Just like any medication or procedure, there’s no shortage of misinformation about abortion out there — so you might not know that early-induced abortion is one of the safest medical procedures available today. In fact, over 99% of early abortions are completed without serious complications.
To shed some light on how safe abortion care really is, we compiled a list of ten regular things that are more dangerous than the abortion pill — many of which you’ve likely already experienced or will experience at some point.
1. Having your tonsils out.
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Believe it: A tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgeries practiced in the U.S — and one often performed on young children. Even so, getting your tonsils removed is over 1,200% riskier than having an abortion.
2. Getting a shot of penicillin.
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Penicillin has been the healthcare world’s antibiotic of choice to treat infections, like strep throat and earaches, for almost 90 years. It’s been called one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century and has saved millions of lives! Despite that, having an abortion is not nearly as risky as getting a shot of penicillin.
3. The flu.
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Ugh. Flu season is the worst, right?! Not only does it make everything miserable, but getting the flu can have some pretty dire consequences. In fact, having the flu is thousands of times riskier than having an abortion! Now get ye a flu shot — stat.
4. Over-the-counter pain medications, like Tylenol, Advil, and Aspirin.
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Usually harmless, used by most; OTC pain meds treat anything from headaches to menstrual cramps. Still, taking them is way riskier than having an abortion.
5. Distracted driving.
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This may not come as a surprise, but using your phone while driving a car is dangerous. Still, many of us do it, and distracted driving is about 1,000 times riskier than abortion. Distracted driving includes some pretty normal activities, such as: texting or any other use of your phone; eating or drinking; talking to passengers; changing music or adjusting the radio; and fiddling with a GPS.
6. Getting struck by lightning.
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How many times have you been kicked out of the pool or watched a sports game pause due to thunder or lightning? While your chances of being hit by lightning are extremely slim, they’re still higher than your chances of having serious complications from safe abortion.
7. Crossing the street.
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Going out for a stroll shouldn’t set off alarm bells. Still, if you can believe it, crossing the street is much riskier than having an abortion.
8. Getting your wisdom teeth out.
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While “Wisdom Teeth” is among our favorite Broad City episodes, and having those wise-but-unnecessary molars removed is super routine, this procedure does carry risks — over three times as many as having an abortion.
9. Giving birth.
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It may be hard to believe, but even in present-day America, pregnancy and childbirth come with the risk of serious health issues. While most people get through pregnancy and birth without major problems, the risk of complications is still 28 times higher than those associated with having an abortion.
10. Having a colonoscopy.
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Colonoscopies are a vital part of preventative health — especially as we get older! But if you’ve ever seen someone prep for one, you probably know they’re not a lot of fun. While this procedure is very safe, it does have associated risks. In fact, colonoscopies are about 10 times riskier than early induced abortion.
To sum it up, abortion is usually made to sound a lot scarier and more dangerous than it really is. The fact is, nearly everything we do in our lives is associated with some amount of risk, no matter how small. If you’re thinking of having an abortion, rest assured that it is one of the safest medical procedures available today. Not only that, you’re in good company — nearly one in four women in the United States (23.7%) will have an abortion by age 45. You’ll be just fine.
