"What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet." Well, I hate to disagree with Shakespeare, but in certain cases, a name really does matter!
The pro-life position is given many names. I’m sure everyone has heard pro-lifers referred to as “anti-abortionists” or “anti-choice,” but are these titles really accurate? First, let’s look at “anti-abortionists.” Whenever pro-lifers are pegged with this title, it is usually a misconception of the movement. Now, of course abolishing abortion is one of our top priorities. There are over 40 million babies being dismembered in their mothers’ wombs every year, worldwide, from abortion, and this issue must be given proper attention. But the pro-life movement is concerned with other important life issues as well, such as embryonic stem cell research, assisted suicide, euthanasia, etc. So, whenever pro-lifers are given the title “anti-abortionists,” they are being misrepresented… we stand for so much more!
The second title is less accurate, and has a negative connotation: “anti-choice.” I guess the idea is that pro-lifers are opposed to the “pro-choice” view, so therefore must be “anti-choice.” But are “pro-choice” advocates really in support of choice in all circumstances? Are “pro-choice” advocates pro-choice when it comes to drunk driving, rape, incest, murder, and genocide? I’m sure they would quickly state that they are not. Obviously, “pro-choice” advocates are not pro-choice on all issues. Therefore, the “pro-choice” label, and hence the “anti-choice” label, cannot be quite accurate, unless placed in the context of some choice. So, when it comes to the choice of a mother to have the child in her womb dismembered, I will happily say that I am “anti-choice,” and “pro-choice” advocates can say that they support this choice. However, using the term, “anti-choice,” to generally refer to the pro-life movement is unfair and inaccurate to say the least.
So, why “pro-life?” We’re pro-life because we believe in the protection of all human life from conception to natural death. It is an accurate and precise title for the movement… why would anyone try to change it? Perhaps that is the question to be considering.
Rachel Helferty
Events Coordinator
Queen’s Alive