Abortion Defined

abortion /abor·tion/ (ah-bor´shun)

At its root, to abort simply means “to stop,” but the word abortion has come to be commonly associated with induced abortion.

Also known as ‘pregnancy termination’, it refers to the separation of a fetus from its mother, either naturally or through medical or surgical intervention. When it happens naturally, it’s called a spontaneous abortion, also known as miscarriage. When it happens artificially, it’s called induced abortion.

Medically, the term ‘abortion’ is used as a synonym referring to ‘induced abortion’ and occurs for one of two reasons:

1. Therapeutic Abortion referring to the separation of the child from the mother for the purpose of saving one or both of their lives.
2. Elective Abortion referring to the separation of the child from the mother for the purpose of ending the life of the child.