Purpose of the study Comparison of the efficacy and safety of surgical and medication methods of abortion in the period of 12—18 weeks of gestation, clarification of the need for the use of the surgical method of abortion in the late term, and assessment of the early and late complications of both methods. Material and methods. A pregnancy was terminated for medical reasons in period 12—18 weeks for 58 patients. All examined were divided into 2 groups. The 1st group included 32 patients who underwent artifactual abortion by dilation and evacuation. The 2nd group included 26 patients who underwent medication termination of pregnancy. Results. It was shown that the effectiveness of drug termination of pregnancy in the period from 12 to 18 weeks of gestation was 92.3%. In the 1st group, after abortion, 2 patients with signs of hematometers were identified, in one patient the remains of chorionic tissue in the uterine cavity were found. In the 2nd group, in 2 patients in the absence of amniotic fluid, the effect of misoprostol was not observed, the abortion was carried out by the method of dilatation and evacuation. Blood loss more than 0.5% of body weight during medical termination of pregnancy was not noted by us, while in the surgical method of abortion, it was present in 4 out of 32 patients. Conclusion. Surgical interruption of pregnancy the period 12—18 weeks is advisable when amniotic fluid is shed, if necessary, urgent emptying of the uterine cavity and copious blood discharge from the genital tract in the absence of placenta previa. Surgical abortion should be carried out after preliminary expansion of the cervix using medicaments using abortion forceps using exclusively the method of vacuum aspiration of the contents of the uterine cavity under sonographic control. A follow-up ultrasound should be done no earlier than 14 days after an artifactual abortion. The correct use of the method of medicacation abortion is accompanied by minimal side effects and complications, which gives reason to more widely use this method in clinical practice.