Abortion

{{bronze}}{{See also|Morality of abortion}}
[[File:Medievalpreg.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Abortion by [[List of medicinal plants#Pennyroyal|pennyroyal]], as depicted in a 13<sup>th</sup>-century manuscript of Pseudo-Apuleius's ''Herbarium'']]
{{abortion}}
{{cquote|[[Donald Trump|Trump]] won't drop out. Hey, [[Republican]]s, how does it feel to be forced to carry something to term?|||ceejayoz in October 2016, before the monster-baby was born<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20161013044941/https://twitter.com/ceejayoz/status/784800838405410816 Trump won’t drop out. Hey, Republicans, how does it feel to be forced to carry something to term?] by Pumpkin Spice CeeJay @ceejayoz (10:01 am - 8 Oct 2016) ''Twitter'' (archived from October 13, 2016).</ref>}}
'''Abortion''', in a technical sense, is any expulsion of the [[embryo]] or [[fetus]] from the womb before it is able to survive independently. In most non-medical contexts, it refers to a range of medical procedures<ref>[http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Abortion/Pages/How-is-it-performed.aspx How an abortion is carried out &mdash; NHS (terms specific to UK)]</ref> used to deliberately terminate a [[pregnancy]]. This article focuses on this debate about the legality of induced abortion, specifically within modern "Western" culture.

Whether and to what extent induced abortion should be encouraged, permitted, or discouraged is a social issue that has long divided [[theology|theologians]], [[philosophy|philosophers]], and [[law|legislators]]. In most parts of the world, these issues continue to be debated, especially over what specific legal limits should be placed on abortion throughout the pregnancy, how late into a pregnancy induced abortions are legal, and what rights minors have to access abortions.

The debate about the legality of abortion generally divides into two camps. People who believe that abortion should be legal (sometimes with exceptions) are most often called "[[pro-choice]]" or "pro-abortion", and are often called "anti-life" by their opposition. People who believe that abortion should be illegal (sometimes with exceptions) are most often called "[[pro-life]]", "pro-birth", or "anti-abortion", and are often called "anti-choice" or "pro-forced-birth" by their opposition.

==Overview==
===History===
{{main|History of abortion}}

It is likely that the desire to terminate a pregnancy has been around as long as people have understood the cause of pregnancy, basic anatomy, and basic [[herbalism]]. It is known that ''every'' culture studied has some form of abortifacient,<ref>http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion-4260.asp</ref><ref name="jw"><"History of Abortion" JW Dellapenna &mdash; ''U. Pitt. L. Rev.'', 1978</ref><ref name="eve">"Eve's Herbs" JM Riddle &mdash; 1999</ref> or at least something they believed to be and accepted as an abortifacient. The first recorded cases of the use of abortifacient are from [[Egypt]], 1500 [[BCE]]. [[Chinese]] writings from 700 BCE contain lists of herbs that will end a pregnancy, as well as several references in Chinese folklore to centuries-old practices; both suggest the knowledge for ending pregnancies goes back 5000 years.<ref name="eve"/> The [[Old Testament]] says abortion or killing of a child under 5 is less serious than murder.{{citation needed}} The partner of the carrier of the child or fetus (typically the father) should be compensated (not the carrier, usually the mother). The compensation is higher if a boy is killed than if a girl is killed.<ref>[http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/says_about/abortion.html What the Bible says about Abortion]</ref> [[Aristotle]], the Jewish Midrash, and 1<sup>st</sup> century Christian texts discuss the [[moral]] aspect regarding how far into a pregnancy it was acceptable to have abortions, and when not. The most common conclusion from antiquity (and one that is generally shared by most people today) found among "medical" people, theologians, and legislators was that before there was appreciable movement, (40 days to 3 months, depending on the culture in question) abortion was considered to be an acceptable choice for people.<ref name="jw"/>

===Procedure===
There are two types of abortion performed by the [[Medicine|medical establishment]]. "Medical" abortion, which is the administering of [[RU-486|two drugs]] over several days to cause the uterus to expel the fetus, and surgical abortion which manually removes the fetus from the parent. Medical abortions must be done within 50 days of conception, obviously limiting its use to first term abortions. In 2008, in the [[US]], 17% of abortions are "medical".<ref>[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1363/4304111/pdf Abortion Incidence and Access to Services In the United States, 2008] by Rachel K. Jones & Kathryn Kooistra (2011) ''Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health'' 43:41-50. doi:10.1363/4304111.</ref> As of 2022 however, about half are now medical.<ref>[https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2022/02/medication-abortion-now-accounts-more-half-all-us-abortions Medication Abortion Now Accounts for More Than Half of All US Abortions] by Rachel K. Jones & Jesse Philbin (February 2022) ''Guttmacher Institute''.</ref> In [[Europe]] and the [[UK]], the percentage of medical abortions ranges from 50 to 75%.<ref>MD Creinin &mdash; Contraception, 2000</ref> Surgical abortions are the only method which can end a pregnancy in the second trimester or later, and include ''dilation and curettage'', ''dilation and evacuation'', and ''[[intact dilation and extraction]]'' (often referred to in U.S. politics by the [[loaded language|emotionally-charged buzzword]] "partial-birth abortion"). In some cases of {{wpl|multiple pregnancies||,}} surgical abortion may be used for {{wpl|selective reduction||,}} a procedure that reduces the number of fetuses to improve the health outcomes for the remaining fetus(es) or the pregnant person. Contrary to what anti-abortion [[Fear, uncertainty, and doubt|alarmists]] claim, most surgical abortions are safe, quick and insufficiently painful (similar to bad [[Menstruation|menstrual]] cramps) to require anesthesia.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g09Y7YRaiU One of our brave patients reflects on her decision to have an abortion + the actual abortion filmed!] (Jun 14, 2024) ''Early Options'' via ''YouTube''.</ref>

==Legality and morality==
{{main|Morality of abortion}}
[[File:Abortion Laws.svg|thumb|right|Map of abortion laws by country (go to image page for legend).]][[File:Map of US, pre-abortion counselling law.svg|thumb|right|Mandatory pre-abortion counselling by state as of 2006 (go to image page for legend).]]

The morality and legality of abortion are hotly contested issues, certainly within the United States but also across many countries of the world. With the overturning of ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' in the U.S., abortion's nationwide legality is a giant question mark, though no longer a guaranteed protection.

Generally, debate will focus on when life starts, whether rape or incest or other complications justify abortion, and the competing interests of the person with the baby and/or their spouse (or more), and the baby. In addition, some legal debates now address {{wpl|selective reduction||,}} particularly in cases of {{wpl|multiple pregnancies||,}} weighing the rights of the pregnant person against ethical considerations for the fetus(es) that may be terminated.

Effective response to the [[Zika]] [[virus]] is compromised in the United States because [[Republican Party|Republicans]] are reluctant to fund organisations like [[Planned Parenthood]] to do management and screening. Also, Republicans do not like abortions as an option in the case of severely affected and disabled fetuses.<ref>[http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2016/08/24/what-zika-does-to-fetal-brains/ What Zika does to fetal brains]</ref>

Most recently, Ohio lawmakers tried to pass a bill that would criminalise not reimplanting an ectopic pregnancy in the womb, despite doctors stating that this procedure was 'impossible'. Dr. Daniel Grossman described the idea as 'pure science fiction'. Ohio obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. David Hackney posted on Twitter, saying “I don’t believe I’m typing this again but, that’s impossible. We’ll all be going to jail”.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/29/ohio-extreme-abortion-bill-reimplant-ectopic-pregnancy Extreme Ohio Abortion Bill]</ref> However, this opinion is not shared by the majority of Republican voters, about 2/3 of whom are in favor of abortion rights, at least under some circumstances.

==Reasons abortions are performed==
There are so many reasons people decide to have an abortion that it is difficult to know them all, and of course these reasons can vary among different countries and different groups. In addition to personal, financial, or health-related reasons, abortions may also be performed in the context of {{wpl|Multiple birth|multiple pregnancies}} to {{wpl|Selective reduction|selectively reduce}} the number of fetuses, a decision sometimes made to minimize health risks for the parent or for the surviving fetus(es). Most anti-abortion people don't take the time appreciating the reasons behind abortion, of course.

A 2004 survey<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Reasons U.S. women have abortions: quantitative and qualitative perspectives.|last=Finer|last2=Frohwirth|last3=Dauphinee|last4=Singh|last5=Moore|journal=Perspective on Sexual and Reproductive Health|volume=37|issue=3|year=2005|pages=110-8|url=https://doi.org/10.1363/psrh.37.110.05}}</ref> on 1,209 U.S. women who had abortions showed that their main reasons were the following:
* 74% said that '''having a baby would dramatically change my life''', because '''would interfere with education''' (38%), '''would interfere with job/employment/career''' (38%), or '''have other children or dependents''' (32%).
* 73% said that '''can't afford a baby now''', because '''unmarried''' (42%), '''student or planning to study''' (34%), or '''can't afford a baby and child care''' (28%).
* 48% said that '''don't want to be a single mother or having relationship problems''', because '''not sure about relationship''' (19%), '''Partner and I can't or don't want to get married''' (12%), '''not in a relationship right now''' (11%), '''relationship or marriage may break up soon''' (11%), or '''husband or partner is abusive to me or my children''' (2%).
* 38% said that '''have completed my childbearing'''.
* 32% said that '''not ready for a(nother) child'''.
* 25% said that '''don't want people to know I had sex or got pregnant'''.
* 14% said that '''husband or partner wants me to have an abortion'''.
* 13% claimed '''possible problems affecting the health of the fetus'''.
* 12% said '''physical problem with my health'''.
* 6% said that '''parents want me to have an abortion'''.
* 1% said '''was a victim of [[rape]]'''.
* <0.5% said that '''became pregnant as a result of [[incest]]'''.
Percentages overlap because of multiple reasons.

It is not well-researched on the numbers trans men and non-binary persons go for abortions, but it's likely for similar reasons as above. As abortion bans and discussion tend to target cis women, trans men and non-binary persons are usually left out of the debate, but their needs are important too, and there's an ongoing fight for gender inclusive language.<ref>Vagianos, A. (June 6, 2019) "[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/women-arent-the-only-people-who-get-abortions_n_5cf55540e4b0e346ce8286d3 Women Aren’t The Only People Who Get Abortions]". ''Huffington Post''. Retrieved September 17, 2020.</ref>

==Religious views==
{{main|Religion and abortion}}

===Abrahamic religions===
{{main|Abrahamic religions}}
It is known that abortifacients<ref group=note>Not necessarily effective procedures, but ones everyone understood had the intent if not effect of ending a pregnancy.</ref> were known in the ancient [[Middle East]],<ref>http://www.choicematters.org/articles/abortion-a-historical-perspective</ref> so it is likely they existed in ancient [[Israel]]. Yet neither the [[Torah]], nor the [[Bible]], as it developed over history mentions the practice. Only through interpretation can any link be drawn.

'Pro-life' groups cite the numerous injunctions against murder in both the New<ref>{{bible|Matthew|5|21|22}}</ref> and Old<ref>{{bible|Exodus|21|12}}</ref> Testaments, and argue that this forbids abortion &mdash; after all, the foetus was not convicted in a fair trial (it is not [[Capital punishment|judicial execution]], which many pro-life conservatives support), and it is not an act of [[war]] (under which circumstances most Christians might accept killing), and thus it is murder. With the minimum age at which a foetus can survive outside its womb being pushed back further and further, in some cases past cut-off dates for abortion, such groups thus argue that foetuses are being aborted that could survive on their own (albeit with medical help) &mdash; to abort them, therefore, is murder, as mentioned above, and is Biblically prohibited. There is also a tenuous argument for distinct [[personhood]] before birth in {{bible|Jeremiah|1|5}} which states that, "before I formed you in the womb I chose you"; this is commonly interpreted by pro-life groups as implying separate existence before birth, but, given the context, it is just as likely to refer to divine foreknowledge. (Though wouldn't "before I formed you" imply personhood ''before'' conception?)

An argument has developed, on the other hand, that the Bible attaches less 'personhood' to foetuses and very young children. {{bible|Exodus|21|22}}, a mere ten verses after the above injunction against murder, states that, if a man hits a woman, causing a miscarriage or premature birth, but no serious injury, he should be subject to a court-mediated fine from the woman's husband. If this was the case, then the act of causing a miscarriage could not be construed as 'murder' (since compensation was not biblically allowed for murder<ref>{{bible|Numbers|35|31}}</ref>). This, while relying on a fair amount of extrapolation beyond the text itself, would seem to justify abortion, as it does not involve the taking of a human life. Furthermore, {{bible|Numbers|5|11|31}} seems to outline a priest-administered test for unfaithfulness, by administering an abortifacient, 'bitter water', that would show if a woman had conceived (presumably out of wedlock).

There is also some precedent for [[Examples of God personally killing people|divinely caused abortions]]: {{bible|Hosea|9|11|16}} (in which Hosea prays for God to cause Ephraim's women to miscarry). However, there is evidence that the early Christians taught against abortion.<ref>[http://thedidache.com/ The Didache]</ref>

===Unitarian Universalism===
{{main|Unitarian Universalism}}
The Unitarian Universalist Church strongly supports abortion rights.

===Buddhism===
[[File:AngkorWatAbortionAD1150.JPG|thumb|right|Bas relief of a [[massage]] abortion at Angkor Wat, [[Cambodia]]]]
{{main|Buddhism}}
Buddhist views differ, but the [[Dalai Lama]] said that abortion should be viewed according to each situation.<ref>BBC Religions [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/buddhistethics/abortion.shtml Buddhism and Abortion]</ref>

===Wicca===
{{main|Wicca}}
Wiccans similarly have varying views on the issue, with no set precedent.

===Pastafarianism===
{{main|Pastafarianism}}
It seems that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, known as Pastafarianism, takes no formal position.<ref>[http://www.venganza.org/2008/10/16/bad-press/ Flying Spaghetti Monster &mdash; abortion]</ref>

===Cthulhuism===
{{main|Cthulhu}}
Cthulhu worshippers promise that the Great Old One will treat all fetuses equally when he rises from his sleep to eat humankind.

==Vaccines==
Around the year 1969, when the abortion rights movement began gaining momentum and abortion in the US was still largely illegal (''Roe v. Wade'' was not until 1973), the anti-abortion movement viewed nationwide vaccination of children with the rubella vaccine as a good thing. This was because of their view that because rubella can cause very serious damage to the fetus and because at the time there was no medical test for rubella infection. The thinking then went that any pregnant person could claim to have rubella and demand an abortion on that basis. If there was universal vaccination for rubella in children, it would no longer be a plausible claim.<ref>''Vaccine Nation America's Changing Relationship With Immunization'' by Elena Conis (2015) University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226923762.</ref>{{rp|76}}<ref>''mothers, disabilities, and abortion in modern America'' by Leslie J. Reagan (2010). ISBN 9780520259034.</ref>{{rp|180-181,191}}

Subsequently a rubella test became available, and abortion became legal nationally (1973-2022, ''[[Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization]]''). It is now common for elements of the anti-abortion movement to also support the [[anti-vaccination movement]]:
{{collist|3|
*[[Greg Abbott]]
*[[American College of Pediatricians]]
*[[Association of American Physicians and Surgeons]]
*[[Lauren Boebert]]
*[[Jair Bolsonaro]]
*[[Tucker Carlson]]
*[[Conservapedia]]
*[[Jim Corr]]
*[[Ron DeSantis]]
*[[Louis Farrakhan]]
*[[Nick Fuentes]]
*[[Ben Garrison]]
*[[Louie Gohmert]]
*[[Marjorie Taylor Greene]]
*[[Peter Hitchens]]
*[[Kent Hovind]]
*[[Stella Immanuel]]
*[[Laura Ingraham]]
*[[John Birch Society]]
*[[Alex Jones]]
*[[Rush Limbaugh]]
*[[Javier Milei]]
*[[Elon Musk]]
*[[Candace Owens]]
*[[Sarah Palin]]
*[[Rand Paul]]
*[[Larry Sanger]]
*[[Andrew Schlafly]]
*[[Phyllis Schlafly]]
*[[Kevin Stitt]]
*[[Stormfront]]
*[[Tea Party movement]]
*[[Clarence Thomas]]
*[[J. D. Vance]]
*[[Matt Walsh]]
*[[Allen West]]
*[[Kanye West]]
}}

===Secret ingredient===
{{main|Anti-vaccination movement#Aborted fetuses}}
[[Conspiracy theory|An unfounded fear]] common to anti-abortion ''[[Crank magnetism|and]]'' [[anti-vaccination]] [[crank|"activists"]] is that aborted fetuses are used in vaccines. In short: they're not. Some vaccines were derived from particular cell lines with an aborted fetus as a source. People seem to have huge issues of distinguishing cell lines and entire aborted fetuses!

Furthermore, there are claims that food and soft drink companies (Pepsi is usually the target) are using aborted fetuses as ingredients. This scare led to a bill proposed in [[Oklahoma]] in 2012 to ban the use of aborted fetuses as ingredients in food products.<ref>[http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Ralph_Shortey Ralph Shortey profile], BallotPedia</ref> This is also false, of course. The claim comes from the fact that a company that produces additives, Senomyx, is experimenting with {{wpl|HEK 293}} cells, which were derived from an aborted fetus in the 1970s.<ref>[http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/pepsi.asp Pepsi/Senomyx], [[Snopes]]</ref>

Not caring about [[fact]]s, Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey introduced a bill that would make it illegal to use aborted fetuses in "consumables".<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/ralph-shortley-oklahoma-aborted-fetuses-food_n_1230414.html</ref> Why? "I heard about it somewhere on the internet, that some companies were using aborted fetuses in food, and they had to be stopped".<ref>Gawker.com: [http://archive.ph/http://gawker.com/5879254/which-companies-are-using-aborted-human-fetuses-in-their-food archive.ph], [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://gawker.com/5879254/which-companies-are-using-aborted-human-fetuses-in-their-food web.archive.org]</ref> He did clarify on the floor, that it was "more complex than that",<ref>http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2012/01/oklahoma-lawmaker-fetus-food-bill-lampooned.html</ref> though his timing seems to suggest he didn't know the first article he found was a serious misrepresentation of the truth.

==See also==
{{collist|2|
*[[Birth control]]
*[[Circumventing Roe v. Wade‎]]
*[[Crisis pregnancy center]]
*[[Evidence linking abortion to breast cancer]]
*[[Fetal pain]]
*[[Horton Hears a Who!]]
*[[Intact dilation and extraction]]
*[[In-utero harm]]
*[[Moral panic]]
*[[Morality of abortion]]
*[[Thomas Olmsted]]
*[[Barnett Slepian]], doctor
*[[Spontaneous abortion in humans]]
}}

===Essays===
Abortion is an important and emotional topic. Some of our RationalWikians have some things to say you might want to read. Note that they do not necessarily reflect the views of the community as a whole.
*[[Essay:Rhetorical analysis of abortion essays|An evaluation of some takes on the subject]]
*[[Essay:Where do you fall in the abortion debate?]] It's RW user against RW user.
*[[Essay:Why I oppose abortion|One editor's opposition to abortion explained]]
More abortion-related essays can be found [[:category:abortion essays|here]].

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190609142938/http://drhern.com/en/news-a-publications/26-abortion-medical-and-social-aspects.html?catid=7%3Aarticles-and-op-ed-publications-on-abortion Medical and Social Aspects of Abortion] — a generally good start on how, why, and what happens — worthwhile read for anyone considering abortion, talking to anti-abortion types, or just curious about the social, emotional, and medical aspect of abortion. Written by [[Warren Hern]].
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20141218130525/http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/abortion/ Abortion Policies: A Global Review]
*[http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002912.htm#Definition MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Abortion]
*A very personal account from a [http://www.nationalpost.com/scripts/story.html?id=283931 Canadian abortion doctor] of why he performs abortions despite murder attempts.
*[https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/01/416421/five-years-after-abortion-nearly-all-women-say-it-was-right-decision-study Nearly all women who opted to have an abortion performed felt it was the correct decision five years later, per a study] (via UCSF)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130601211941/http://www.45millionvoices.org/index.html 45 Million Voices - stories of abortion]
*[http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/07/22/361020/--The-Only-Moral-Abortion-Is-My-Abortion The Only Moral Abortion Is My Abortion]
*[https://spot.colorado.edu/~heathwoo/Phil160,Fall02/thomson.htm A Defense of Abortion], by Judith Jarvis Thomson — An influential [[ethics]] essay from the 1970s. {{wpa|A Defense of Abortion}}
*[https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2019/09/abortion-can-be-medically-necessary Abortion Can Be Medically Necessary], a short statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150124072347/http://www.riyarchy.com/issue?title=Abortion The Abortion Debate on Riyarchy] (Collaborative argument map for outlining and ending the abortion debate; link is unfortunately an incomplete, archived version)
*[http://www.theonion.com/articles/im-totally-psyched-about-this-abortion,10931/ I'm Totally Psyched About This Abortion!] on [[The Onion]]. (Note to our Fundamentalist readers: ''The Onion'' is a parody site.)
*{{wpa|Scientology and abortion}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

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Categories: Culture, Feminism, Moral panics, Abortion