- [uncountable]
the deliberate ending of a pregnancy at an early stage 人工流产；堕胎；打胎 to support/oppose abortion 支持／反对堕胎 a woman’s right to abortion 妇女做人工流产的权利 the country's strict abortion laws 该国严格的堕胎法 I've always been anti-abortion. 我一直反对堕胎。
CultureAbortion is the subject of strong public debate, especially in the US. Some people are in favour of abortion; called pro-choice supporters, they support a woman's right to choose whether to have a baby or not. On the opposite side are the pro-life campaigners, who believe in the right to life of the unborn child and think that abortion is wrong. In 1973 abortion during the first stages of being pregnant became legal all over the US through the Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade. The US government has tried to change the laws about abortion, but the changes have been disputed by federal courts and the courts have supported a woman's right to abortion. In Britain the Abortion Act of 1967 made abortion legal. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) was founded to campaign against the Act.Extra ExamplesTopics Life stagesc1The abortion issue is political dynamite. 堕胎问题在政治上是个爆炸性的议题。 Women's groups are calling for free contraception and abortion on demand. 一些女性团体在争取自主避孕和堕胎的权利。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- legal
- legalized
- elective
- …
- have
- obtain
- procure
- …
- clinic
- counselling/counseling
- pill
- …
- abortion on demand
- [countable]
a medical operation to end a pregnancy at an early stage 人工流产手术；堕胎手术 She decided to have an abortion. 她决定做人工流产。 Some medical staff wanted the right to refuse to perform abortions. 一些医务人员想要拒绝堕胎的权利。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- legal
- legalized
- elective
- …
- have
- obtain
- procure
- …
- clinic
- counselling/counseling
- pill
- …
- abortion on demand
- [uncountable] (
medical 医学 the process of giving birth to a baby before it is fully developed and able to survive 流产： 在婴儿完全发育之前能够生出婴儿并能够幸免于代孕的过程Higher amounts of caffeine may be associated with increased rates of abortion and low birthweight. 高含量的咖啡因可能与流产率和低出生体重有关。
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Latin abortio(n-), from aboriri ‘miscarry’, from ab- ‘away, from’ + oriri ‘be born’.