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Glite Dictionary
partial-birth abortion

partial-birth abortion

11 9.9
A medical procedure late in pregnancy where the unborn baby is partly delivered and then removed
  • noun
  • /ˈpɑːrʧəl bɜrθ əˈbɔːrʃən/
  • NSFW
translation icon : aborto por nacimiento parcial
  • In 2007, he expressed his opposition to the Supreme Court's ban on partial-birth abortion.
  • partial-birth abortion ban

Examples

  • Americans just re-elected a president who opposed the Supreme Court decision banning partial-birth abortion.

    Blog text (31)

  • Gonzales v. Carhart, No. 05-0380, upheld Congress's ban on a disputed mid-term abortion method that opponents call "partial-birth abortion."

    Academic text (2007)

  • I think many people do not fully understand what happens during a "Partial Birth Abortion."

    Blog text (13)

  • The Congress passed a bill banning partial-birth abortion, and President Bush signed it into law in 2007.

    Blog text (13)

  • "In truth, 'partial-birth abortions' are sometimes necessary to preserve the health of a woman seeking an abortion.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The Court concluded that the government's interest in preventing partial-birth abortion was sufficient to uphold the law.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Congress banned partial-birth abortion, and the Supreme Court said that was compatible with Roe.

    Blog text (33)

  • No one would dispute that, for many, partial-birth abortion is a procedure itself laden with the power to devalue human life.

    Academic text (2017)

  • In a related development, a federal appellate court judge upheld a "partial-birth abortion" law recently enacted in Virginia.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The Supreme Court voted to uphold the ban on partial-birth abortion enacted by several states.

Synonyms

abortion
vspartial-birth abortion
∞ 4.2

Ending a pregnancy so it does not lead to the birth of a baby

is a late-term procedure where the fetus is partially delivered before being ended
induced abortion
vspartial-birth abortion
  • Specialized
2 5.0

To end a pregnancy on purpose using medicine or an operation

is a specific late pregnancy method involving partial delivery before ending the fetus
aborticide
vspartial-birth abortion
  • NSFW
9.9

Ending a pregnancy on purpose so the fetus does not continue to grow

is a named late-term medical method involving partial delivery before ending life

Surface Forms

partial-birth abortion singular
partial-birth abortions plural

Morphology

partial-birth + abortion

The compound combines 'partial'/'birth' (a partial delivery) with 'abortion' (termination of pregnancy), so a learner who knows those constituents can infer it refers to an abortion procedure involving a partly delivered fetus. Although the term is technical and politically charged, its basic sense is compositionally derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Partial-birth abortion comes from a clear picture: an unborn baby is partly born, and the words partial and birth point to that literal image before the pregnancy is ended. That's why the phrase is used in law and politics to mean 'a late-term abortion procedure'.