What it means
سقط جنین (seqt-e janin) is the formal, clinical term covering both miscarriage and abortion. Both components are Arabic loanwords: سقط (seqt) from the root س-ق-ط (s-q-t), meaning to fall or drop, and جنین (janin) from the root ج-ن-ن (j-n-n), meaning embryo or fetus (related to the Arabic word for hidden or enclosed). In medical settings the full phrase is standard. In conversation, سقط (seqt) alone often stands in for the full phrase. To distinguish spontaneous miscarriage from induced abortion, Persian speakers often add سقط طبیعی (seqt-e tabi’i) for natural miscarriage versus سقط عمدی (seqt-e ‘amdi) or سقط درمانی (seqt-e darmâni) for medical or induced termination. The word جنین alone means fetus or embryo.
How to use it
- سقط جنین در ایران تنها در موارد پزشکی قانونیه. (seqt-e janin dar Irân tanhâ dar mavâred-e pezeshki qânunihe.) “Abortion in Iran is legal only in medical cases.”
- متأسفانه سقط کرد. (mota’assefâne seqt kard.) “Unfortunately she miscarried.”
- سقط طبیعی توی سه ماه اول شایعه. (seqt-e tabi’i tu-ye se mâh-e avval shâye’e.) “Spontaneous miscarriage is common in the first trimester.”
- جنین هشت هفتهای بود که سقط شد. (janin-e hasht hafte-yi bud ke seqt shod.) “The fetus was eight weeks old when the miscarriage happened.”
Cultural note
Abortion law in Iran is governed by a 2005 statute that permits termination before four months of pregnancy when the fetus has a severe defect or the mother’s life is at risk, subject to a court order. Access outside these narrow grounds is illegal, though clandestine procedures occur. The topic carries heavy religious and legal weight: Islamic jurisprudence distinguishes between stages of fetal development and the point of ensoulment (ruh), which shapes both legal and popular attitudes. Spontaneous miscarriage (سقط طبیعی) is discussed openly in clinical contexts and among families, but induced abortion remains a sensitive and largely private subject.