Are you pregnant and think abortion is your only option?
You are NOT alone and there are resources out there to help both you and your baby.
A woman or girl who has an unplanned pregnancy may feel pressured into an abortion because she believes she has no support. But if her boyfriend, husband or parents are pushing her to have the abortion, she is not alone. In fact, there are a myriad of Pregnancy Care Centers with caring volunteers who are eager to be of assistance. They will arrange free doctor appointments, maternity clothes, baby supplies and, in some cases, a place to stay. In West Virginia, many such centers exist, and they are only a phone call away.
Fetal Development
Day 1 – fertilization: all human chromosomes present; unique human life begins
Day 6 – embryo begins implanting in the uterus
Day 22 – heart begins to beat with the child’s own blood, often a different type than the mother’s
Week 5 – eyes, legs, hands begin to develop
Week 6 – brain waves detectable1; mouth lips present; fingers forming2
Week 7 – eyelids, toes form; nose distinct, baby kicking and swimming3
Week 8 – every organ in place4; bones5, fingerprints2 begin to form
Weeks 9 and 10 – teeth begin to form, fingernails develop; baby can turn head; frown2
Week 11 – baby can grasp objects placed in hand3
Week 17 – baby can have dream (REM) sleep7
Unless otherwise noted, information on fetal development taken from Keith L. Moore and T.V.N. Persaud, The Developing Human, 5th ed. (Philadelphia: W.B Saunders Co., 1993).
1. Hamlin, JAMA, 10/12/64. 2. Flanagan, The First Nine Months, 1965. 3. Valman & Pearsson, BMJ, 1/26/80. 4. Nilsson, A Child is Born, 1990. 5. Rugh & Shettles, From Conception to Birth, 1971. 6. P.E. Rockwell, Markle v. Abele, U.S. Supreme Court, 1971. 7. AMA News, 2/1/83. Full citations available upon request.
