Abortion

An abortion is when a pregnancy is ended early, without the natural birth of the child.

A developing human usually takes about thirty-nine weeks to grow and be born. The different stages are called trimesters. Normally, this occurs about forty weeks after the mother's last menstrual period. This developing human is called an embryo for the first eight weeks of the pregnancy, and fetus for the rest of the pregnancy. Abortion causes the embryo or fetus to die.

When an abortion occurs naturally, it is often called a miscarriage. Humans can also choose to end the pregnancy before birth takes place. This is called an induced abortion. The term abortion often refers only to an induced abortion.

In both types of abortion, the embryo or fetus usually comes out of the womb. This is called a complete abortion. In some cases, the embryo or fetus remains inside the womb. This is called a missed abortion. Surgery is needed to remove the embryo or fetus from the womb so the woman does not get an infection.

Different countries have different laws regarding induced abortion. While abortion is illegal in many countries, there are often exceptions that permit it in cases such as family incest, rape, the fetus having severe disabilities or the mother's health being at risk.