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Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development pp 5–7Cite as

Abortion

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Synonyms

Abort; Dilation and Evacuation (D&E); Miscarriage; Termination

Definition

(1) The spontaneous or induced termination of pregnancy after conception. (2) To miscarry a nonviable fetus [1].

Description

An abortion is a legal, safe, and effective medical method to stop or interrupt the growth and development of a fetus. Even though abortion is a legal medical procedure, the availability of services has been under political and ethical debate for quite some time [5]. In fact, the availability of abortion services depends on federal and state policies. However, in the United States, abortion has not always been under ethical and political debate. As a matter of fact, up until the second half of the nineteenth century, abortion was not viewed as morally wrong if it was performed before 4–5 months of pregnancy. During the second half of the nineteenth century, abortion was preformed quite frequently using drugs, special potions, and techniques espoused by popular medical guides....

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References

  1. Abortion. (1998). In Mosby's medical, nursing, & allied health dictionary (5th ed.).

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  2. Anderson, M. L. (2003). Thinking about women: Sociological perspectives on sex and gender (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

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  3. National Abortion Federation. (2008). Abortion facts. http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/facts/medical_abortion.html. Accessed July 15, 2008.

  4. Planned Parenthood Federation of America. (2008). Abortion. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion-4260.htm. Accessed July 12, 2008.

  5. Women’s Health Policy Program. (2008). Abortion in the U.S.: Utilization, financing and access. http://www.kff.org/womenshealth/3269-02.cfm. Accessed July 10, 2008.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Psychology, Floride Institute of Technology, 887 Thomas Barbour Dr., Melbourne, FL, 32935, USA

    Lacy Allen M.S., Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student

Authors
  1. Lacy Allen M.S., Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lacy Allen M.S., Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, 230 South 500 East, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102, USA

    Sam Goldstein Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychology MS 2C6, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Jack A. Naglieri Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology) (Professor of Psychology)

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Allen, L. (2011). Abortion. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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