Abortion

ABORTION. The loss of a fetus before it is able to live outside the womb is called abortion. When abortion occurs spontaneously, it is often called a miscarriage. Abortion can also be intentionally caused, or induced. Induced abortion is regarded as a moral issue in some cultures. In others it is seen as an acceptable way to end unplanned pregnancy. Abortion is a relatively simple and safe procedure when done by trained medical workers during …

…the bill. A related controversy arose in the late 1980s centering on the use of tissues from aborted fetuses for medical research and treatment. Experiments using cells from aborted fetuses showed that these cells were uniquely capable of alleviating certain conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, when transplanted into the diseased tissues of a host. The debate over the ethics of using tissues from miscarried fetuses did not halt research or the application of these discoveries.