What is a coat hanger abortion?
A coat hanger abortion was one of the most common methods of self induced abortion when abortion was illegal in the U.S. A coat hanger was made into a loop at one in and the opposite end was made as straight as possible. It was guided into the cervix where the pregnancy was attempted to be disturbed from the implantation site in the uterine wall. Because of it being a blind procedure and unsterile, there was a high incidence of cervical tears, damage to the bowel and bladder, uterine perforation¸ continuous to severe heavy vaginal bleeding, retained tissue leading to sepsis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and death of the mother. Coat hanger abortions are very common in areas where abortions are illegal. This is part of why 70,000 deaths occur yearly due to botched abortions.
