And though opinions on the matter are strong,

雖然對此事意見很大。

many are simply unaware of how they actually work

很多人根本不知道它們是如何工作的。

So, regardless of whether you're pro-life or pro-choice:

所以，不管你是支持生命還是支持選擇， So, regardless of whether you're pro -life or pro -choice:

What actually happens during an abortion?

人流過程中到底發生了什麼？

Abortion procedures range from taking a pill to surgical options

人工流產的程序從吃藥到手術選擇不等。

often based on availability or how far along a pregnancy is

往往是根據可用性或懷孕的程度來決定的

And 92% of legal U.S. abortions take place within the first thirteen weeks of gestation

而92%的美國合法墮胎髮生在妊娠的前13周內。

The oral tablet is effective 49 days from one's last menstrual period

口服片的有效期為最後一次月經來潮後49天。

Often containing mifepristone, it works by blocking the hormone progesterone

通常含有米非司酮，它的作用是通過阻斷激素孕酮。

Progesterone promotes smooth muscle relaxation in the uterine wall throughout pregnancy

孕酮在整個孕期促進子宮壁平滑肌鬆弛

and so the pill causes the uterus to contract

所以避孕藥會導致子宮收縮。

and the embryo to be expelled in what seems like a heavy period

和胚胎被排出，這似乎是一個沉重的時期。

Vacuum aspiration is a surgical procedure

真空抽吸術是一種外科手術

usually used up to 16 weeks after conception

通常在受孕後16周內使用

and is typically performed under local or general anaesthesia

通常在局部或全身麻醉下進行。

The cervix is numbed and opened wide enough to pass the Slender Tube into the uterus

子宮頸被麻痺並打開，足以讓細長管進入子宮。

where suction is used to empty the contents

其中吸力是用來清空內容物的

Within the same time line, a D&C or dilation and curettage abortion can be used

在同一時間段內，可採用D&C或擴宮流產術。

First, this cervix is dilated using small instruments or medication

首先，這個宮頸是用小器械或藥物擴張的。

and then a curette is used to remove the contents of the uterus

然後用刮匙取出子宮內的內容物

If your pregnancy is between 12 to 24 weeks,

如果你的懷孕時間在12到24周之間。

a D&E or dilation and evacuation abortion is likely used

人工流產或擴宮術

although only 1.2 percent of abortions occur after 21 weeks

儘管只有1.2%的墮胎髮生在21周之後；

In a D&A abortion, the cervix needs to be dilated wider

在D&A流產中，子宮頸需要擴張得更大一些

often using osmotic dilators which are short rods made of seaweed or synthetic material

往往使用海藻或合成材料製成的短棒滲透擴張器

which absorb moisture and slowly stretch the cervix

吸收水分，慢慢拉伸子宮頸。

These are usually inserted the day before surgery

這些通常是在手術前一天插入的。

Once dilated a fetal, aplacental tissue is removed at the evacuation of forceps and a curette

一旦胎兒擴張，胎盤組織將在鑷子和刮匙的疏導下被移除。

The decision to have an abortion after 24 weeks is extremely rare and often due to severe fetal anomalies

24周後決定做人工流產的情況極為罕見，往往是由於嚴重的胎兒畸形所致

When abortions are allowed by the local law, they are one of the safest procedures in medicine

在當地法律允許的情況下，人工流產是醫學上最安全的手術之一。

with case fatality rates less than one death per 100,000 procedures

病例死亡率低於每10萬例手術中的1例死亡。

In the U.S., the risk of death associated with childbirth is 14 times higher in women than that of an abortion

在美國，婦女因分娩而死亡的風險是墮胎的14倍。

There are also myths that abortion is linked to an increased risk of cancer as well as

還有一些迷思認為，人工流產與癌症風險增加有關，以及

difficulties in conceiving or carrying a future pregnancy

胎動困難

But both of these claims have been refuted by extensive medical research

但這兩種說法都被大量的醫學研究否定了

However, unsafe abortions practiced by individuals without the necessary skills

然而，缺乏必要技能的個人實施的不安全墮胎；

or in an environment that does not conform to medical standards

或在不符合醫療標準的環境中工作

caused an estimated 68 thousand women to die yearly

估計每年造成68 000名婦女死亡；

while a further 5 million suffered temporary or permanent disability

還有500萬人暫時或永久殘疾；

Methods range from ingesting toxic solutions, inserting foreign bodies into the uterus and even trauma

方法包括攝入有毒溶液、將異物插入子宮甚至外傷等。

The World Health Organisation has called unsafe abortions a 'preventable pandemic'

世界衛生組織稱不安全墮胎為 "可預防的流行病

And laws that limit a woman's access to an abortion or make abortions illegal do not reduce the number of abortions

限制婦女墮胎或將墮胎定為非法的法律並不能減少墮胎的數量。

Countries where abortions are illegal have roughly the same number of abortions

墮胎為非法的國家的墮胎數量大致相同。

What changes instead is the incidence of unsafe abortions

改變的反而是不安全流產的發生率。

A 2011 study did find that state-level anti-abortion laws in Texas

2011年的一項研究確實發現，得克薩斯州的州級反墮胎法。

correlated with lower abortion rates in the state

與該州較低的人工流產率相關；

But these results did not account for women traveling to other states with less restrictive laws to receive a procedure

但這些結果並沒有考慮到前往法律限制較少的其他州接受手術的婦女。

Conversely, researchers have found that sex education and access to contraceptive methods do reduce the number of abortions

相反，研究人員發現，性教育和獲得避孕方法確實減少了墮胎數量。

by minimizing unwanted pregnancies

儘量減少意外懷孕；

This can be seen in the abortion rates decreasing significantly in the developed world since 1990

自1990年以來，發達國家的墮胎率大幅下降，就可以看出這一點。

Ultimately, access to legal abortions make women's lives safer and healthier

最終，獲得合法墮胎的機會使婦女的生活更加安全和健康。

If you'd like to learn about plan B or emergency contraceptive

如果您想了解B計劃或緊急避孕藥具的相關資訊，請聯繫我們。

which is not the same thing as an abortion

這和人工流產不同

you can check out our video on that [here]

你可以查看我們的視頻[在這裡]。

And don't forget to subscribe for more weekly science videos every Thursday

不要忘了訂閱每週四更多的科學視頻。