A serious decision deserves honest facts.

What does an abortion involve?

Medication abortion uses medicines to end a pregnancy and cause the uterus to expel pregnancy tissue. Cramping and bleeding are expected; nausea, diarrhea and other side effects can occur. Procedural abortion uses suction and, depending on pregnancy stage, instruments to remove the pregnancy from the uterus. Pain management and follow-up depend on the method and situation.

These are brief descriptions, not instructions for using medication or performing a procedure. Ask a clinician which facts apply to your pregnancy, how completion is checked and whom to contact if problems arise.

Actual risks, with their scale

Complications can include retained pregnancy tissue, infection, heavy bleeding and, with procedures, injury. Risks vary with the method, pregnancy stage and individual health. Later procedures generally carry higher risk. Listing a possible complication without saying how common it is can mislead.

An untreated uterine infection can occasionally lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and affect future fertility. That is a reason to seek care, not a reason to tell every woman that abortion will make her infertile.

Claims we should not use to frighten someone

The National Academies’ review did not find that abortion increases the risk of secondary infertility, depression, anxiety or PTSD. This does not mean an individual cannot experience grief or distress; it means those experiences should not be presented as an inevitable medical outcome. Support should respond to the actual person.

The National Cancer Institute reports that better-designed studies do not show an association between induced abortion and breast cancer. We should not use a breast-cancer claim to persuade someone.

The child developing before birth

Fertilization begins a new developing human organism, initially called a zygote. Embryo and fetus name later developmental stages. The moral meaning of that life is a further question; biology alone does not settle every disagreement about personhood.

Pregnancy weeks are usually counted from the last menstrual period, approximately two weeks before fertilization in a typical cycle. That distinction matters when reading milestone claims.

We do not base human worth on size, independence, health or a particular milestone. That is the ethical and biblical conviction explained in the Scripture study. This page makes no claim about the exact onset of fetal pain or consciousness.

When medical care must come first

Ectopic pregnancy develops outside the uterus and cannot develop normally there. It can rupture and cause life-threatening internal bleeding. Severe one-sided pain, shoulder-tip pain, dizziness or collapse require urgent assessment. Treatment may include medication or surgery. Seeking necessary treatment is not a failure to value life.

After an abortion, contact the treating service promptly about severe or worsening pain, heavy bleeding, fever, fainting or foul-smelling discharge. If you feel seriously unwell, seek emergency care. Follow your discharge instructions; a webpage cannot assess blood loss or infection.

If you already took abortion medication and changed your mind

Contact the prescribing clinician or another qualified obstetric clinician promptly and explain exactly what you took and when. Do not change a medication plan on the basis of this page. “Abortion pill reversal” with progesterone is not an established, evidence-based treatment; safe and effective reversal has not been demonstrated. We cannot promise a pregnancy will continue.

Rape, pregnancy loss and serious diagnoses

If you became pregnant through rape or abuse, the violence was not your fault. You deserve safety, trauma-informed medical care and support without interrogation or blame. Our appeal to protect the child must never become permission to abandon or shame you. Find safety support.

Miscarriage is pregnancy loss; it is not a moral failure. Some of the same medicines or procedures used for abortion are used for miscarriage treatment. Do not judge the purpose of treatment from a drug or procedure name alone. Take questions about a diagnosis to the treating clinician. Source: ACOG: Early Pregnancy Loss

If a fetal diagnosis may limit the baby’s life, ask for clear diagnostic information, specialist advice and the available care choices. For families who continue the pregnancy, perinatal palliative care can help with comfort, a birth plan, family support and bereavement. It is one option within a broader clinical discussion; availability varies, and it does not promise survival or remove maternal risk.

Life-threatening maternal conditions require timely clinical judgment. This website is not a basis for withholding or postponing necessary treatment. For current legal questions, use a qualified lawyer in the relevant state; the medical sources here are not a Georgia or Alabama legal guide.

What to ask of anyone offering advice

Our Christian argument encourages protecting unborn life. A clinic, pregnancy center, church or website should be clear about its purpose, qualifications and limits. You are welcome to examine ours, too.

Planned Parenthood’s published pregnancy guidance discusses parenting, adoption and abortion. We disagree with its presentation of abortion as an acceptable option because of our conviction about unborn human life. That disagreement does not establish that every staff member pressures patients or that all its health information is false. Read its own account when assessing what it says.Source: Planned Parenthood: Its published pregnancy-options guidance

The pregnancy centers in our directory support alternatives to abortion; their listed services have limits. A church can offer spiritual and practical support without being a medical provider. Ask the same clear questions wherever you go:

• Who would provide medical care, and what are their professional qualifications?
• Which services do you provide, which do you refer for, and what are the costs or conditions?
• If I want to continue my pregnancy, who can help with prenatal care and practical needs?
• What information will you keep or share, and what are the limits of confidentiality?
• Can I ask questions or decline religious participation without losing access to the help you offer?

Seek medical advice promptly about your own circumstances and the timing of decisions. Spiritual counsel or a promised referral should never delay necessary treatment. Explore local support and its stated limits.

Questions worth taking to a clinician

• What is confirmed about my pregnancy, and what remains uncertain?
• How does my health change the risks of continuing pregnancy and the available treatments?
• What decisions are urgent, and what time is safe for further discussion?
• What symptoms mean I should call you or go straight to an emergency department?
• Who can help with prenatal care, mental health, costs and practical support?