A pregnancy can be intentionally aborted in many ways. The manner selected depends chiefly upon thegestational age of the embryo or fetus, in addition to the legality, regional availability, and doctor-patient preference for specific procedures. Reasons for procuring induced abortions are typically characterized as either therapeutic or elective. An abortion is medically referred to as therapeutic when it is performed to:

save the life of the pregnant woman;

preserve the woman's physical or mental health;

terminate pregnancy that would result in a child born with a congenital disorder that would be fatal or associated with significant morbidity; or

selectively reduce the number of fetuses to lessen health risks associated with multiple pregnancy.

Any abortion that is not therapeutic is by definition elective.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion#Induced_abortion