Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy before birth. Early in a pregnancy, the fertilized egg that grows and develops is called an embryo. After three months, it is usually called a fetus. An abortion causes the embryo or fetus to die. In a spontaneous abortion, the fetus passes from the woman’s body because of natural causes. Spontaneous abortions are also called miscarriages. The causes of miscarriages include an abnormality in the embryo or a disorder in the woman. In an induced abortion, the fetus is purposely removed from the woman’s body. This article deals with induced abortion.
Abortion methods.
Physicians perform abortions in several ways. During the first three months of pregnancy, a common method is suction curettage. This method is also known as vacuum aspiration. It involves removing the fetus by suction. Then, the woman’s uterus (womb) is scraped with surgical instruments called curettes.
Abortion can also be caused in early pregnancy by a drug called mifepristone or RU-486. The drug blocks the action of the hormone progesterone. Normally, this hormone prepares the woman’s uterus to receive and nourish the embryo.
In later pregnancy, many physicians use a method called dilation and evacuation or D and E. In this method, doctors take apart the fetus in the uterus and remove the pieces. Another method involves adding a salt solution to the amniotic fluid, the liquid that surrounds the fetus. The fetus then dies and passes from the woman’s body. Doctors may also perform an abortion by adding hormonelike drugs called prostaglandins to the amniotic fluid. The drugs cause muscle contractions that expel the fetus.
Induced abortion has been a topic of dispute for hundreds of years. People disagree on two basic questions. One question is whether the law should permit a woman to have an abortion and, if so, under what circumstances. The other is whether the law should protect the unborn. Those who wish to legally limit or forbid abortion describe their position as “right-to-life” or “pro-life.” Those who believe a woman should have the right to an abortion refer to themselves as “pro-choice.”
Arguments against abortion
are generally based on the belief that an abortion is the unjustified killing of a child. Most people who oppose abortion believe that human life begins as soon as a sperm fertilizes an egg. Some believe that human embryos and fetuses should have legal rights. These people consider abortion a form of murder. Many pro-life people believe that legal abortion increases the number of irresponsible pregnancies and leads to a disrespect for human life.
The Roman Catholic Church is probably the leading opponent of abortion. Conservative branches of other religions also disapprove of abortion.
Arguments for abortion.
Many people would allow abortion under certain circumstances. Some approve of abortion if a woman’s life or health is endangered by pregnancy. Others find abortion permissible if the child will be born with a serious mental or physical defect. Some people would permit abortion when a pregnancy has resulted from rape or sexual relations between closely related persons. Others believe that a woman should have an unrestricted right to an abortion. Some would limit abortion to the time before the fetus becomes viable—that is, capable of living outside the mother’s body. Most fetuses become viable after the sixth month of the pregnancy.
People who favor an unrestricted right to abortion during early pregnancy often separate human life from personhood. They argue that personhood includes an ability to experience self-consciousness and to be accepted as a member of a community. These people believe fetuses are not persons and thus should not be granted the rights given to persons. Such pro-choice thinkers consider birth the beginning of personhood.
Another pro-choice argument is that legal abortion eliminates many of the illegal abortions performed by unskilled individuals under unsanitary conditions. These abortions cause many women permanent injury or death. Also, some argue that women should not have to give birth to unwanted children because the world’s population is already too large.
Abortion history.
Abortion has been widely known, practiced, and debated since ancient times. The ancient Hebrews had laws against abortion. They permitted it, however, in cases where the mother’s life was at risk.
The early Christian church generally opposed abortion. For hundreds of years, however, the church debated whether abortion might be justifiable before animation. Church scholars defined animation as the point at which the fetus received a soul. According to church teachings, animation occurred between 40 and 80 days after conception (fertilization). From about the 1300’s to the 1800’s, abortion became generally accepted in Europe if the pregnancy endangered the mother. If an abortion took place for a less serious reason, many church scholars considered it wrong, but not murder.
In 1869, Pope Pius IX condemned abortion from the moment of conception. Some Catholic church scholars, however, continued to teach that abortions to save the mother were morally acceptable. In 1895, the Roman Catholic Church declared that abortion is never justifiable. Today, the Catholic church condemns all forms of direct abortion—that is, the intentional ending of pregnancy. Catholic teaching permits indirect abortion. In an indirect abortion, the fetus is lost as a side effect of medical treatment to save the mother’s life.
Abortion in the United States
is a subject of public debate. Most people think abortion should be legal. These people might disapprove of abortion or disagree with some of the reasons that women seek abortions. However, they would permit women a legal choice. Some believe that only the states—and not the federal government—should regulate or outlaw abortion.
Before the mid-1800’s, abortion was not a crime if it took place before quickening. Quickening is the time when the mother first feels the fetus moving. State laws prohibiting abortion began to appear in the 1820’s. By 1900, every state except Kentucky had made abortion a serious crime. But some courts refused to impose penalties for early abortion.
By the 1960’s, pro-choice organizations had begun working to change state abortion laws. By the early 1970’s, 14 states had laws permitting abortion if the woman’s health was in danger or if she was a victim of incest or rape.
In 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States delivered a historic decision on abortion in the case of Roe v. Wade. The court ruled that states could not forbid a woman to have an abortion during the first trimester (three months) of pregnancy. The court based this ruling on the assumption that an early abortion is usually safer for the woman than a nine-month pregnancy. The court also ruled that, during the second trimester, states could regulate abortion only to protect women’s health. Once the fetus became viable in the third trimester, states could regulate abortion to protect the interests of both women and the unborn. The court based its Roe v. Wade decision on the U.S. Constitution, which it said implied a right of privacy. According to the court, a woman had a right to privacy that allowed her to decide for herself if she would have an abortion.
The 1973 decision also dealt with the question of when a fetus becomes viable. It stated, “Viability is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks.” The court said that states could forbid abortion of a viable fetus except when an abortion is needed to protect the life or health of the mother.
After the Roe v. Wade decision, many groups organized in the United States to oppose abortion. These groups included the National Right to Life Committee, the Christian Coalition of America, and Operation Rescue. Most pro-life groups oppose illegal acts. However, some individuals have vandalized, bombed, or set fire to abortion clinics. Others have attacked and killed doctors and other clinic employees.
Pro-choice groups also expanded their efforts. They contacted lawmakers and held demonstrations. They also attacked restrictive abortion laws in court. Pro-choice organizations include Reproductive Freedom for All, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the National Organization for Women.
After 1973, some Supreme Court decisions limited the influence of Roe v. Wade. One example is Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989). The court ruled that states could require physicians to test the viability of a fetus before performing an abortion. The court also ruled that states could outlaw abortions in public hospitals. In addition, states could prohibit public employees from assisting in abortions.
Following Roe v. Wade, the federal government and many state governments began to pay for abortions for poor women under the Medicaid program. Many opponents of abortion objected to this use of government funds. In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that the government had no obligation to pay for even most medically necessary abortions. This ruling upheld a federal law called the Hyde Amendment.
In 1990, the Supreme Court decided that states could require minors to obtain parental or court consent before having an abortion. In 1992, the court upheld the ruling in Roe v. Wade. The court also ruled that states could require women seeking an abortion to first receive counseling by a doctor. The court said that states could require women to wait 24 hours between the counseling and the abortion.
The case of National Organization for Women v. Scheidler (1994) was a legal response to incidents at abortion clinics. The Supreme Court decided that protesters who block access to clinics can be prosecuted. In 1994, Congress passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which protects abortion clinics and their staff from violence and blockades.
In Stenberg v. Carhart (2000), the Supreme Court overturned a Nebraska law banning what pro-life activists call partial-birth abortions. Doctors refer to the procedure as intact dilation and extraction. The procedure involves aborting a fetus after it has been partially removed from a woman’s body. In 2003, however, Congress banned the procedure. Pro-choice organizations challenged the law in court, and several federal court rulings blocked full enforcement of the ban.
In 2000, the Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of the abortion drug mifepristone. The decision allowed women to purchase pills through physicians to end pregnancies. The drug enabled many women to end their pregnancies earlier, more safely, and with greater privacy than before. The drug had been available in Europe for more than 10 years.
In 2022, the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In Dobbs, the court ruled that, contrary to Roe, the Constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion. The ruling permitted states to ban abortion again.
In other countries,
abortion laws differ. Lawmakers in some countries have used abortion to limit family size and combat poverty. In China, for example, abortions are legal and common because the government limits the number of children per family. Chinese women may have an abortion at any time. In Russia, abortion is allowed up to the 29th week of pregnancy. Japan restricts abortions to the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. Both Russian and Japanese women may use abortion as a method of birth control.
In the United Kingdom, an abortion may be performed up to the 24th week of pregnancy. However, it must be shown that continuing the pregnancy would endanger the physical or mental health of the woman or her children.
Canadian law permits abortion at any time during pregnancy and for any reason. However, most physicians avoid abortions during the later stages of pregnancy and do not offer abortion as a method of birth control.
In 2006, Nicaragua banned abortions in all cases, including when a woman’s life is in danger. A few other countries, including El Salvador and Malta, ban abortion in all circumstances.
