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Abortion
An embryo or fetus is typically assumed to be unviable at less than 20 weeks gestation or if the weight is less than 500 grams. Premature birth is different from abortion because it occurs after viability and prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy. An abortion can occur naturally and spontaneously or it can be performed as a purposeful medical procedure (sometimes referred to as an artificial abortion or therapeutic abortion). Abortion comes from the Latin word “abortare” meaning “pass away.”
In general, abortion means the stoppage of any action or process before it has been completed. The term is often used in the medical community to refer to the embryo or fetus leaving the uterus prior to the point where it is viable (able to live in the outside world). An embryo is a fertilized egg from the time of conception until the 8th week of pregnancy. A fetus is a developing human that is inside the mother from the end of the 8th week to birth. The uterus is a hollow organ in a female's body where the egg is implanted and the baby develops.
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