An abortion is a medical procedure that a doctor performs on you to end your pregnancy.
An abortion may only be performed under certain conditions. Before an abortion you must have counselling at a pregnancy counselling centre.
Counselling
A counsellor will talk to you about your situation and the various possibilities. He / she will explain the financial and social assistance you can get if you decide to continue with the pregnancy, and inform you about contraceptive methods.
A woman talking with a counsellor in an abortion clinic
Abortion methods
There are two methods for an abortion:
- Abortion with medication: Up to 63 days after your last menstrual period. You will need to take a medicine and then come back on another day to take more medicine. An abortion with medication will cause a miscarriage. You will lose blood for a few days.
- Suction curettage: Up to 14 weeks after your last menstrual period. The doctor will give you a brief general anaesthesia or a local anaesthesia in the cervix. The doctor will suck the uterine lining and the embryo out using a small tube. This will end the pregnancy.
A woman can have an abortion without the consent of her partner.
Emergency solution
After an abortion, you can still have children.
An abortion is not a method of contraception. It is a solution to an emergency situation.
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