Abortion
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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An abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. This can occur spontaneously as a miscarriage, or be artificially induced by chemical, surgical or other means. Commonly, "abortion" refers to an induced procedure at any point during human pregnancy; medically, it is defined as miscarriage or induced termination before twenty weeks' gestation, which is considered nonviable.
Throughout history, abortion has been induced by various methods. The moral and legal aspects of abortion are subject to intense debate in many parts of the world. [1]
In fiction
Vera Drake (2004) - Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh hopes the film will spark discussion about abortion Director Mike Leigh's award-winning film Vera Drake has had its UK premiere at the opening of the London Film Festival.
The controversial film, about a female abortionist working in the 1950s, had picked up the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. --http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3758714.stm
Story of Women (1988) - Claude Chabrol
Marie Latour (Isabelle Huppert) wants to be a singer, but she is a woman struggling against poverty in war-torn France, with two children to feed and a husband away fighting. When a neighbor becomes pregnant, Marie performs an abortion and is rewarded for her services with a Victrola. --James McGrath, Amazon.com
Claude Charbrol's stark and unsentimental masterpiece about the last woman to be executed in France--she was guillotined for performing abortions in Nazi-occupied France during World War II--forces us to see a side of war not often depicted. --Abortion in Nazi-occupied France, Dennis Littrell via imdb.com