Use your words...

Last night I had it up to here (my hand is stationed at the approximate height of Abraham Lincoln) with the language that's associated with abortion.

Yes.  I'm pretty edgy and emotionally unwieldy today.

I overheard someone mention that he was exhausted and offended by his constant exposure to people who are "pro-life" as he himself is "pro-choice".  This verbiage must stop.

Being pro-choice isn't being pro-abortion.  It's simply believing in the freedom to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy.

I am pro-choice.  I believe in a woman's autonomy over her self, including her reproductive organs.  I am also pro-life because I don't believe that everyone who is inseminated should immediately go out to terminate the pregnancy.   I love babies.  One day I'd like to have a couple.  I want all my friends to have them--if / when they want them.  To be honest with you, I couldn't name a person I know who is pro-abortion.  To have or not have an abortion is one of the most arduous decisions an individual can make and rarely is that decision made flippantly.

If a person wants to strip away a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy he / she is not pro-life; he / she is anti-choice.  It's that simple.

So why do we who are pro-choice describe people who aren't as pro-life?  When we do this we invite the opposition to vilify us.  We shouldn't make ourselves such easy targets by the haphazard use of a conservative euphemism. It's imperative that we be more honest and straightforward in our wording.  If a person doesn't believe in reproductive rights then said person is anti-choice.  That's the honest truth.  We aren't being unruly or rude in ascribing that label.  It's their personal stance.

I think we should actively work to change how we discuss our viewpoints on this topic.  After all, isn't the world one big brand center?  If we pro-choice folks start calling the "pro-life" movement what it really is--an anti-choice machine--then we can facilitate people understanding that the argument isn't about whether or not a person agrees with abortion as an act; it boils down to preserving or destroying personal liberty.  Being pro-choice is about freedom.  It's about having options.

Women's rights are American rights and how we discuss them is important.  Our word choice does matter: the more specifically we speak the better off we are.

Complications and Machines