Abortion

Synonyms

Abort; Dilation and Evacuation (D&E); Miscarriage; Termination

Definition

(1) The spontaneous or induced termination of pregnancy after conception. (2) To miscarry a nonviable fetus [1].

Description

An abortion is a legal, safe, and effective medical method to stop or interrupt the growth and development of a fetus. Even though abortion is a legal medical procedure, the availability of services has been under political and ethical debate for quite some time [5]. In fact, the availability of abortion services depends on federal and state policies. However, in the United States, abortion has not always been under ethical and political debate. As a matter of fact, up until the second half of the nineteenth century, abortion was not viewed as morally wrong if it was performed before 4-5 months of pregnancy. During the second half of the nineteenth century, abortion was preformed quite frequently using drugs, special potions, and techniques espoused by popular medical