Role of abortion in fertility control.

The subject of this commentary is the complex interrelationship between abortion and contraceptive use in the control of fertility. While both are interventions designed to manage unwanted pregnancy, there are significant differences between the ‘preventive’ and ‘curative’ approaches. The significance stems from abortion being a procedure that provokes fundamental and contentious questions about human life, such as when life begins, as well as highlighting the rights of the mother versus the rights of the foetus, and the obligation of governments to protect the unborn child (1).