An '''abortion''' commonly referrs to the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo, resulting in or caused by its [[death]].[1] An abortion can occur [[spontaneously]] due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced, in [[humans]] and other species. In the [[context]] of human pregnancies, an abortion induced to preserve the [[health]] of the gravida (pregnant [[female]]) is termed a [[therapeutic]] abortion, while an abortion induced for any other reason is termed an elective abortion. The term abortion most commonly refers to the induced abortion of a human pregnancy, while spontaneous abortions are usually termed miscarriages. | An '''abortion''' commonly referrs to the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo, resulting in or caused by its [[death]].[1] An abortion can occur [[spontaneously]] due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced, in [[humans]] and other species. In the [[context]] of human pregnancies, an abortion induced to preserve the [[health]] of the gravida (pregnant [[female]]) is termed a [[therapeutic]] abortion, while an abortion induced for any other reason is termed an elective abortion. The term abortion most commonly refers to the induced abortion of a human pregnancy, while spontaneous abortions are usually termed miscarriages. |