Pro-life / Pro-choice

why did you pick up the one sharp post?

and there are loads of posts who did engage with your question.
we have given reasons, and reasonings, including about the terminology.

Ah, I see. Never mind, we can't all get it right all the time! My own grammar can be shocking, I'm sure.

I'm pro-choice and agree wholeheartedly that the term 'pro-life' is misleading and is just sinister propaganda. I am pro-life: I'm pro the life of women who don't want to bring unwanted lives into the world.

And Mollified, you have obviously thought long and hard about your postion morally in regard to abortion but should that give you the right to tell other people how they should feel/what they should do in regard to a medical procedure?

Hmm, what would be the equivalent treatment for self harm if compared to a ban on abortion? It's really not the same thing at all if you think about it.

pootles - that is interesting and unsurprising.

It makes it so clear that until people have understood that women's bodies need to be respected, we will struggle with the same issues again and again.

Pro-life is the general term.

IMO 'anti-abortion' would be a far more accurate term.

I think you've misunderstood. 'It's my body' is an explanation.

Btw, it's 'I think many here have misunderstood the post'. I'm sorry, I do hope you don't mind me correcting the grammar - you mentioned being a student on the other thread and I thought you might find it helpful.

Interesting piece about this on bbc the other day Molli, I'm sure you'll have seen it - here basically seems to be saying that women who've had unwanted pregnancies are more at risk of mental health issues, but whether they have the baby or a termination makes no odds.

I would fight to the death for your right to stand by that point of view mollified, for your body. Forced abortion is an unthinkable cruelty.

But, when you take that opinion and force it onto another woman's body? It does start to smack rather of I-know-what's-best-for-you...

We need to believe a woman when she says she knows what's best for her. Counselling, by all means. But if a woman says that she's thought about it, she's made the decision, it's best for her - for whatever reason, they are her reasons. I think we have to give the woman the right to bodily autonomy.

If people think that having to carry a child against it's will is going to endear the child to it's mother, I would have to ask how they came to that conclusion. And if people would rather women died from having an unsafe medical procedure, as used to happen before abortion was legalised, I would have to question in what way that was being 'pro-life'. It should not matter what peoples opinions are on the subject, the facts show that even in the event that it is legislated against, women will still seek them and therefore should have the right to a procedure that is medically safe and legal.
I think that goes a bit beyond 'It's my body'.

OK I'm going to stick my neck out here.
I am not anti-abortion but I do have strong reservations about how it is offered. I do not believe that it is your right to have an abortion no matter what. There are often mental and emotional consequences to the woman that I believe are often not made clear prior to the appointment at the clinic.
I have always found it very difficult to voice any form of anti-abortion point of view as I get flamed for being anti women's rights however I don't see it that way. There are very good cases where abortion is the right choice but there are very many cases where abortion is just the short term easy choice and hang the consequences.
I, personally, would not seek to have an abortion because I do feel that it may be my body however the baby has a body too and I am responsible for that. It is a difficult point of view to have but I have lived with it and I stand by it.

"Pro-abortion" just does sound so silly, doesn't it?

Abortions for all! There should be more abortions!

who the hell is 'pro abortion' - it's just the alternative is worse

I agree with alexpolismum about the 'pro life' label and have to add that I object even more to being called 'pro abortion' (as I was recently) when I consider myself to be pro choice.

I'm the same Suzi.

It's an 'Informed opinion' I suppose.

Rather than daft notions of just getting a bit fat and giving birth is only a few hours, and off you go everything's the same. I suspect a lot of 'pro-lifers' think its all a bit of a minor inconvenience, blown up out of proportion by daft moos looking for attention.

I don't like the word "pro-life".

I am not against life.

People who claim to be "pro-life", are anti-choice, however.

Until a foetus can be removed from a woman's body and gestated elsewhere, without harm to either her or the foetus, I don't see how the argument can really go beyond "it's my body".

The alternative to "it's my body" is forcing a woman to undergo a pregnancy and childbirth against her will. Having been through a, very much wanted, pregnancy and childbirth I find that unacceptable. Interestingly I'm much more pro-choice since I gave birth.

Recent thread here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/1215597-Pro-life-Pro-choice

OP: you are aware that 'pro-life' means 'in favour of women having to carry and bear unwanted babies', aren't you?

I agree. Pro life is a really irritating phrase.

I know this has been pointed out many times, but it's worth doing so again; It's time we stopped using the anti-abortionist phrase "pro-life".

I am pro-choice with regard to abortion. BUT I am pro-life in general, I have no intention of committing suicide, I haven't murdered anyone or supported genocide, etc. Calling anti-abortionists "pro-life" makes the rest of us seem like a miserable death cult. And in any case, when they say "pro-life" I have generally found they are not pro-life as such, they are pro-fetal-life, but not pro-mothers'-lives or pro-abortion-doctors'-lives.

Give them a more accurate name: Anti-abortionists.

I agree ... it's the root reason, and all other reasons/justifications must stem from that one.