lunchtime abortion

noun

A conveniently available abortion, performed under local anesthetic soon after the onset of pregnancy.

Meanings

nounlunchtime abortion (plural lunchtime abortions)

plural lunchtime abortions

  1. derogatoryA conveniently available abortion, performed under local anesthetic soon after the onset of pregnancy.

    Aitken testified, "In recent years I personally have been involved in fights to prevent the State Health Service from closing down baby care facilities and opening 'lunchtime abortion clinics' instead."

    1983, Family Protection Report, volume 5
    2 more examples

    Abortion became so much easier. I remember Germaine Greer wildly proclaiming to the women of the world that here was another new thing that was going to liberate women further, and that was the lunchtime abortion.

    1986, Mary Kenny, Abortion: the whole story, page 287

    "We are already seeing an increase in post-abortion trauma in women who have had 'quickie' lunchtime abortions", he said, "as they have had insufficient time truly to consider the options available to them."

    2000, The Tablet, page 398

Origin

So called because the procedure might conceivably be performed within the patient's lunchbreak.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

lunchtime abortion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lunchtime%20abortion

MLA

“lunchtime abortion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lunchtime%20abortion. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lunchtime abortion,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lunchtime%20abortion.

Source: lunchtime abortion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.