therapeutic abortion
Definition
Noun: A therapeutic abortion is a medical procedure to terminate a pregnancy that is performed for health-related reasons. It is legally induced when continuing the pregnancy poses a significant risk to the physical or mental health of the pregnant person, or when there is a severe fetal abnormality.
Usage
The term is used in medical, legal, and ethical contexts to describe an abortion justified by health concerns, distinguishing it from elective procedures. - The hospital's ethics committee reviewed the case for a therapeutic abortion due to the mother's severe cardiac condition. - Advances in prenatal testing can lead to difficult decisions regarding therapeutic abortion.
Advanced Usage
- Legal and Ethical Framework: The legality and specific criteria for a therapeutic abortion vary significantly by jurisdiction. It is often a point of discussion in bioethics.
- Distinction from Elective Abortion: In medical terminology, it is explicitly contrasted with an abortion performed for non-medical (elective or social) reasons.
Variants and Related Words
- Medically Induced Abortion: A broader term that can encompass therapeutic abortions but also includes abortions induced by medication rather than surgery for any reason.
- Termination of Pregnancy (TOP): A more general clinical term that can refer to both therapeutic and elective procedures.
Synonyms
- Medically necessary abortion
- Termination for medical reasons (TFMR)
Related Phrases
- Grounds for abortion: The specific legal or medical justifications, such as risk to life or health, under which an abortion, including a therapeutic one, is permitted.
- Fetal viability: A concept often related in law to the permissible timing of a therapeutic abortion.
Noun
-
a legally induced abortion for medical reasons (as when the mother's life is threatened)