Jeff at Feminist Allies has some interesting comments about being pro-choice. I'm still musing about the various terminology--pro-choice vs. pro-life vs. anti-choice vs. pro-abortion...I hope to break these terms down more at some point, but what do you think they all mean? I definitely identify as pro-choice (as will most of you reading this), but a friend recently gave me a good definition for what "pro-choice" is really about.
This young woman grew up in a fundamentalist evangelical home, and still identifies with that to some degree. She believes that abortion kills a soul, and yet she recently decided she actually was "pro-choice" because she doesn't believe that the government has any business regulating women's bodies based on a religious principle. She is very clearly against abortion, but she is very clearly for "choice", and it is the concept of choice that drives my position as well.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
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For the most part, I have quit (or at least, am trying to quit) using the phrase "pro-life" for a variety of reasons.
Mainly, it is a cheap way to frame the debate, by making it sound as if opponents are "anti-life." Cheap framing techniques are kind of expected anymore, but that doesn't mean I'll play along.
Most importantly, it doesn't reflect the values of the anti-choicers. Being "pro-life" has nothing to do with condom use, Plan B, or birth control. It has everything to do with being against capital punishment and war.
"pro-life," when applied to women, really means being "anti-choice." Whether that choice was abortion, or simply BCP, you can bet anti-choicers want to block those options.
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