Abortion is the medical term for the end of a pregnancy. It means ANY ending, not just elective.

"Elective Abortion" Is a medical term that includes ending a pregnancy because the fetus isn't compatible with life, medically indicated because mom is too sick to carry to term safely, and everyone is healthy and the pregnancy isn't wanted at this time. All are counted as "Abortions" in statistical reporting.

"Spontaneous Abortion" Is a medical term for a pregnancy ending without medical intervention before 20 weeks (typically). This includes pregnancy loss in the first 4-8 weeks, loss related to violence to the woman carrying the pregnancy, loss related to car accidents or other trauma. These are also counted as "Abortions" in statistical reporting.

loss of a term (37-40week) pregnancy also know as "still birth" or "Miscarriage" is also called Abortion for statistical reporting, and in medical records.

In medicine we don't care why the pregnancy is ending, we have to report them all the same. This is both protective, and misleading in statistics.

When someone says, "There have been billions of abortions in the USA!" They are right...but it's not what you or they think. They are not talking about the voluntary end of healthy pregnancies by healthy moms. They are talking about ALL endings of every pregnancy that has ever been reported.