Kate Macnamara
R.S Coursework on Abortion
Ai) What is meant by the word abortion?
According to the Collins English Dictionary the word abortion means ‘An operation to end pregnancy. The premature ending of a pregnancy when a foetus is expelled from the womb before it can live independently.’ A natural expulsion, the result of natural causes is referred to as a miscarriage. If for some reason the baby is unwanted then a deliberate termination is an abortion. The baby could be the result of a rape, the mother might not be equipped to raise a child or too young, there could also be medical problems or health related problems. All these factors can lead to abortion, which means that there is a high demand for abortions today. If there is an accident or somehow the baby has died during the pregnancy an abortion is inevitable. Abortion is a legal act in the United Kingdom, up to 24 weeks of a pregnancy. However, in some countries, abortion is illegal e.g. in the Republic of Ireland. For some abortions women turn to ‘backstreet abortion’.