I am Pro-Choice and Pro-Life

[louis c]

What? How can that be?

First off, I put that statement in that order purposely. I am Pro-choice. Unequivocally. When, whether, with whom, and under which circumstances a woman decides to give birth is her choice. Period.

Some women choose to give birth, even under the most difficult of circumstances. I also honor that choice. By honoring that choice, I have always favored cradle to grave government health insurance, for the Mother and the child. Publicly funded day care. Affordable housing. State sponsored college tuition. As a union rep, I fight for paid family leave in every contract. In short, I advocate for whatever assistance it takes to assure a healthy, loving home for every family, under any circumstances.

My wife and I have no children, yet we both hold this position. We happily paid $66,000 last year in federal, state and local taxes. We fund a local scholarship for our local High School, in my family's name. I serve, unpaid, on a local non-profit board that assists low income individuals, which also provides pre-school services for working moms.

Too many of my Conservative friends, who claim to be "pro-life" are not that at all. They are not "pro-life". They are pro-birth. After the child is born, they want to reduce government assistance and play no role as a member of society to make life easier for single mothers to care for a child.

Being pro-life is way different than being pro-birth.

That's why, I can safely say, that I am both pro-choice and pro-life.

[crazylikafox]

1. Well said

[UTUSN]

2. I was going to say that for me "Pro-CHOICE" includes it all, but you said it for me.

[Arkansas Granny]

3. From a 2004 interview with Sister Jan Chittister by Bill Moyers :

As we prepare to cut one-third of the social services of this country, as we intend to balance the US budget on the backs of women and children for the sake of the affluent and the privileged and ignore the effect budget cuts will make on the lives around us, we have no right to call ourselves pro-life.

http://billmoyers.com/story/what-pro-life-means/

[ananda]

4. So by this logic, "pro-choice" means "pro-death"

Think about this.

[Justice]

13. No, up to the mother prior to birth, up to person after birth.

[Major Nikon]

5. They aren't "pro-life" they are pro-forced-birthing

First of all "sacred" is really nothing more than an abstract concept that has no real meaning. It's not as if these people have funerals for their toenail clippings or nocturnal emissions.

It's no coincidence that these same people are also against birth control. What they really want is more control over other's sexuality.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. They are pro-fetus, anti-child. They'd scream "no", but their actions speak louder than their words.

[Major Nikon]

17. They don't give a shit about a fetus

I have yet to see a so-called "pro-lifer" advocate for better prenatal care, nor do I see them marching in areas of the US where infant mortality rates rival the 3rd world.

I can find nothing in their narrative or actions that lead me to believe they are anything but pro-forced-birthing.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

18. You make some good points. . . nt

[LBM20]

6. "Pro Life" must mean Pro "ENTIRE LIFE." Take down the right wing hypocrisy on this. WE are

"pro life," not the right wingers. Say Pro ENTIRE life! That is how we should frame ourselves. And also that we don't believe in big government controlling our medical and reproductive decisions. We don't believe in jailing women, nurses, and doctors over this issue. Message framing is so important and we need to do it well.

[Hortensis]

21. Very good point. Tom Jefferson framed it extremely well

in our Declaration of Independence for that era, when abortion was legal and everyone knew life meant people.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Welcome to DU, LBM20.

[Shanti Mama]

7. First of all, Bravo to you for your support of children no matter what.

Also, I think what you're highlighting is the need for new framing.

Being pro-choice means being pro-children.
Begin for environmental regulations means being for environmental protections.
How did we let them get away with the word "entitlements"?

George Lakoff is the king of framing and a progressive. Read his pieces and his books. I've only read his articles, which are great. This is very good.
[link:http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/05/02/berkeley-author-george-lakoff-says-dont-underestimate-trump/|
And his site says he's coming out with a new edition of his book Don't Think of an Elephant. I'll be reading it.... edited: the book has been out for a while now.
[link:https://georgelakoff.com/2014/08/18/new-book-the-all-new-dont-think-of-an-elephant-know-your-values-and-frame-the-debate/|

[Towlie]

9. It's a deceitful tactic to incorporate an argument for your cause in the name you give it.

... yet we see it often, not only in the case of "pro-life", which really means "anti-abortion", but even in causes that we might approve of, such as "affirmative action." The strategy seems to be that not only should the name carry a positive tone, but the implied opposite position should carry a correspondingly negative tone, such as "pro-death" or "negative action."

When you give your cause a name like that you're guilty of begging the question right off the bat.

Can you people think of any more examples?

[Raster]

10. Thank you! Your post represents my feelings and beliefs to a tee!

[SonofDonald]

11. So am I.

I am pro choice and always will be, I'm male and I know that a woman's body is none of my business to decide anything on, neither is any choice she makes on what she wants to do, period.

But I was married to as I found out later a violent alcoholic ( when she reached 21 ) and bipolar woman, but if I had agreed to an abortion of our third child as she wanted I would not have my beautiful wonderful amazing second Daughter.

So yes I'm both, abortion is not for me when I am allowed to have a say in it's outcome.

And I believe that a woman's body and choice is her own, period.

You can be pro choice and pro life.

[McCamy Taylor]

12. Me too.

[BarbD]

14. How about Pro-Mother?

Words have really gotten in the way of this discussion.

[Thinkingabout]

15. In total agreement with this article, my opinion also

[kydo]

16. Yeppers. I have always said I am Pro-Choice on everything.

It's all a choice and the choice is yours. Now I tend to choose life. But that's because I have been lucky and haven't had to make the hard choices yet on many issues.

[athena]

19. What about the life of the woman?

Why does that always get forgotten? Why does everyone -- including liberals -- act as though abortion involved only a fetus? The sexism around this issue is disgusting, and I am sick of it. I am sick of the magic disappearing act in which a woman is omitted from the discussion of an issue that involves her life, health, and bodily integrity.

When abortion is banned, women die. Childbirth is much more dangerous than an abortion. If you force women to give birth against their will, you will end up killing women who would not have died otherwise. Banning abortion kills women. Unless you believe that women's lives don't count as human lives, being anti-choice is not "pro-life"; it is pro-death.

No one who is in favor of forcing women to undergo a dangerous medical procedure against their will is "pro-life". They are anti-woman and pro-death.

[tavalon]

20. I had such a difficult time keeping pregnancies, so I made a promise to myself,

that were I to get pregnant, even in unexpected circumstances, I would carry the pregnancy, unless the child or myself were in danger.

That said, did you notice all of the "I"s in the preceding statements? I am 100% pro choice and I always volunteered to be the nurse for the women who came into the hospital for second and third trimester abortions, no matter the reason. I wanted them to have someone who genuinely cared about them and supported them.

BTW, not that it is pertinent to the conversation, I had 11 pregnancies and 0 children from my loins. I have a beloved stepchild. And nowadays, I work in a NICU. Best job in the world. I get to love little babies and then send them home to their loving parents.