PRENATAL

LIFE
AND
ABORTION
Aguinaldo, Krista Marie Ariadne P.
ABORTION IN ANCIENT
HISTORY
oAccepted in both ancient Rome and
Greece
oThey weren’t much concerned with protecting
the unborn
oA fetus did not become formed and begin to live
until at least 40 days after conception for a male
and around 80 days for a female.
ABORTION IN ANCIENT
HISTORY
oBible times:
oOT: several legal passages that refer to abortion
but they deal in terms of loss of property, and not
sanctity of life
oWestern history:
oNot a crime if it was carried out before quickening
(18-20 weeks)
oFetus is only a part of the mother and destruction
posed no greater ethical problem than other forms
oEngland
oAbortion intended to protect women from a
dangerous medical procedure

oUnited States
oPartially motivated by the medical profession
as a way to protect women
•Abortion debate deals with the rights and
wrongs of deliberately ending a pregnancy
before childbirth, killing the fetus in the
process

•Primary questions:
•Is abortion morally wrong?
Matter of:

PRO-LIFE
vs.
PRO-CHOICE
WHEN IS ABORTION LEGAL?
Some countries ban it completely while others permit it in
certain cases.
oMaximum age after which the fetus must not be aborted,
regardless of the circumstances
1. For the sake of the mother’s health, including mental
health
2. Pregnancy is the result of a crime
3. Child would have an unacceptable quality of life (physical,
genetic and mental defects)
In some countries:

oFather of the child has an equal footing with the

right of the mother
oWoman’s right to an abortion can’t be vetoed by
the father and that she doesn’t have to notify
the father that she intends to have an abortion
ABORTION:

1.Substitute for contraception:

o To regulate population
o Family planning method to end unwanted
pregnancy

2. Gender selection:
o Female foeticide
ABORTION:

3.Disability:
o Offensive to disabled people
o Their lives are less worthwhile than the
lives of normal people
o All human beings are equally valuable in
their own ways.
 ABORTION IN SELF-DEFENCE
•Even if we accept that the fetus is a person with a
right to live, this doesn’t mean that all abortions are
wrong.

•DOCTRINE OF DOUBLE EFFECT – death of the

fetus is merely the side-effect of medical
treatment to save the mother’s life
TYPES OF ABORTION
DEGREE OF SEVERITY
1.Threatened
2.Inevitable
3.Missed
4.Complete

CAUSES
1.Spontaneous
2.Recurrent
3.Induced/Artificial
METHODS OF ABORTION
oMedical
1. Mifepristone and misoprostol
2. Methotrexate and misoprostol
oSurgical (by trimester)
1. Vacuum aspiration (1st tri)
2. Dilation and evacuation (2nd tri)
3. Digoxin abortions (3rd tri)
PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS
Most important part of prenatal care


Determining the outcome of the pregnancy
•

• Planning for possible complications with the



birth process
• Planning for problems that may occur in the


newborn infant
• Deciding whether to continue the pregnancy

INVASIVE TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE FOR
PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS. EACH OF THEM CAN
BE APPLIED ONLY IN SPECIFIC TIME PERIODS
DURING THE PREGNANCY FOR THE
GREATEST UTILITY. THE TECHNIQUES
EMPLOYED FOR PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS
INCLUDE:
• Ultrasonography
• Amniocentesis
• Chorionic villus sampling
• Fetal blood cells in maternal
blood
• Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein
• Maternal serum beta-HCG
oPossible to view the fetus, its parts of the body, and its
chromosomes inside genes. When something appears
to be anatomically or “chromosomically” not normal, a
decision about abortion is taken into consideration.

oRevealing a negative result forces prospective parents

to make the choice of either continuing the pregnancy
or opting for abortion.
INDICATIONS FOR PRENATAL
DIAGNOSIS

oMalignant diseases of the cervix/breast

oIncreased exposure to infection, drugs,
radiation
oCardiac diseases (cardiomyopathy,
hypertension)
oFetal malformations/defects
oSpina bifida
oAnencephaly
oConjoined twins
oFetal heart or kidney abnormalities
oPremature rupture of membranes (PROM)
oAbruptio placenta
IN THE PHILIPPINES:
Our law does not provide for any exception, women would
end up accessing unsafe and clandestine abortion.
Because of that, we have high incidence of maternal
mortality and morbidity related to unsafe abortion.
“pamparegla”
“hilot”
Insertion of objects inside the vagina
cytotec
IN THE PHILIPPINES:

Almost half of pregnancies among

Filipino women 15-45 years of age
are considered unintended
IN THE PHILIPPINES:
Women suffering complications secondary to
abortion have been denied access to post-
abortion care and were threatened with
criminal prosecution.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW

TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO HUMANE AND NON
JUDGEMENTAL POST ABORTION CARE
IN THE PHILIPPINES:

REPUBLIC ACT 8344 (MAGNA CARTA OF

WOMEN)
PROVIDE APPROPRIATE HEALTH SERVICES FOR
PREGNANCY-RELATED COMPLICATIONS SUCH
AS ABORTION
 AS FUTURE PHYSICIANS:
We should know that:

oInduced/artificial abortion (in which the purpose is not to

save and promote the health of the mother and child) is
ILLEGAL.

oBut there are certain instances in which it is indicated.

oWe are not to perform and support induced abortion. But

it is our duty to care for women who have undergone such
procedure, once they are brought for admission.