abortion
Sign in to saveAbortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. The unmodified word abortion generally refers to induced abortion, or deliberate actions to end a pregnancy. Abortion occurring without intervention is known as spontaneous abortion or "miscarriage", and occurs in roughly 30–40% of all pregnancies. Common reasons for inducing an abortion are birth-timing and limiting family size. Other reasons include maternal health, an inability to afford a child, domestic violence, lack of support, feelings of being too young, wishing to complete an education or advanc
AI overview
Abortion is a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy by removing or expelling an embryo or fetus, typically chosen by people for reasons such as birth timing, family planning, health concerns, or personal circumstances. It matters because it is a common medical experience—pregnancies naturally end this way in about 30–40% of cases—and because decisions about induced abortion involve significant personal, medical, and ethical considerations.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Medical intervention.field
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Medical intervention.name
- Induced abortion
- Medical intervention.synonyms
- Induced miscarriage, termination of pregnancy
- Medical intervention.MedlinePlus
- 007382
- Medical intervention.eMedicine
- 252560
- Medical intervention.MeshID
- D000028 <!-- Infobox medical intervention does not support the following parameters:
- Medical intervention.DiseasesDB
- 4153 -->
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
35 sectionsContents
- Types
- Induced
- Spontaneous
- Methods
- Medical
- Surgical
- Labor induction abortion
- Other methods
- Safety
- Safety of abortion methods
- Safety and gestational age
- Mental health
- Safety in the abortion debate
- Unsafe abortion
- Incidence
- Gestational age and method
- Motivation
- Personal
- Societal
- Maternal health
- Cancer
- Fetal health
- History
- Religion
- Society and culture
- Abortion debate
- Modern abortion law
- Sex-selective abortion
- Anti-abortion violence
- {{anchor|Other animals}}Non-human examples
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. The unmodified word abortion generally refers to induced abortion, or deliberate actions to end a pregnancy. Abortion occurring without intervention is known as spontaneous abortion or "miscarriage", and occurs in roughly 30–40% of all pregnancies. Common reasons for inducing an abortion are birth-timing and limiting family size. Other reasons include maternal health, an inability to afford a child, domestic violence, lack of support, feelings of being too young, wishing to complete an education or advance a career, and not being able, or willing, to raise a child conceived as a result of rape or incest.
When done legally in industrialized societies, induced abortion is one of the safest procedures in medicine. Modern methods use medication or surgery for abortions. The drug mifepristone (aka RU-486) in combination with prostaglandin appears to be as safe and effective as surgery during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. Self-managed medication abortion is highly effective and safe throughout the first trimester. The most common surgical technique involves dilating the cervix and using a suction device. Birth control, such as contraceptive pills or intrauterine devices, can be used immediately following an abortion. When performed legally and safely on a woman who desires it, an induced abortion does not increase the risk of long-term mental or physical problems. In contrast, unsafe abortions performed by unskilled individuals, with hazardous equipment, or in unsanitary facilities cause between 22,000 and 44,000 deaths and 6.9 million hospital admissions each year — responsible for between 5% and 13% of maternal deaths, especially in low-income countries. The World Health Organization states that "access to legal, safe and comprehensive abortion care, including post-abortion care, is essential for the attainment of the highest possible level of sexual and reproductive health". Public health data show that making safe abortion legal and accessible reduces maternal deaths.