Definitions of abortion

Definitions of abortion vary from one source to another. Abortion has many definitions that can differ from each other in significant ways. Given the contentious nature of abortion, lawmakers and other stakeholders often face controversy in defining abortion. Language referring to abortion often reflects societal and political opinions (not only scientific knowledge). Influential non-state actors like the United Nations and the Roman Catholic Church have also engendered controversy over efforts to define abortion.
Late termination of pregnancy is the term usually used for later uterine evacuation.

Quotes

The contentious issue of abortion is riddled with jabberwocky terminology that is contradictory, obsolete, ambiguous and misleading. Both the lay and professional literature uses obstetrical terms improperly, including abortion. ~ David A. Grimes

Sixteen years after the Supreme Court liberalized abortion policy, the United States continues to debate two competing and seemingly irreconcileable definitions of abortion. ~ K.M. Roe

• [T]he standard medical definition of abortion [is] termination of a pregnancy when the fetus is not viable.
  • Annas, George J.; Elias, Sherman (2007). "51. Legal and Ethical Issues in Obstetric Practice". In Gabbe, Steven G.; Niebyl, Jennifer R.; Simpson, Joe Leigh (eds.). "Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies" (5 ed.). Churchill Livingstone.

• [T]he Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently came out with its own glossary of terms, suggesting, for example, that people don't say abortion at all, and instead say "intentional feticide." The organization says the word abortion "is a vague term with a multitude of definitions depending on the context in which it is being used."
  • Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists as quoted by Selena Simmons-Duffin, “What does the word 'abortion' mean? Survey says there's no shared definition", "All Things Considered", 'NPR, (Updated September 26, 2023; originally published September 25, 2023)

• Interruption of pregnancy before the fetus has attained a stage of viability, usually before the 24th gestational week.
  • "Cambridge Dictionary of Human Biology and Evolution". Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press. 2005.

• The definition of abortion is crucial to the efforts of the all-party Oireachtas committee, when it comes to make its recommendations, Dr Alistair McFar lane, a retired obstetrician and gynaecologist, told the hearing. No definition appeared in the Green Paper, he said, and the committee had heard a number of accounts from the various medical experts in the past week which differed as to whether or not the ending of pregnancy in certain procedures (carried out by all obstetricians on medical grounds) amounted to abortion.
  • Cassidy, Coleman (10 May 2000). "Definition of abortion is crucial gynaecologist". The Irish Times. p. 6.

• 1. medicine the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus before it is sufficiently developed to survive independently, deliberately induced by the use of drugs or by surgical procedures. Also called termination or induced abortion. 2. medicine the spontaneous expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus before it is sufficiently developed to survive independently. Also called miscarriage, spontaneous abortion."
  • "Chambers 21st Century Dictionary". London: Chambers Harrap, 2001.

• The termination of pregnancy or premature expulsion of the products of conception by any means, usually before fetal viability.
  • "Churchill's Medical Dictionary". Churchill Livingstone. 1989. p. 3. ISBN 978-0443086915.

• "[A]n operation or other procedure to terminate pregnancy before the fetus is viable" or "[T]he premature termination of pregnancy by spontaneous or induced expulsion of a nonviable fetus from the uterus".
  • "abortion". Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers.

• [a] fetus or embryo removed or expelled from the uterus during the first half of gestation—20 weeks or less, or in the absence of accurate dating criteria, born weighing < 500 g."
  • Cunningham, FG; Leveno, KJ; Bloom, SL; Hauth, JC; Rouse, DJ; Spong, CY, eds. (2010). "1. Overview of Obstetrics". Williams Obstetrics (23 ed.). McGraw-Hill Medical.

• [I]n the absence of accurate dating criteria, fetuses weighing <500 g are usually not considered births, but rather are termed abortuses for purposes of vital statistics."[12]
  • Cunningham, FG; Leveno, KJ; Bloom, SL; Hauth, JC; Rouse, DJ; Spong, CY, eds. (2010). "1. Overview of Obstetrics". "Williams Obstetrics" (23 ed.). McGraw-Hill Medical.

• "[T]he removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy" or "[A]ny of various surgical methods for terminating a pregnancy, especially during the first six months."
  • "abortion". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 27 June 2011.

• [A] situation where a fetus leaves the uterus before it is fully developed, especially during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy, or a procedure which causes this to happen...[T]o have an abortion to have an operation to make a fetus leave the uterus during the first period of pregnancy.
  • "abortion". "Dictionary of Medical Terms". London: A & C Black. 2005.

• A term that, in philosophy, theology, and social debates, often means the deliberate termination of pregnancy before the fetus is able to survive outside the uterus. However, participants in these debates sometimes use the term abortion simply to mean the termination of pregnancy before birth, regardless of whether the fetus is viable or not.
  • "abortion."Dictionary of World Philosophy". London: Routledge, 2001.

• [P]remature expulsion from the uterus of the products of conception, either the embryo or a nonviable fetus.
  • "Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary" (31 ed.). Saunders. 2007.

• [T]he expulsion of a fetus from the uterus before it has reached the stage of viability (in human beings, usually about the 20th week of gestation).
  • "Abortion (pregnancy)". "Encyclopædia Britannica". 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2011.

• Abortion is the intentional removal of a fetus or an embryo from a mother's womb for purposes other than that of either producing a live birth or disposing of a dead embryo.
  • "Abortion". "Encyclopedia of Human Rights Issues since 1945" (1 ed.). Santa Barbara, California: Routledge. 1999.

• 1. An artificially induced termination of a pregnancy for the purpose of destroying an embryo or fetus. 2. The spontaneous expulsion of an embryo or fetus before viability;
  • Garner, Bryan A. (June 2009). "Black's Law Dictionary" (9th ed.). Thomson West. ISBN 9780314199492.

• The contentious issue of abortion is riddled with jabberwocky terminology that is contradictory, obsolete, ambiguous and misleading. Both the lay and professional literature uses obstetrical terms improperly, including abortion. Recent press coverage of Dr. George Tiller's murder has added to this confusion, with misleading language such as late-term abortion.
  • Grimes, David A.; Gretchen, Stuart (February 2010). "Abortion jabberwocky: the need for better terminology". Contraception. 81 (2): 93–96.

• Termination of pregnancy before 20 weeks' gestation calculated from date of onset of last menses. An alternative definition is delivery of a fetus with a weight of less than 500 g. If abortion occurs before 12 weeks' gestation, it is called early; from 12 to 20 weeks it is called late.
  • Katz, Vern L. (2007). "16. Spontaneous and Recurrent Abortion – Etiology, Diagnosis, Treatment". In Katz, Vern L.; Lentz, Gretchen M.; Lobo, Rogerio A.; Gershenson, David M. (eds.). Katz: "Comprehensive Gynecology" (5 ed.). Mosby.

• Termination of a pregnancy, whether spontaneous or induced.
  • Kottke, Melissa J.; Zieman, Mimi (2008). "33. Management of Abortion". In Rock, John A.; Jones III, Howard W. (eds.). "TeLinde's Operative Gynecology" (10 ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

• An abortion refers to the termination of a pregnancy. It can be induced (see Definitions, Terminology, and Reference Resources) through a pharmacological or a surgical procedure, or it may be spontaneous (also called miscarriage)." "Definitions of abortion vary across and within countries as well as among different institutions. Language used to refer to abortion often also reflects societal and political opinions and not only scientific knowledge (Grimes and Gretchen 2010). Popular use of the word abortion implies a deliberate pregnancy termination, whereas a miscarriage is used to refer to spontaneous fetal loss when the fetus is not viable (i.e., not yet unable to survive independently outside the womb).
  • Kulczycki, Andrzej. "Abortion". Oxford Bibliographies.

• a medical operation to end a pregnancy so that the baby is not born alive.
  • "Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English", online edition.

• [T]he termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus: as (a) spontaneous expulsion of a human fetus during the first 12 weeks of gestation (b) induced expulsion of a human fetus (c) expulsion of a fetus by a domestic animal often due to infection at any time before completion of pregnancy.
  • "Merriam-Webster Dictionary", from Merriam-Webster, an Encyclopædia Britannica Company.

• [T]he termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.
  • "Medical Dictionary". "Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary". Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster.

• [A] spontaneous or deliberate ending of pregnancy before the fetus can be expected to survive.
  • "Mosby's Emergency Dictionary". Philadelphia: Elsevier Health Sciences. 1998.

• 1. a. The expulsion or removal from the womb of a developing embryo or fetus, spec. (Med.) in the period before it is capable of independent survival, occurring as a result either of natural causes (more fully spontaneous abortion) or of a deliberate act (more fully induced abortion); the early or premature termination of pregnancy with loss of the fetus; an instance of this.
  • "abortion, n.". "Oxford English Dictionary" (Third ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2009

• Sixteen years after the Supreme Court liberalized abortion policy, the United States continues to debate two competing and seemingly irreconcileable definitions of abortion. The experience of those who provide abortion has received relatively little research attention despite this unique set of historical circumstances. This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of 130 abortion workers (physicians, nurses and counselors). The data suggest that, despite formal beliefs about abortion rights, the situated experience of providing legal abortion evokes a range of abortion definitions. Seven central definition themes were cited repeatedly by the respondents: abortion as a woman's right, a destructive act, part of the practitioner's work, a technical procedure, a positive act, murder and an irresponsible act. Respondents perceived each definition to fit within one of three fixed and familiar perspectives: medical, pro-choice or pro-life. Each perspective was understood to have its own exclusive meanings, vocabulary and imagery which automatically remanded the situated definitions to a broader social context. Each definition of abortion was seen to define the event itself as well as to input specific meaning and differential value to what is aborted, the woman terminating her pregnancy, the nature of abortion work and the role of the practitioner. These definition components were perceived to be specific, codified and mutually exclusive within the different definition themes. They also were found to be linked to expected and specified feelings. The co-existence of feelings or definitions that were perceived as consistent was hardly noted by respondents.
  • Roe, K.M. (1989). "Private troubles and public issues: providing abortion amid competing definitions". Social Science & Medicine. 29 (10): 1191–8.

• The mere fact that a certain class of decisions is difficult cannot justify the absence of consistent supporting standards. Each state must compare the language of its statutes to determine whether the definitions of the parameters of life conflict. If these definitions conflict, as is the case with Missouri's Definition of Death and abortion regulation statutes, the state must amend the existing language to bring into concert the criteria defining these parameters. Each state should decide whether to accomplish this goal by changing its statute in which death is defined or by changing any other statute with conflicting criteria.
  • Schoen, Wendy L. (1990). "Conflict in the Parameters Denning Life and Death in Missouri Statutes". American Journal of Law & Medicine. 16 (555): 555–580.

• Abortion is the spontaneous or induced termination of pregnancy before fetal viability. Because popular use of the word abortion implies a deliberate pregnancy termination, some prefer the word miscarriage to refer to spontaneous fetal loss before viability [...] The National Center for Health Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) define abortion as pregnancy termination prior to 20 weeks' gestation or a fetus born weighing less than 500 g. Despite this, definitions vary widely according to state laws.
  • Schorge, John O.; Schaffer, Joseph I.; Halvorson, Lisa M.; Hoffman, Barbara L.; Bradshaw, Karen D.; Cunningham, F. Gary, eds. (2008). "6. First-Trimester Abortion". "Williams Gynecology" (1 ed.). McGraw-Hill Medical.

• Expulsion from the uterus an embryo or fetus prior to the stage of viability (20 weeks' gestation or fetal weight <500g). A distinction made between [abortion] and premature birth: premature infants are those born after the stage of viability but prior to 37 weeks.
  • Stedman's Medical Dictionary (27 ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2000.

• The spontaneous or induced termination of pregnancy before the fetus reaches a viable age.
  • "Taber's Medical Dictionary: abortion". "Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary". F.A. Davis. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011.

• The deliberate termination of a pregnancy, usually before the embryo or fetus is capable of independent life.
  • "The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy" (3rd ed.). Houghton Mifflin Company. 2005.

• 1. Induced termination of a pregnancy with destruction of the fetus or embryo; therapeutic abortion. 2. Spontaneous abortion.
  • "The American Heritage Medical Dictionary" (reprint ed.). Houghton Mifflin. 2008. p. 2.

• Induced termination of pregnancy, involving destruction of the embryo or fetus.
  • "The American Heritage Science Dictionary". Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 2005.

• Expulsion of the products of conception before the embryo or fetus is viable. Any interruption of human pregnancy prior to the 28th week is known as abortion.
  • "Abortion". "The Columbia Encyclopedia". New York: Columbia University Press. 2008.

• Although the term abortion is generic and implies a premature termination of pregnancy for any reason, the lay public better understands the word 'miscarriage' for involuntary fetal loss or fetal wastage.
  • "The Dictionary of Modern Medicine". Parthenon Publishing. 1992. p. 3.

• [Abortion] is commonly misunderstood outside medical circles. In general terms, the word 'abortion' simply means the failure of something to reach fulfilment or maturity. Medically, abortion means loss of the fetus, for any reason, before it is able to survive outside the womb. The term covers accidental or spontaneous ending, or miscarriage, of pregnancy as well as deliberate termination. The terms 'spontaneous abortion' and 'miscarriage' are synonymous and are defined as loss of the fetus before the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy. This definition implies a legal perception of the age at which a fetus can survive out of the womb. With great advances in recent years in the ability to keep very premature babies alive, this definition is in need of revision.
  • "Abortion and miscarriage". "The Royal Society of Medicine Health Encyclopedia". London: Bloomsbury Publishing. 2000.

• "I think it's really important research," says Ushma Upadhyay, professor and public health scientist at the University of California San Francisco, who was not involved in the study. "It sheds light on how important these terms are and how important it is for the public to have better knowledge about these issues that are constantly in our media, constantly being discussed in policy – and policymakers are making these decisions and probably have very similar misunderstandings and lack of understanding."
  Upadhyay thinks clear terms and definitions can help. She recently published a statement on abortion nomenclature in the journal Contraception, which was endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or ACOG.
  • Ushma Upadhyay as quoted by Selena Simmons-Duffin, “What does the word 'abortion' mean? Survey says there's no shared definition", "All Things Considered", NPR, (Updated September 26, 2023; originally published September 25, 2023)

• Our biggest takeaway is that people do not hold a shared standard definition of what is and isn't an abortion. We found that there's a lot of nuance and ambiguity in how people are thinking about these issues and understanding these issues.
  • Alicia VandeVusse; as quoted by Selena Simmons-Duffin, “What does the word 'abortion' mean? Survey says there's no shared definition", "All Things Considered", NPR, (Updated September 26, 2023; originally published September 25, 2023)

• "Intention definitely played a very strong role in sort of how our respondents thought through the different scenarios," VandeVusse says. For instance, "when people were talking about taking emergency contraception the day after intercourse, we had folks who were saying, 'Well, you know, they wanted to end their pregnancy, so it's an abortion,' even if they're not pregnant."
  She says many respondents seemed unsure about how pregnancy works and how complications can unfold.
  "We don't speak openly about a lot of reproductive experiences, particularly abortion, but also miscarriage," says VandeVusse. "These are both stigmatized and very personal experiences."
  • Alicia VandeVusse, as quoted by Selena Simmons-Duffin, “What does the word 'abortion' mean? Survey says there's no shared definition", "All Things Considered", NPR, (Updated September 26, 2023; originally published September 25, 2023)

• The act that a woman performs in voluntarily terminating, or allowing another person to terminate, her pregnancy.
  • Warren, M. A. "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion". Monist 57:1 (1973): 43-61. Reprinted in Mappes and DeGrazia 2001: 456-463.

• The expulsion or removal of a fetus from the womb before it is capable of independent survival.
  • "Abortion". "World Encyclopedia", Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 2008.

See also

• Abortion case law
• Miscarriage