An abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy. It uses medicine or surgery to remove the embryo or fetus and placenta from the uterus. The procedure is done by a licensed physician or someone acting under the supervision of a licensed physician.

The decision to end a pregnancy is very personal. If you are thinking of having an abortion, most healthcare providers advise counseling.

A highly emotional issue ... should it be legal? And if so, until the foetus is how many weeks? What about special circumstances such as rape, or illness? Should women that have had several abortions through not taking birth control, be sterilised? How do these issues vary in different countrries or religions?