Pro-Choice? Pro-Life? What's in a Name?

There are three options when a woman finds out she is pregnant: she can raise the baby herself; she can place her baby with adoptive parents, or she can have an abortion. The third option is the cause of heated debate. Yet there is also a companion debate over what terms should be used to describe the people on either side of the issue.

People who support keeping abortion as a legal option prefer to be called Pro-Choice. Their opposition would rather call them Pro-Abortion or Anti-Life.

People who want to take away the legal right to have an abortion call themselves Pro-Life. Their opposition would prefer to define them as Anti-Abortion or Anti-Choice.

What's in a name? 

Shakespeare aside, the words we choose to use when defining the world around us are important. Particularly when we are classifying items or people into a common group. The term we use becomes a sort of shorthand to sum up the characteristics of that group.

Considering the terms that people on each side of the abortion debate prefer to use goes back to the options of a pregnant woman:

1. Parenting -- A woman can continue her pregnancy and raise the baby herself.
2. Adoption -- A woman can continue her pregnancy and place her baby with adoptive parents. 
3. Abortion -- A woman can terminate her pregnancy through an abortion procedure. 

Pro-Choice?

People who call themselves Pro-Choice do so because they believe every woman has a legal right to decide any of these three options for herself. The term Anti-Life is clearly inaccurate because the people in this group support parenting and adoption as well as legal abortion.

The term Pro-Abortion may or may not be accurate. Many people who support legal abortion do so even when they do not think they would ever choose to have an abortion themselves.

The Pro-Choice argument is about letting women make decisions based on their own situations. The argument does not say that abortion is a "good" or easy decision. It acknowledges that there are hard decisions in life, and that they can only be made by the people directly involved.

Pro-Life?

People who call themselves Pro-Life support the options of parenting and adoption, but do not support abortion. It's not entirely accurate to call them Anti-Choice because they do support two out of the three options. But there are problems with the term Pro-Life as well.

By limiting the options of all pregnant women, those who call themselves Pro-Life assume a heavier burden of proof. Instead of letting women (and their doctors) weigh the options in their own situations, this group must make a blanket argument that abortion is always wrong--no matter the reasons.

If their argument is that all life is precious, it is illogical to also support capital punishment; yet many do. It would also be illogical to take away programs which support those who have been born, such as WIC or Welfare; yet many do.

When a high-risk pregnancy threatens the life of the pregnant women, those who call themselves Pro-Life are in a difficult position. How is it "pro-life" to risk a woman's life for a fetus that is not yet viable outside of the womb?

Not all pregnancies naturally result in a live birth. Genetic abnormalities and other problems can cause a fetus to not be viable outside of the womb. Sometimes this causes a miscarriage (natural abortion), but in other cases the fetus dies in the womb or within minutes of being born. How is it "pro-life" to continue a pregnancy which will not result in life?

The most accurate statement you can make about this group is that they are against abortion. Therefore, it is most accurate to label this group as being Anti-Abortion.

Linguistic Semantics

Finding accurate names for the groups on either side of the abortion debate may seem like a minor point. However, considering the meaning behind each group's name may make it easier to better understand each group's arguments, and perhaps find some common ground.