Teenage Pregnancy - Medical and Legal Information
If you found out you are pregnant and you are under the age of 18, it is natural to feel fear, stress or confusion. An unplanned pregnancy can be a shocking event for any woman, and especially for a young teen. Instantly, you are faced with a fateful decision that has significant repercussions for your physical and emotional well-being, is coupled with the natural fear of the reaction of your parents and the immediate environment.
It is important that you know that there are available today various solutions and support options that can help you. It is also important that you know that the choice regarding the continuation of the pregnancy is yours! Under Israeli law (Hebrew), you yourself can decide to terminate the pregnancy without the consent of your parents and without the consent of the father of the unborn child.
Before you make a decision, take a deep breath and read the information we have compiled here for you:
First of all, make sure that you are actually pregnant
It is important to perform a home pregnancy test or a blood test for the HCG hormone in your HMO. A pregnancy test is the best way to confirm a pregnancy. A late period is not enough to determine whether you are pregnant. Irregular menstrual cycles are typical of teens your age. Even the well-known symptoms of early pregnancy, such as sensitive and painful breasts, nausea or vomiting (not necessarily in the morning) and extreme and prolonged fatigue, are not enough to establish pregnancy.
Decision on the future of the pregnancy
If pregnancy is confirmed, the next step is to determine the age of the pregnancy (which week of the pregnancy you are in). A gynecologist will establish the week of pregnancy through an ultrasound. It is important to know the age of the pregnancy, regardless of whether you want to continue the pregnancy or terminate it.
You are now facing 3 options:
- Continuing the pregnancy and raising the child.
- Continuing the pregnancy and giving the child up for adoption after birth.
- Terminating the pregnancy.
Whether you have decided to terminate the pregnancy or if you are still deliberating, it is important that you become familiar with the medical and bureaucratic aspects of pregnancy termination in teenage girls as well as your rights.
The Pregnancy Termination Board
An initiated termination of pregnancy (abortion) is a medical procedure since it causes the end of a pregnancy. There are several ways to terminate a pregnancy, but before proceeding, it is important to handle the bureaucratic matters.
Under Israeli law, an abortion is carried out only after receiving approval from one of the pregnancy termination boards that convene in hospitals or surgical clinics in the community.
The staff on the pregnancy termination boards, which currently consists mainly of professional women, includes 3 people: 2 physicians and a social worker.
To schedule an appointment with the Pregnancy Termination Board, you must contact one of the boards on the Ministry of Health's list (Hebrew) and submit an application to terminate a pregnancy. You should know that teenagers under the age of 18 are entitled to priority in the Board appointments and to priority in the termination of pregnancy procedure.
When you arrive at the meeting, make sure that you do not forget to bring an ID with you as well as the medical documents about your pregnancy: the results of the medical test that confirm your pregnancy and an ultrasound that documents the age of the pregnancy.
The Board approves applications to terminate pregnancy when one of the following conditions are met:
- You are under the age of 18.
- You are unmarried.
- The pregnancy is the result of relationships prohibited under the law such as rape or incest.
- The infant may be born with a defect (according to professional opinion).
- Continuation of the pregnancy may endanger your life or cause you emotional or physical harm.
When you arrive at the hospital or clinic where the Pregnancy Termination Board convenes, you will first meet with the Board's social worker. During this conversation, you will receive an explanation and guidance on what you can expect. You will be able to ask questions and share your difficulties as well as doubts regarding the decision to continue the pregnancy.
The social worker will then accompany you to the Board, where you will meet a physician who specializes in abortions. The physician will discuss the various methods for terminating a pregnancy with you as well as address your concerns about possible complications.
The Board will discuss your application to terminate the pregnancy. As we have already mentioned, if you are under the age of 18, the Board will approve your request to terminate the pregnancy. At this stage, you will be asked to sign a consent form and you will be scheduled for another appointment for performance of the procedure at the hospital.
Important to emphasize
Important to emphasize
Under the law, minors (up to the age of 18) can contact the pregnancy termination committee and undergo an abortion without the need to obtain permission from the parents and the approval of the father of the unborn child.
Maintaining discretion
The decision to terminate a pregnancy is first and foremost yours, and throughout the process you will receive accompaniment and support from the hospital medical staff. Physicians, nurses or social workers are obligated by law to maintain the confidentiality of your information and to not disclose information about the pregnancy and its termination without your consent.
The only reason the staff is obligated to disclose information to another professional without your consent is to protect you from harm or abuse by a relative or your legal guardian (if you are not yet 18), in which case the staff is required to inform you of this.
Pregnancy termination methods
There are several methods for terminating a pregnancy and they are chosen by the medical staff depending on the age of the pregnancy (the week of pregnancy) and the state of your health:
- Until week 9 of pregnancy: The pregnancy is terminated with medications and involves treatment in two stages, in each of which a different medication is administered. The medications are Mifegyne and Cytotec. The combined action of the two medications causes a termination of pregnancy and uterine evacuation.
- Between week 12 and week 24 of pregnancy: pregnancy may be terminated by a medical abortion (inducing labor) or by surgical abortion under general anesthesia. The way the procedure is performed depends on gestational age and other medical considerations. At this stage since the abortion is more complicated and carries more risks, it will only be performed in hospitals and not as part of the community treatment provided by the HMO.
- From week 24 and after (“viable stage”): during this advanced stage of pregnancy, special approval must be obtained to terminate the pregnancy during the ‘viable stage’. Termination of a pregnancy is only possible in a hospital authorized to perform the procedure. In the first stage, an agent will be injected to stop fetal development, and in the second stage, procedures will be carried out that will induce childbirth. After the birth, according to your wish, an autopsy may be performed on the fetus, including genetic tests (information that can help you in subsequent pregnancies).
Important to know
Important to know
If you have decided to begin the process of terminating the pregnancy, you can still change your mind until the stage when the actual medical procedure of terminating the pregnancy begins.
Rights regarding termination of pregnancy
Until the age of 19, you are entitled to receive full funding for termination of pregnancy from your HMO, including visits to a doctor or gynecologist related to pregnancy testing and termination of pregnancy, blood tests, ultrasound examination and commitment forms to the Committee and the procedure for terminating the pregnancy. You can contact any medical institution authorized to perform the procedure, of your choosing and funded by the HMO, even outside the selection areas of the HMO.
If you are under the age of 18 and not an Israeli citizen (and therefore not insured by an HMO), you can go to one of the public hospitals in Israel and have a termination of pregnancy funded by the Ministry of Health.
Medical repercussions of a pregnancy termination
Termination of pregnancy under medical supervision is a safe procedure that is usually not accompanied by side effects or complications. In most cases, the procedure will not affect your ability to become pregnant in the future. At the same time, as with any surgery or any pregnancy and birth, there may be physical complications, about which you will receive information from the medical staff. Once the current pregnancy has been terminated, it is important to prevent another unwanted pregnancy to the extent possible.
Treatment and monitoring following discharge
After the pregnancy has been terminated and before being discharged from the hospital, you will receive some recommendations from the professional staff:
- Instruction on antibiotic treatment following the termination of pregnancy.
- An explanation of what is normal to feel in the days following the termination of pregnancy.
- Instructions on where to go in case you are experiencing pain or severe bleeding and high fever.
- Recommendations on who to contact to adjust birth control.
- Information about the medical monitoring required approximately two weeks after the termination of pregnancy.
- Details of relevant professionals who you can speak with if you are experiencing emotional distress.
- Instructions on resumption of sex.