The Term “Pro-Choice”

Recently, I was asked why I use the term “pro-abortion”, instead of the term “pro-choice”, when speaking of support for abortion. I believe that, when it comes to abortion, it is important to be honest with ourselves as to whether or not we support abortion. So here I will take the opportunity to explain why I always use that term, and why I feel that is it important for all of us to accurately name our support for or opposition to abortion. Of course, it is important to make an effort, when talking to people, to use words that correctly convey what you are trying to say. This provides for a clear understanding and effective communication. Now, I understand that the term “pro-choice” is for many people a description of the position of support for abortion. Before following this trend, however, I had to know that it accurately described the position of support for abortion. As it turns out, I learned that this term does not accurately describe the position of support for abortion. And that is why I never use it. You see, a genuinely pro-choice person would have to hold that it is always equally right to choose or not to choose to abort a baby, regardless of the circumstances or origin of a pregnancy. There can never be such a person, because, just as a person can never serve two masters, so no person can serve two directly opposed beliefs. But yet in order to be able to accurately call oneself pro-choice, one would have to serve two directly opposed beliefs. Now, one might say that he/she is undecided and does not actively support or oppose abortion. I will answer this argument with some words of a survivor of the Nazi holocaust, Elie Weisel: “… We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormenter, never the tormented….” The killing of an innocent person cannot be neither right nor wrong. And therefore we cannot take a neutral position on it. We are either for it or against it. If we do not believe that it should be stopped, than we believe that it’s okay for it to continue, because we obviously have found no reason that it should not be allowed to continue. So, when it comes to abortion which is the killing of innocent children, everyone is either for it or against it. Anyone who has not found reason to help stop abortion also sees no wrong in abortion being allowed to continue. And if no reason is found that justifies ending something, that something has no reason to be ended, and will continue without disruption. Thus, if one does not oppose abortion, one must necessarily support it, even if that support be through silence or disinterest. These paragraphs have explained well, I hope, the fact that one cannot both support and oppose abortion, or, in other words, be genuinely pro-choice on the issue of abortion. Each of us must decide whether or not we support the killing of innocent children through abortion. Are we pro-life or are we pro-abortion? We can’t be pro-choice. Many people who support abortion have decided to term their support as “pro-choice” instead of as “pro-abortion”, the correct term. Why have they done this? Why have they not called their support for abortion by its real name, as people who oppose abortion have called their opposition by its real name? But you understand now why I always use the term “pro-abortion” to describe support for abortion. The term “pro-choice” cannot have meaning in the abortion issue. God bless.