Live births following abortion attempts

Common card · No. 350918

Live births following abortion attempts refer to a rare phenomenon in which an infant is born alive during or after an attempted termination of pregnancy (induced abortion). These cases may occur in two contexts: when an attempted abortion fails and the pregnancy continues to term, resulting in a live birth; or when a late termination of pregnancy results in the expulsion or delivery of an infant exhibiting signs of life. Abortion is largely effective at terminating a pregnancy and precluding live birth. For example, the efficacy of medication abortion via the mifepristone/misoprostol regimen early in pregnancy is over 98%, though the efficacy declines as pregnancy progresses. A live birth following an attempted abortion, while overall uncommon, is most likely to occur with the labor induction abortion method, an abortion procedure used in the later second and third trimesters of pregnancy. It is particularly likely to occur if a feticidal injection is omitted or unsuccessful. The concept...

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