Ignorance about “what happens” during an abortion is responsible for the stigma attached to the life-ending procedure, Democrat Minnesota Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan claimed after taking a tour of an abortion clinic in her state. Here’s what does happen.
"I'm really honored to be here," Minnesota Lt. Gov. Flanagan said during a July 2024 visit to the Whole Woman's Health Alliance in Bloomington, where she leveled her claim:
"Sometimes the stigma that is attached to abortion care is just because people don't know what happens."
The event was hosted by the abortion clinic’s Founder and CEO, Amy Hagstrom Miller, who said “one of the cool things about abortion” was the opportunity to share what happens during the process with others.
So, what actually “happens” during an abortion?
All abortions involve either:
- Poisoning or starving a baby to death.
- Suctioning a baby apart with a vacuum.
- Using forceps to tear a baby apart.
- Forcing a baby into cardiac arrest.
The choice of abortion procedure may be determined by the stage of pregnancy at which it is performed:
- Manual Vacuum Aspiration: up to 7 weeks after last menstrual period (LMP).
- Suction Curettage: between 6 to 14 weeks after LMP.
- Dilation and Evacuation (D&E): between 13 to 24 weeks after LMP.
- Dilation and Extraction (D&X) (partial-birth abortion): from 20 weeks after LMP to full-term.
- RU486, Mifepristone (Abortion Pill) Within 4 to 7 weeks after LMP.
In an interview with The Brief, President of Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action Kristan Hawkins provides (sometimes graphic) details of what happens during the different types of abortion procedures - making the case that some things should be stigmatized.
