Sunday, January 20, 2013

The Nation: "The Message and the Meaning: Is 'Pro-choice' Passé?"

That's exactly my view: I believe that whether or not a woman keeps a pregnancy is up to her.

Indeed, language, words and meanings are crucial. They define humanity beyond the cave, and I see no reason why redefining them need be some exclusive right of the Right.

The Message and the Meaning: Is 'Pro-choice' Passé?, Katha Pollitt (The Nation)

... I often find public relations a bit bewildering, so maybe it’s my problem that I worry when people say the term “pro-choice” is “oversimplifying” and “extreme” and call for “moderation” and an acknowledgment of “gray areas.” To me, “pro-choice” means you believe that whether or not a woman keeps a pregnancy is up to her—the position most Americans say they support when asked about Roe. That is the “moderate” position. The exact opposite of the pro-life position would be to override the woman’s will and let others—parents, doctors, social services, the government—decide she must have an abortion, as is happening in China. An “extreme” pro-choice position would be the one pro-lifers falsely claim Roe protects: it would permit abortion on demand up until the day before birth. No pro-choice organization calls for that.

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