abortion

Ending of a pregnancy before the fetus is developed sufficiently to survive outside the uterus. Loss of a fetus at a later stage is termed premature stillbirth. Abortion may be natural (miscarriage) or deliberate (termination of pregnancy).

Deliberate termination
In the first nine weeks of pregnancy, medical termination may be carried out using the ‘abortion pill’ (mifepristone), which acts against the hormones sustaining the pregnancy, in conjunction with a prostaglandin to stimulate uterus contractions. There are also various procedures for surgical termination, such as dilatation and curettage, depending on the length of the pregnancy.

Worldwide, an estimated 150,000 pregnancies are terminated each day by induced abortion. One-third of these abortions are performed illegally and unsafely, and cause one in eight of all women's deaths during pregnancy.

Abortion as birth control
Abortion as a means of birth control has long been controversial. The argument centres largely upon whether a woman should legally be permitted to have an abortion and, if so, under what circumstances. Another aspect is whether, and to what extent, the law should protect the fetus.

Those who oppose abortion generally believe that human life begins at the moment of conception, when a sperm fertilizes an egg. This is the view held, for example, by the Roman Catholic Church. Those who support legal abortion may believe in a woman's right to choose whether she wants a child, and may take into account the large numbers of deaths and injuries from unprofessional back-street abortions.

Others approve abortion for specific reasons. For example, if a woman's life or health is jeopardized, or there is a strong likelihood that the child will be born with severe mental or physical disability, an abortion may be recommended. Other grounds for abortion include pregnancy resulting from sexual assault such as rape or incest.