Abortion is the ending of
pregnancy by removing a
fetus or
embryo before it can
survive outside the uterus. An abortion which occurs spontaneously is also known as a
miscarriage. An abortion may be caused purposely and is then called an induced abortion, or less frequently, "induced miscarriage". The word
abortion is often used to mean only induced abortions. A similar procedure after the fetus could potentially survive outside the womb is known as a "
late termination of pregnancy".