The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (April 2020) |
IDX, intact D&X, et al. | |
Background | |
---|---|
Abortion type | Surgical |
First use | 1983 |
Gestation | >16 weeks |
Usage | |
United States | 0.17% (2000) |
Infobox references |
Intact dilation and extraction (D&X, IDX, or intact D&E) is a surgical procedure that terminates and removes an intact fetus from the uterus. The procedure is used both after miscarriages and for abortions in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
In United States federal law, it is known as a partial-birth abortion.[1][2]
In 2000, only 0.17% (2,232 of 1,313,000) of all abortions in the United States were performed using intact D&E.[3] Its usage developed into a focal point of the abortion debate in that country. Intact D&E of a fetus with a heartbeat was outlawed in the United States in most cases by the 2003 federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Gonzales v. Carhart.[1][4] The procedure is extremely rare in the United States, and occurs less than 3,000 times each year.