Anti-choice

I am hereby announcing my personal campaign against the term "pro-life" as an indicator that you don't support a woman's right to choose. It sticks in my craw because -DUH!- we are all pro life (except maybe serial killers).

I am totally pro-life in that I like life. In addition, in terms of the abortion debate, I am very pro-life. I think that life should be, whenever possible, the first choice.

However, and here is where I get annoyed with the so-called pro-lifers, I do not think the potential life of an unborn fetus should ever take precedence over that of the living adult woman carrying that fertilized egg. I also think that it is the choice of the woman carrying that potential life who gets to decide if she wants to bring an unwanted child into this world.

This, by the definition of the media-framed abortion debate, makes me "pro-choice." And I am. I'm fine with that. But I don't think it's impossible to think that abortion is an alternative that should be sought as infrequently as possible and that the choice to have a baby (even one given up for adoption) is infinitely preferable while still maintaining that it is a woman's right to have a choice. And that choice shouldn't be legislated away from her under any circumstances.

The pro-life crowd thinks that the potential life of the embryo is more important than the lives of anyone else involved. The life of the mother is not even a secondary consideration. They believe this so strongly, in fact, that the lives of the doctors who perform abortions are threatened regularly. Also, have you noticed that most radical pro-life advocates are the very same people who think that the social safety net that provides for many of these children once they are born should be gutted and reduced? They want the baby born, but once he or she is, you're on your own, sucker.  None of these actions strike me as "pro-LIFE."

So fine, I'm pro-choice. I think that YOUR religious views and YOUR subjective morality, have no place in any woman's decisions on what is right for her and her body. We are talking about a medical procedure. A legal medical procedure. I will never dictate to you whether or not you can have bypass surgery or a bunion removed. You should not be able to tell me if I can terminate a pregnancy.

And don't give me the bullshit bumpersticker line "it's a child, not a choice." Until that lima bean-sized conglomeration of cells can survive outside of my uterus, it is not a child. Which indeed makes it my choice. And makes the other guys ANTI-CHOICE.