abortionist

English

Etymology

abortion +‎ -ist. First attested in 1844.

Pronunciation

(US) IPA^(key): /əˈbɔɹ.ʃə.nɪst/
Audio (UK) (file)

Noun

abortionist (plural abortionists)

(now sometimes offensive) A person who performs abortions, especially illegally or secretly.
Synonyms: (rare) aborter, (historical, euphemism) angel maker, (UK) jack-knife barber
- 1844 March 26, New-York Daily Tribune:
  Mad. Restell, the celebrated Abortionist [is arrested].
- 1848 October 7, “Morals and Murder – the Case of Eliza Wilson”, in The Medical Times‎, volume 18, number 471, London, page 373:
  The quack abortionist, with “a little knowledge,” impudently, remorselessly, and secretly employs his craft for filthy lucre’s sake, perpetrating one crime to conceal another, at which science and charity blush.
- 1998, J. David Bleich, Bioethical Dilemmas: A Jewish Perspective, volume 1, Hoboken, New Jersey: KTAV Publishing House, →ISBN, page 277:
  Such a fetus is perfectly viable save for the act of the abortionist.
- 2003, Mark Juergensmeyer, Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, 3rd edition, Berkeley, California: University of California Press, →ISBN, page 24:
  According to Bray, “there is a difference between taking a retired abortionist and executing him, and killing a practicing abortionist who is regularly killing babies.” The first act is in Bray’s view retributive, the second defensive.
- 2005, Paul Krassner, One Hand Jerking: Reports from an Investigative Satirist, →ISBN, page 24:
  In 1962, when abortion was still illegal, I published an anonymous interview with Dr. Robert Spencer, a humane abortionist who was known as “The Saint.”
- 2009, Dinesh D’Souza, Letters to a Young Conservative, →ISBN, page 191:
  […] a gruesome procedure in which the abortionist dismembers a child who could survive outside the womb.
- 2009–2010, Roger Ebert, Roger Ebert’s Movie Yearbook 2010, review of 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, page 146:
  Then she asks her to go first to meet the abortionist. Then she neglects to make a reservation at the hotel the abortionist specifies. That almost sinks the arrangement: The abortionist has experience suggesting that hotel will be a safe venue, and suspects he may be set up for a police trap.
(chiefly derogatory) A person who advocates for or supports the legality of abortion.
Synonyms: pro-abortionist, pro-choicer, (derogatory) pro-deather
Antonyms: anti-abortionist, (derogatory) anti-choicer, (derogatory) fetus fetishist, (derogatory) forced-birther, pro-lifer, right-to-lifer

Derived terms

anti-abortionist
pro-abortionist

Related terms

abortionism

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "one who performs an illegal (backstreet) abortion"

Czech: andělíčkářka (cs) f (historical, women only)
Dutch: engeltjesmaker m, engeltjesmaakster (nl) f
French: faiseur d'anges (fr) m, faiseuse d'anges (fr) f
German: Engelmacher (de) m, (euphemistic) (backstreet) Engelmacherin (de) f
Spanish: abortista (es) m or f, abortero m, abortera f
Swedish: änglamakare c, änglamakerska c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "one who performs a legal abortion"

Dutch: aborteur (nl) m, aborteuse (nl) f
Esperanto: abortigisto (♂(♀)), virabortigisto (explicitly ♂), abortigistino (explicitly ♀), geabortigistoj pl (♂♀)
French: médecin avorteur m, avorteur (fr) m, avorteuse (fr) f
Polish: aborter (pl) m, aborcjonista (pl) m, aborcjonistka (pl) f
Spanish: abortista (es) m or f, abortero m, abortera f

one who favors abortion being legal

Dutch: voorstander van abortus m
German: Abtreibungsbefürworter m, Abtreibungsbefürworterin f
Portuguese: abortista (pt) m or f
Spanish: abortista (es) m or f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

German: ^{(please verify)} Abtreiber m, ^{(please verify)} Abtreiberin f, ^{(please verify)} Abtreibungsarzt m, ^{(please verify)} Abtreibungsärztin f, ^{(please verify)} abtreibender Arzt m, ^{(please verify)} abtreibende Ärztin f, ^{(please verify)} Abtreibungshelfer m, ^{(please verify)} Abtreibungshelferin f
Polish: aborter (pl) m, aborcjonista (pl) m, aborcjonistka (pl) f
Turkish: ^{(please verify)} kürtajcı (tr)
Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} người phá thai

References

“abortionist, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2021.

Anagrams

birotations