In 2013, approximately 1.2 million abortions took place in the United States. From 1973 to 2013, over 50 million legal abortions occurred. Even though an abortion can harm the body, women still undergo it and are at risk of future health problems or even death. In this essay, you will learn the pros and cons of abortion. This document will explain all the harmful ways that abortions can harm your body and also how they can affect you in positive and negative ways. It will also help you understand why people decide to have abortions or why they decide not to have them. Even though you may not agree with the decision to have an abortion, you need to have an open mind to other people's decisions and opinions about them. Over several centuries and in several cultures there is a deep history of women helping each other to have abortions (Boston women help). Abortion is often presented as if it were new and people only started practicing it years ago, when in reality the practice of abortion dates back to ancient times. As late as the 1800s, female healers in Western Europe and the United States performed abortions and trained other women to do so. The earliest known description of abortion comes from the Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian medical text. They suggested that an abortion can be performed with the use of a plant fiber pad covered in compounds such as honey and crushed dates. Later herbal abortion included the long-extinct silphium plant. This was the most prized medicinal plant of the ancient world and pennyroyal which is still sometimes used to induce abortions (but not safely as they can be highly toxic) (Gram). As far as we know, surgical abortion was not common until the late 19th century. ...... middle of the paper ...... The choice is yours. Works Cited"When Abortion Began." http://civilliberty.about.com/od/abortion/f/When-Did-Abortion-Begin.htm. Memephis Women's Clinic, nd Web. February 12, 2014. "Physical Side Effects of Abortion." http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?start=&lastName[1]=&firstName[1]=&title1=when did the abortion begin. American Pregnancy Association, n.d. Web. February 12, 2014."Why do women have abortions? New study provides some answers." http://www.lifenews.com/2013/10/10/why-do-women-have-abortions-new-study-provides-some-answers. American Pregnancy Association, nd Web. 12 February 2014.G, Amber. “What does abortion do to the baby?” http://answers.yahoo.com/question/ind. Np, nd Web. February 12, 2014. supreme court, . “Roe v. Wade.” http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_roe.html. American Pregnancy Association, nd Web. 12 February 2014.