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Abortion is the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy. Any various types of surgical methods for terminating a pregnancy is considered abortion as well (3). The issue of abortion has recently caused a great deal of controversy because it is felt that people are using abortions too freely and children are not concerned enough to engage in protected sex. The deliberate termination of a pregnancy, which usually occurs before the embryo or fetus is capable of independent life is called an induced abortion; this is different from a spontaneous abortion which is also known as a miscarriage or still birth (3).

Abortion laws are extremely controversial; there are two sides to every issue, and in this case of abortion, people describe themselves as either “pro-life” or “pro-choice”. Those who describe themselves as “pro-choice” believe that the decision to have an abortion should be left to the mother. In contrast, the “pro-life” believers argue that abortion is murder, and the state should prohibit abortion in most cases. Feminists and liberals generally are “pro-choice”, while Roman Catholics and Protestant fundamentalists generally take the “pro-life” side (3). This stems from the on going debate on when a child becomes a child from conception or birth. Many “pro-life” supporters argue that even a fetus contains a soul and therefore to have an abortion would be murder. “Pro-choice” supporters argue that one is not a living human until birth. Their main argument is that what happens to a women’s body should ultimately be her decision especially in cases of rape and life threatening situations (5).














The incidence of, and reasons for induced abortion vary regionally. It has been estimated that yearly, approximately 46 million abortions are performed. Of these, 26 million are said...