After the Supreme Court ruling, there has been confusion about where, and when, abortion is legal.
The ruling of the Supreme Court did not make abortion illegal but actually specified that each state’s laws would decide whether abortion is legal or not.
The state of Colorado is one of the states where abortion remains legal, with no limitations. The PRC of Glenwood Springs does not perform or refer for abortion.
Types of Abortion Available in Colorado
In Colorado both medical and surgical abortion are legal.
Medical abortion is a type of abortion that uses medicine–often a pill–to induce an abortion and end your pregnancy.
A medical abortion is only approved by the FDA in the first 70 days of pregnancy. After 70 days using medication for an abortion is no longer effective. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are health risks when taking pills for a medical abortion, such as incomplete abortion, ongoing pregnancy, fever, and infection.
A surgical abortion is a medical procedure that involves expanding your cervix and using medical devices to physically remove a pregnancy from your uterus. Due to the seriousness of the procedure, a surgical abortion is done at a medical clinic and there is a risk of complications, which can include:
- Damage to the womb or cervix
- Uterine perforation
- Excessive bleeding
- Infection of the uterus or fallopian tubes
- Scarring on the inside of the uterus
- Reaction to the medicines or anesthesia, such as problems breathing
- Not removing all of the tissue, requiring another procedure
Get the Answers You Need
If you think you are pregnant or have gotten a positive result from an over-the-counter pregnancy test, the most important thing you can do is confirm your pregnancy with a lab-quality pregnancy test. If this test is positive the next step is to get an ultrasound. An ultrasound will provide important details, such as the age of your pregnancy–which will help you know what options you have available.
An ultrasound is also used to confirm both the viability and location of your pregnancy. In rare cases, a pregnancy can be located outside of the uterus, in places such as your fallopian tubes. This is called an ectopic pregnancy and is a serious medical condition that requires immediate attention for your health and safety.
Know Your Options
Getting all the details about your pregnancy is an important step in knowing what options are available to you. It’s your health and future–so you deserve to have all the facts you need to make the best decision.
If you think you are pregnant, contact the team at Pregnancy Resource Center in Glenwood Springs to schedule your free pregnancy test and free ultrasound, and start getting the answers you need.