Elsevier

Contraception

Volume 69, Issue 1, January 2004, Pages 77-78
Contraception

Short communication
“Medical” and “surgical” abortion: rethinking the modifiers

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2003.08.017Get rights and content

Introduction

When the mifepristone/misoprostol abortion regimen was introduced, those working to advance the method were charged with creating language to describe the new option. The goal was to develop language that was understandable and acceptable to healthcare providers as well as the general public. Despite work to this end, the struggle to find clear, accurate and accessible language continues.

Two descriptors, “medical” and “surgical,” have become the most commonly used modifiers for abortion. While these modifiers are comprehensible to most professionals active in the abortion field, the phrases “medical abortion” and “surgical abortion” are confusing for health service providers outside the abortion field, policymakers and the public. As the current debate over so-called “partial-birth abortion” has demonstrated, the impact of language on provision of services, policy and public perception is significant. We believe it is time to rethink these modifiers and take on the challenge of redefining our language. This editorial both reviews the limitations of the current lexicon and proposes alternative modifiers that are clearer and more precise.

Section snippets

Limitations of the phrase “medical abortion”

Nonaspiration abortion, that is, abortion brought about by an agent administered orally or by injection, is commonly referred to as “medical abortion.” Despite vigorous efforts to promote awareness among health providers, policymakers and the public, the term “medical abortion” remains confusing. In popular use, the term “medical” is often associated with medical necessity and with physician-based practices. To those outside the abortion field, all abortions are “medical,” except for those

Limitations of the phrase “surgical abortion”

The term “surgery” is defined by Stedman's Medical Dictionary as “the branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of disease, injury, and deformity by physical operation or manipulation” [2]. Within the context and history of the health sciences as well as in general understanding, surgery implies incision, excision and suturing and is associated with the physician subpopulation of surgeons. Surgery also evokes images of green gowns, operating and recovery rooms and anesthesia. When used

What's in a name?

More than an issue of semantics, the terminology used to describe abortion procedures influences political, legislative and medical institutions. The recent attention given to so-called “partial birth abortion” highlights the ability of language to alter public perception and change public policy. This ambiguous and misleading term, which has been used to describe a number of distinct procedures, including dilation and extraction and dilation and evacuation, has significantly shaped public

References (2)

  • Fowler H, Fowler F. Oxford English dictionary. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, OED...
  • T. Stedman

    Stedman's medical dictionary

    (2000)

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