What is an abortion?
The word abortion comes from the Latin abortio, which means to abort, miscarry, deliver prematurely. The Latin word abortus means “miscarriage, premature, untimely birth”. In medicine abortion means ending a pregnancy prematurely. An abortion can happen spontaneously as a result of complications during a pregnancy, or it can be induced. An induced abortion carried out to preserve the health of the mother (gravida) is a therapeutic abortion. An abortion carried out for any other reason is called an elective abortion.
There are several types of abortions. Doctors may refer to miscarriages or stillbirths as spontaneous abortions which are a result of natural causes, such as illness. After a miscarriage, the physician may suction out the uterus to be sure that nothing is left inside which can cause an infection. More commonly occurring are induced abortions, which are the direct result of a medical procedure intended to end a pregnancy prematurely. These are also called elective abortions, or simply referred to here as an abortion.
An abortion is a medical procedure to terminate a pregnancy. There are several types of abortions, and the method used depends upon the length of the pregnancy. These methods include: • Early medical abortion (up to nine weeks). This method involves taking two tablets, one two days after the other, and together they will induce cramping that will result in the uterus breaking down and the embryo being flushed out. This may also be called medical abortion or using the abortion pill. • Vacuum aspiration abortion (five to fifteen weeks). This method involves a tube being inserted into the vagina and using suction to remove the embryo from the uterus. This is sometimes also called the suction method. • Dilation and evacuation (fifteen to nineteen weeks). This method involves stretching the cervix open with forceps and using suction to remove the embryo from the uterus. This may also be called D&E and be considered the suction method. Are All Abortions Legal in the UK? Abortion is legal in