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Glossary
ISSUES
: Abortion
Glossary
Abnormality
An abnormal or disformed feature. With unborn babies
or foetus’s this can refer to a disability or feature which
would prevent a child from leading a relatively normal
and happy life once it was born, and can, therefore, be
a reason to terminate a pregnancy.
Abortion
A procedure which prematurely ends a pregnancy
through the death and expulsion of the foetus. It can
occur naturally (spontaneous abortion), but this is
more commonly referred to as a miscarriage. The term
‘abortion’ usually refers to the deliberate termination
of an unwanted pregnancy (induced abortion).
Conception
The act of fertilisation, where an egg (ovum) joins
together with a sperm (spermatozoon) to form an
embryo or zygote. This term describes the moment a
woman becomes pregnant.
Contraception
Anything which prevents conception, or pregnancy,
from taking place. ‘Barrier methods’, such as
condoms, work by stopping sperm from reaching
an egg during intercourse and are also effective in
preventing sexually transmitted infections (STI’s).
Hormonal methods such as the contraceptive pill
change the way a woman’s body works to prevent an
egg from being fertilised. Emergency contraception,
commonly known as the ‘morning-after pill’, is used
after unprotected sex to prevent a fertilised egg from
becoming implanted in the womb.
Embryo (zygote)
Between day 14 and week eight of pregnancy the
fertilised egg is referred to as an embryo. A zygote is
simply the scientific term for the fertilised egg which
is made by the joining of an egg (ovum) and sperm
(spermatozoon). After the eighth week of pregnancy
an unborn baby is referred to as a foetus.
Female infanticide
Infanticide is the unlawful killing of very young children
and babies. Female infanticide specifically refers to
the practice of killing female babies and young girls
and is a practice that has been reported in India,
China and parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Gestation
The development period of an embryo or foetus
between conception and birth. As the exact date
of conception in humans can be difficult to identify
it is usually dated from the beginning of a woman’s
previous menstrual period.
Neonatal
Referring to an unborn child, or the period of time
before a child is born.
Obstetricians and gynaecologists
An Obstetrician or Gynaecologist is a person
who specialises in treating diseases of the female
reproductive organs.
Paternalistic
Referring to the act or practice of managing other
individuals.
Pro-choice
Pro-choice supporters believe that it is a woman’s
right to choose whether or not to continue with a
pregnancy. They also believe that the choice to have
an abortion should be available to all.
Pro-life
Pro-life supporters believe that life begins at the
moment of conception and think that an unborn child,
foetus or embryo has the same rights as any other
living person. They believe that the law should be
changed so that abortion would be heavily restricted
or outlawed in the UK.
Terminate
A term meaning ‘to bring something to an end’, an
abortion is sometimes referred to as a termination.
The Abortion Act 1967
This act decriminalised abortion in cases where it had
been certified by two doctors that certain grounds
had been met, such as a serious risk to the mental or
physical health of the pregnant woman.
Viability
This refers to a foetus’s ability to survive outside the
womb. In UK law, the 24th week of pregnancy is the
point at which the foetus is considered to be viable,
and therefore the latest point at which an abortion can
be performed. However, some people have argued
that this should be reduced as medical advances
mean that some premature babies born at 24 weeks,
or fewer, are surviving.
