Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy by removal of the fetus from the uterus.
In some cases, a pregnancy can be ended by taking certain medications administered by a physician. In 1973, in Roe v. Wade , the Supreme Court struck down laws banning abortion and declared that constitutional guarantees of privacy give women the right to decide whether and when to have children, including the right to abortion. Roe does not give women an unlimited right to abortion throughout pregnancy. Most abortions take place early in pregnancy, when the fetus is very immature. Abortions late in pregnancy are very rare.