There are a variety of tools used in the abortion procedure. Although each has its own purpose, many of them are used to create a large enough pathway so that other tools have room to remove the baby. The tools that create a pathway will not be described here, only the ones that do the actual killing or removing of the child will be described.
THE CANNULA
A hollow, plastic tube that is connected to a suction machine by a flexible hose – similar to a vacuum cleaner. In early-term abortions it is used to kill, tear apart, and suck the baby out of the mother’s uterus. In later-term abortions, where other techniques are used to kill the baby, it is simply used as a vacuum and to make sure that no parts of the baby are left behind.
THE CURETTE
A metal rod that has a handle on one end and a sharp loop on the other. This instrument is used to scrape along the wall of the mother’s uterus and to dislodge the baby.
A SYRINGE WITH A SPINAL NEEDLE
A large syringe with a long needle attached to it, this instrument is used in two different ways. In some procedures it is used to drain off amniotic fluid from the mother’s uterus and replaces the fluid with either a saline or urea solution. The more common use, however, is for injecting chemical agents such as digoxin, potassium chloride, etc. into the heart of the baby. Either way, the chemicals serve two purposes: to greatly reduce the chance that the baby might be born alive, and to soften the baby’s corpse to make it easier to rip apart and/or remove.
FORCEPS
A metal instrument that looks like a pair of scissors but is used like a pair of pliers. They come in different styles and are used to grasp, pull apart, and/or remove the baby. Forceps are good for collapsing the skull, which makes it easier for the abortionist to pull the baby’s skull through the mother’s cervix.