Natural Liberty: Rediscovering Self-Induced Abortion Methods

467 Pages·2008·19.76 MB·English

by  Sage-femme!

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Praise for Sage-femme Collective’s
Natural Liberty

“…providing access to this information makes a deeper statement
about our right to bodily autonomy…understanding how pregnancy
and abortion work helps make women full participants in our
reproductive health, not passive recipients of aid…
I’m glad Sage-femme! is furthering this discussion.”
—Feministe

“Want reproductive freedom? Buy this amazing book; tell your
friends about it; and read it carefully together. Do self-examination
together; get to know how your cervices look through your
menstrual cycles. Keep this book and your speculum in a safe place.
Of course, you continue to fight for our rights, including legal
abortion or better yet, the repeal of abortion laws. But, come what
may, you know that if you ever face an unwanted pregnancy,
whatever the political climate, you have the tools you need.
That, my sister, is reproductive freedom.”
—Carol Downer

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◊ Sage-femme Collective ◊

Natural Liberty
Rediscovering Self-induced
abortion Methods

◊

Sage-femme!
Las Vegas, Nevada

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A Note to the Reader:
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: Nothing within this book should
be remanufactured, procured or otherwise used without first consulting the
government of the area. Self medication and self surgery, as frequently
mentioned in this book, is potentially hazardous and is not recommended.
All abortive methods are suspected or known teratogens. The author is not
licensed to directly or indirectly dispense medical advice. If you use the
information in this book without the advice of a physician, qualified herbalist,
homeopathic doctor, acupuncturist, etc., you are prescribing for yourself, and
the author, publisher, and distributor shall have no liability for any damages,
including direct, indirect, consequential, compensatory, special, punitive, or
incidental damages arising out of or relating to the use of this book or the
information and materials provided through this book. Although great care
and extensive research went into the writing of this book, errors and
omissions are inherent in works of this kind. The author, publisher, and
distributor specifically disclaim all express and implied warranties with respect
to the information and materials provided in this book, including any
warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. All trademarks
in this book are used only to identify the product or service, and the
trademark holders have not given permission and do not sponsor or endorse
this book.
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Copyright © 2008 by Sage-femme Collective.

Published by
Sage-femme!
848 N. Rainbow Blvd. #2599
Las Vegas, NV 89107
www.naturalliberty.org

ISBN 978–0–9645920–0–1 (pbk.)
First Revised Edition.
Some rights reserved.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
To view a copy of this license, visit:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/
Or send a letter to:
Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California,
94105, USA.

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Acknowledgements

Many have contributed to the creation of this work.
We wish to acknowledge and express our gratitude to
the many anonymous individuals who helped to
make Natural Liberty a reality.

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Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................... 1
How to Use This Book .......................................................................... 23
Icon Key ............................................................................................... 23
Part I Self-Induced Abortion Basics ...................................................... 26
What is self-induced abortion? .............................................................. 26
Why would a woman choose self-induced abortion? ........................ 26
Why would a woman not choose self-induced abortion? ................. 27
Are there certain times in a pregnancy when self-induced abortion is
more effective than other times? .......................................................... 27
What are the contraindications for self-induced abortion? .............. 28
What methods are used in self-induced abortion? ............................. 30
What steps should a woman take before self-induced abortion? .... 31
• Administer a Pregnancy Test ................................................... 31
• Get a Sonogram ......................................................................... 32
• Calculate Gestational Age ........................................................ 33
• Review Options ......................................................................... 34
How does a woman care for herself during an abortion? ................. 34
How does a woman care for herself after an abortion? .................... 36
What signs would indicate something is wrong? ................................ 37
Where can a woman go if something is wrong? ................................. 37
What are the potential negative health effects of self-induced
abortion? ................................................................................................... 37
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What are the characteristics of a normal abortion? ........................... 40
Understanding Gestational Age and Self-Induced Abortion ........... 41
Week 1: Menstrual Period ................................................................. 41
Week 2: Estrogen Increases .............................................................. 41
Week 3: Ovulation and Conception ................................................ 41
Week 4: Embedding of the Embryo ................................................ 42
Weeks 2, 3, and 4: Promoting Menstruation .................................. 43
Weeks 5 and 6: ``Am I pregnant?” ................................................. 44
Weeks 5 and 6: Abortion ................................................................... 45
Weeks 7 and 8: Making Decisions ................................................... 46
Weeks 9 and 10: Marked Fetal and Placental Development........ 46
Weeks 7 through 10: Abortion ........................................................ 47
Weeks 11 to 14: Placental Formation ............................................. 48
Weeks 11 – 14: Abortion ................................................................... 49
Part II Modern Self-Induced Abortion Methods .................................. 50
Introduction ............................................................................................. 50
Medical abortion ...................................................................................... 51
Menstrual Extraction .............................................................................. 63
Part III Alternative Self-Induced Abortion Methods .......................... 78
Herbal Introduction ................................................................................ 80
Chart of Herbal Abortifacients and Common Effects ................. 85
Aloe Vera ............................................................................................. 87
Angelica ................................................................................................ 93
Arbor Vitae .......................................................................................... 99
Arum ................................................................................................... 104
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Avocado ............................................................................................. 108
Barrenwort ......................................................................................... 114
Birthwort ............................................................................................ 118
Black Cohosh .................................................................................... 123
Black Hellebore ................................................................................. 128
Blue Cohosh ...................................................................................... 132
Castor .................................................................................................. 137
Chamomile ......................................................................................... 143
Chaste Tree ........................................................................................ 147
Cotton ................................................................................................. 152
Daphne ............................................................................................... 158
Dittany ................................................................................................ 164
Garlic .................................................................................................. 169
Ginger ................................................................................................. 176
Hibiscus .............................................................................................. 179
Horseradish ........................................................................................ 185
Juniper ................................................................................................ 189
Lupine ................................................................................................. 195
Mistletoe ............................................................................................. 205
Mugwort ............................................................................................. 211
Nutmeg ............................................................................................... 217
Onion .................................................................................................. 221
Papaya ................................................................................................. 226
Parsley ................................................................................................. 232
Pennyroyal .......................................................................................... 238
Pineapple ............................................................................................ 244
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