| Background | |
|---|---|
| Abortion type | Surgical |
| First use | <1913 |
| Gestation | 2nd trimester and later |
| Usage | |
| U.S. figures include both hysterotomy and hysterectomy. | |
| United States | <0.01% (2016) |
| Infobox references | |
Hysterotomy abortion is a surgical procedure that removes an intact fetus from the uterus in a process similar to a cesarean section. The procedure is generally indicated after another method of termination has failed, or when such a procedure would be medically inadvisable, such as in the case of placenta accreta.[1]
In 2016, this method made up less than 0.01% of all abortions in the United States, with the CDC reporting only 51 having occurred due to the invasive and complex nature of the procedure, and the availability of much simpler and safer methods.[2] In 2022, scholars reported that in the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Texas and other states where so called trigger laws immediately outlawed or heavily restricted reproductive healthcare, providers began performing hysterotomy abortions again. These providers have done so under the justification that such a procedure may not technically be considered an abortion under existing law.[3]