The MYA Network, a network of clinicians and activists who came together earlier in the pandemic when some states tried to deem abortion as “non-essential” medical care, show what tissue in the first nine weeks of pregnancy actually looks like. Via The Guardian:

[...] Sometimes, patients want to see the tissue after an abortion. “They are stunned by what it actually looks like,” says Fleischman. “That’s when I realized how much the imagery on the internet and on placards – showing human-like qualities at this early stage of development – has really permeated the culture. People almost don’t believe this is what comes out.”

[...] “Clinicians date pregnancy from the first day of your last period, to help predict the due date. But you’re not pregnant for those first two weeks,” says Fleischman. So someone with a six-week pregnancy may have very little time after a missed period to get abortion care in states with a six-week limit.

Many images on the internet and in textbooks show development to be quite far along at this stage.

“A lot of early pregnancy images are driven by people who are against abortion and feel that life begins at conception, or by prenatal enthusiasts who want women to be excited about their pregnancy. What about people who aren’t?” she asks.

Well! It's about time. I've been searching for pictures like this for more than 10 years, and I could never quite believe they weren't available. Because I knew early-abortion fetal tissue didn't look anything like those little plastic fetuses the fetishists like to pass around.

Kudos to the MYA Network for sharing these images. You can support their work by donating here.