A Closer Look: Definition of Abortion

Abortion, one of the most controversial political issues in the United States, is currently misunderstood by many people. Generally, the term refers to the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus. However, there are several different types of abortions.

Spontaneous and Induced Abortions

Spontaneous - An abortion that occurs naturally without any medical intervention when there is a physical problem with a pregnancy is called a spontaneous abortion or a miscarriage

Induced - An abortion that is the result of any procedure done by a licensed physician or someone under the supervision of a licensed physician to purposefully end a pregnancy is called an induced abortion.

Within the broader area of induced abortions, there are two basic classifications:

• Therapeutic abortion
• Elective abortion

Therapeutic Abortion

A therapeutic abortion is done to:

• Save the life of a pregnant woman
• Preserve a pregnant woman's mental or physical health
• Terminate a pregnancy that would result in a child with a fatal congenital disorder
• Selectively reduce the number of fetuses born as the result of a high-risk multiple pregnancy

Elective Abortion

An elective abortion is an abortion performed for any other reason - most commonly occurring after contraceptive failure results in an unplanned pregnancy.

Legal Aspects of Abortion

In the United States, Roe v. Wade is the law that makes it legal for a woman to obtain a medically induced abortion at any point before the fetus becomes viable. This is generally considered to be seven months or 28 weeks, but may occur as early as 24 weeks.

Since the Supreme Court's ruling for Roe v Wade in 1973, however, there have been many organizations working to repeal the law on the grounds that abortion is morally and ethically wrong. Others are working to implement tighter restrictions on who can obtain the procedure.

To learn more about abortion and the controversies surrounding this issue, YourDictionary recommends the following resources:

• MedLine Plus Abortion Information from the National Institutes of Health
• Abortion Surveillance Statistics from the Center for Disease Control
• Study on Abortion, Miscarriage, and Breast Cancer Risk from the National Cancer Institute
• Family Planning Prevents Abortion from U.S. AID
• The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime from the Quarterly Journal on Economics