple of kinds of in-clinic abortion procedures. Your doctor or nurse will know which type is right for you, depending on how far you are into your pregnancy.
Suction abortion (also called vacuum aspiration) is the most common type of in-clinic abortion. It uses gentle suction to empty your uterus. It's usually used until about 14-16 weeks after your last period.
Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) is another kind of in-clinic abortion procedure. It uses suction and medical tools to empty your uterus. You can get a D&E later in a pregnancy than aspiration abortion -- usually if it has been 16 weeks or longer since your last period.
If you want to learn more about abortion, there’s more at Planned Parenthood’s site. You can watch their videos below: