Pre-Abortion Counseling

Programs that provide counseling, mandated in some states in conjunction with a 24-hour waiting period, for women who have made a decision to terminate their pregnancy. The counseling provides information about fetal development, pregnancy prevention, the abortion procedure the patient will undergo, the risks and alternatives to the procedure, the risks of continuing the pregnancy and, when medically accurate, possible complications and longer term health risks such as sterility or risks to subsequent pregnancies associated with the procedure. The woman may be given written information to review and may be asked to sign an informed consent form.