Today abortion is a pretty simple and safe procedure when done by a trained medical personal during the first three months of pregnancy. Abortion is less safe when preformed after the 13th week of pregnancy. The usual surgical technique of abortion during the first trimester is to insert a metal or plastic tube into the uterus through its opening. A spoon like instrument at the end of the tube is used to gently scrape the walls of the uterus. Suction at the other end of the tube removes the contents of the uterus. This procedure is called aspiration and is done primarily in a medical clinic or doctors office using local anesthetic for the cervix. During the second trimester, abortions are usually done by means of dilation and evacuation. This procedure use forceps, curette, and vacuums. Third trimester abortions are not usually an option because of risk to the mother.
             A study by researcher at Stanford law school and the University of Chicago suggests that abortion may be linked to a drop in the U.S. crime rate. As women gained the access to legal abortions, the unpublished study says, they were less likely to give birth to unwanted, economically deprived children, who are most at risk of leading lives of crime as teens and young adults. Although the researchers admit that there is plenty of conjecture involved in studying social phenomena with a 20-year time lag, they think that the evidence is compelling. Foe example, in the handful of states that legalized abortion in 1970, three years prior to roe, vs. wade crime rates dropped earlier than in the rest of the country. And states that had especially high rates of abortion after 1973 reported larger declines in crime in the 1990s.
             " A CNN/USA today/Gallup poll revealed that over 70 percent of Americans think access to abortions should be limited to certain circumstances. The poll was based on phone interviews with 1,014 adult's aprial30-may2. Responses indicated that: ...