Autonomy for Her: Rhetoric in Abortion Law and Debate

1. Abortifacient

   1. [C] Something which induces an abortion

   2. [M] A drug which, when taken, will catalyze an abortion

2. Back-street Abortion

   1. A dangerous and illegal  induced abortion, which is conducted by anyone other than a trained medical personnel. A common method used in back-street abortions is the wire hanger method.

3. Birth

   1. [M] The moment when a viable fetus exits the womb and becomes a living child

   2. [C] The time in which a fully-developed fetus exits the womb and begins to live on its own

   3. [C] The moment which marks the end of a pregnancy

4. Birth Control

   1. Any medication, device, or other method, which is intended to prohibit pregnancy in the event of sexual intercourse [See contraception]

5. Conception

   1. The moment when a man’s sperm makes contact with a woman’s egg, and the process of creating the fetus is begun [See fertilization]

6. Contraceptive

   1. Any medication, device, or other method, which is intended to prohibit pregnancy in the event of sexual intercourse [See birth control]

7. Embryo

   1. [M] An organism in the early development stage, which is past the stage of a zygote and not yet at the stage of a fetus.

   2. [M] A developing organism between the fourth day after conception until the eighth week of pregnancy 

   3. [C] A group of cells with the potential to become a fetus

8. Fertilization

   1. [M] The moment when a man’s sperm meets a woman’s egg during sexual intercourse, and the pregnancy process begins [See conception]

   2. [C] The moment during sexual intercourse in which the creation of the fetus begins

9. Fetus

   1. [C] The developing being during a pregnancy after the embryo stage

   2. [M] The stage of life between the ninth week of pregnancy and birth

10. Gestation

    1. [C] The period of time in which a woman bears a child

    2. [M] The time from conception to birth, in which a woman is pregnant [See pregnancy]

    3. [C] A period, or series of stages, of development

11. Gynecology

    1. [M] The medical practice dealing with women’s health, primarily with the reproductive system

    2. [C] The study of women’s health

12. Gynecologist

    1. A medical doctor who specializes in the health of women, primarily focused on the reproductive system

13. Ectopic Pregnancy

    1. A pregnancy which occurs outside of the uterus, typically when an egg attaches itself to the wall of a woman’s fallopian tube

14. Fallopian Tubes

    1. [M] The tubes which connect a woman’s ovaries to her uterus

    2. [C] The tubes which facilitate the movement of a woman’s eggs from the ovaries to the uterus

15. Induced Abortion

    1. The purposeful termination of a pregnancy; colloquially referred to as simply “abortion”

16. Infertility

    1. [C] The inability to become pregnant (in women)

    2. [M] The inability to support an embryo or fetus in the uterus after conception (in women)

    3. [M] The inability to fertilize a woman’s egg (in men)

    4. [C] The inability to conceive

17. Informed Consent

    1. Agreement given for a process or procedure in which the candidate/assenter is aware of the possible repercussions or side effects to the process

18. Intra-uterine

    1. Existing or occurring in the uterus

19. Menstruation

    1. [M] The monthly disposal of shed tissue and uterine lining through the vagina during a woman’s non-gestational period [See period]

    2. [M] A discharge made up of blood, tissue, and uterine lining, created when a woman’s uterus needs to renew its viability

20. Miscarriage

    1. [C] The accidental death of an embryo or fetus

    2. [M] The unintentional loss of an embryo or fetus, before the 20th week of pregnancy [See spontaneous abortion]

21. Obstetrics

    1. [M] The medical field dealing with pregnancy and childbirth

    2. [C] The study of pregnancy and childbirth

22. Obstetrician

    1. A medical doctor whose focuses are pregnancy, pregnant women, and childbirth

23. Ovaries

    1. [C] The organs attached to the ends of the fallopian tubes

    2. [M] Where a woman’s eggs are created and stored until ovulation

24. Ovulation

    1. [C] The release of an egg from a woman’s ovaries

    2. [M] The process of a woman’s egg being released from her ovaries and moving down into her uterus, where it will be available for fertilization

25. Period

    1. The monthly disposal of shed tissue and uterine lining through the vagina during a woman’s non-gestational period [See menstruation]

26. Pregnancy

    1. [M] The time from conception to birth, in which a fertilized egg develops fully into a viable life [See gestation]

    2. [C] A period of around 40 weeks, in which a potential life is in development

27. RU486 (Abortion Pill)

    1. A pill given in prescription, taken by a woman to terminate a pregnancy

28. Speculum

    1. [M] A tool used by doctors to examine a patient through a natural opening in the body

    2. [C] A tool used by gynecologists to examine the inside of a woman’s vagina

29. Spontaneous Abortion

    1. [C] The accidental death of an embryo or fetus

    2. [M] The unintentional loss of an embryo or fetus, before the 20th week of pregnancy [See miscarriage]

30. Statute

    1. An official law, in the eyes of a state or nation

31. Stillbirth

    1. The unintentional loss of a fetus after the 20th week of pregnancy

32. Surgical Abortion

    1. [M] An induced abortion available up until the 20th week of pregnancy

    2. [M] An induced abortion in which a tube is inserted into the uterus, and gentle suction is used to remove the embryo or fetus through the vagina

33. Therapeutic Abortion

    1. [M] An induced abortion done for the purpose of preserving the life of the mother

    2. [M] An induced abortion done in order to protect the health of the mother

34. Uterus

    1. [C] The place in which a developing embryo or fetus resides for the duration of a pregnancy

    2. [M] A woman’s reproductive organ, which facilitates the growth and development of an embryo or fetus [See womb]

35. Uterine Lining

    1. The layer of cells which cushion the walls of the uterus

36. Vagina

    1. [M] The channel leading to a woman’s uterus from a small opening between the legs

    2. [M] The channel through which a viable fetus travels at the time of birth

    3. [M] The channel through which a woman menstruates

    4. [M] The opening which provides access to a woman’s reproductive system for means of conception

37. Viability

    1. [C] The ability to work or succeed

    2. [M] The period after which a fetus is deemed fit for life outside of the uterus; development is not necessarily complete

    3. [M] The ability of a fetus to survive after birth, typically around the 24th week of pregnancy

38. Wire Hanger Method

    1. [C] A back-street abortion method, in which someone assisting a pregnant woman or the woman herself inserts a coat hanger through the vagina and into the uterus to remove the embryo or fetus

    2. [C] An extremely unhygienic and dangerous method of  back-street abortion

39. Womb

    1. [M] The place in which a developing embryo or fetus resides for the duration of a pregnancy [See uterus]

    2. [C] The name for the uterus when occupied by an embryo or fetus

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[M]=Medical Definition

[C]=Colloquial Definition

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