What exactly does "Pro Choice" mean to you?

[Horse with no Name]

To me, it means the right of the woman to choose the destiny of her pregnancy.
If she chooses not to carry the child...then that is okay.
If she chooses to carry the child. That is okay.

However, when that woman makes her CHOICE to abort a child--WE don't run around screaming "she killed a baby, she killed a baby".

Then why would we run around when a woman make a CHOICE to carry a child screaming that "it was ONLY a fetus, it was only a fetus" if she loses it? To her, it was HER baby. Have some compassion.

Cmon folks..we are better than this.

[ironman202]

1. who is doing that?

[bertha katzenengel]

2. "the right of the mother to choose the destiny of her pregnancy"

Although I'd choose a different word than "destiny" (perhaps "progress or end" instead), I believe you said it well.

[thedailyshow]

3. It means that morality is a choice

and I cannot enforce my morality on others since religious morality is individual, not a common shared belief, because if it was, this country would be a theocracy, not a democracy.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

4. Amen, but . . .

. . . I have heard folks say this, and in the context it was clear it was meant as a compassionate statement, a tragically misguided effort to ease a grieving parent's anguish. Its effect was just not thought through.

Peace.

[DIKB]

5. Pro-Choice

to me means that you are free from the oppression of religious types who seek to make their BELIEFS into LAWS.

[Pirate Smile]

6. I agree with you. I must have missed whatever you are specifically

referring to. If someone is being insensitive about a miscarriage, then they are just being inconsiderate dumbass.

[Eloriel]

7. That's extremely unfair withouot an explanation

of why you're on this rant.

Obviously, someone exhibited a lack of compassion about a miscarriage or something. But you paint ALL of us with your brush of outrage by not explaining the situation, and I deeply resent that on this subject (and most others).

I'm also not at all crazy about your choice of words here:

To me, it means the right of the mother to choose the destiny of her pregnancy.

[Horse with no Name]

9. You are 100% correct

I will change that.

I'm not gonna link the post from earlier since it was locked.

[Maddy McCall]

40. But why not link it? You don't want this thread to get locked, even ...

though it breaks DU's rules about continuing a locked thread?

If you are going to break the rules and continue a discussion that the owner of this website, himself, locked, then why be so sly about it?

[Maddy McCall]

39. No, this is a continuation of the Santorum thread that Skinner locked.

This thread, nor the other, is about pro-choice/anti-choice.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4429749#4432989

[jmm]

8. Does this have anything to do with Santorum?

If his wife didn't miscarry four months into her pregnancy, if she had a stillbirth or even if they child died years after being born and they brought the dead body from the hospital to their house people would be reacting the same way. Especially when Rick has the nerve to attack Kennedy, one of the first people to offer, him condolences on his loss.

[Maddy McCall]

38. Yeah, I can't figure out why this thread has stayed open so long.

The Santorum thread had NOTHING to do with pro-choice vs. anti-choice.

The OP's attempt to frame this continuation of the Santorum thread under the guise of a pro-choice/anti-choice debate is disingenous.

[King Coal]

10. It means "Citizen Ruth",

[Maddy McCall]

11. It means complete autonomy for women.

It's so much more than just pregnancy. An unwanted pregnancy can affect all areas of a woman's life, especially economically.

Choice means the ability to decide one's future in all areas of life. Work, relationships, parenthood...Choice is paramount if women are to be completely autonomous in their own destiny.

[murray hill farm]

20. what u said!!!

yes..it is about so much more than pregnancy..it is about the choice to control all aspects of ones life..and to live ones life by ones own beliefs and codes of belief. Abortion may be murder to one woman, just as believing that womans place is in the home may be the only moral option or code of behavior to some..or the belief that if one believes that only the born again will be raptured may be the chosen belief of some. those are not my beliefs or behavioral codes of belief...and that is my choice. Freedom of choice means just that..to chose your own beliefs and codes of belief and to live your life accordingly.

[txaslftist]

12. I'm pro-life and pro-choice...

On account of I'm a libertarian at heart.

I disagree with the woman who chooses to end a pregnancy that is inconvenient, although I don't disagree with a woman who chooses to end a pregnancy out of legitimate health concerns or if it is a child of rape or incest.

I'm pro-choice because I don't think the damn gummint has or should have any say in the matter.

[lildreamer316]

32. Second that

From a woman who has made that choice twice and not made it once. I actually thanked the doctor and the nurse and expressed my gratitude that I had the freedom to make the choice.

[AValdoux]

13. I think it means...

...it is your business what choices you make about reproductive decisions. They are decisions that are so personal, government has no business interferring.


AValdoux

[sepia_steel]

16. I agree with your definition the most, AValdoux nt

[Maddy McCall]

14. Oh, God...I just read the last paragraph of your post.

I have had four miscarriages. People told me, "You can have another" or "It was God's will" or "There must have been something wrong with the baby."

Please don't politicize the sadness of a miscarriage (which, itself is a spontaneous abortion) by comparing it to abortion by choice.

I've had four miscarriages. I wouldn't dare bring my miscarriages into the realm of political discussion of abortion.

[Horse with no Name]

21. Then it's probably a good thing you didn't see the other post

that was pulled.
This is my response to that.

[Maddy McCall]

25. Yeah, it probably is. So why are you continuing the discussion...

if the other thread was locked and deleted? What makes your thread any different than the previous one?

:shrug:

[Horse with no Name]

26. It wasn't locked and deleted because of my view

It was locked and deleted from some pretty mean things being said.

[Maddy McCall]

35. Are you referring to the Santorum thread that SKINNER locked?

Why are you continuing this discussion if you know that the administrator of this website locked the thread?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4429749#4432989

Now, I'd like to argue the point of the Santorum thread, but the bossman already said that it's off limits, so I'm going to abide by his judgment. Maybe you should, too.

[alfredo]

15. To me it means the government has no business poking its nose

into our most private decisions. Carrying a pregnancy to full term is first my wife's decisions. It is up to me to counsel her. love her, and support her no matter what.

[Hubert Flottz]

17. It's a GOP political tool!

Like God is!

[moobu2]

18. “Pro Choice” to me means

Everyone has the right to make medical decisions concerning their own bodies -free from undue government intrusion, and yes, that would include women having the right to decide for themselves weather or not they want to continue their pregnancy. It’s between them and their doctor.

Women are intelligent enough to make their own decisions.

[shraby]

19. It means a woman has the right to a doctor's

care if she decides on abortion. Her reasons are none of my business.

[keep CHOICES legal]

22. Reframe the whole debate: I'm pro-choices (plural)

My main complaint is about the word "choice". I am NOT complaining about the definition of the word "choice", (so don't go into attack mode), I am complaining about how it has been FRAMED to indicate there is ONLY ONE SINGULAR meaning to the word.....that "choice" means (as Rebublicans would like to frame it)...murder. If a woman says she is "pro-choice", the opposition says "you are for murdering a baby." Wrong. (It is hard to make the argument when it is framed like this.)

I think woman should campaign for "choices"....women want to make "choices" concerning their bodies. I am pro-"choices". Keep "choices" legal. This way, you will zoom-out the focus on the singular issue of abortion. It seems like a contradiction, but campaigning for a women's right to make CHOICES for her body is the way to go.

(The whole issue could even revolve around the reason our country was founded in the first place....Americans wanted CHOICES in all areas of their lives....speech, assembly, religion etc. How could the extremists argue that point? )

[Horse with no Name]

24. I hate the phraseology too

If my position has to be pro-choice, they should have to be anti-choice.
By allowing them to be pro-life, it equates my views with anti-life.

[keep CHOICES legal]

27. Exactly right!

...there is no doubt the issue needs to be discussed. But we should frame the issue in OUR own way (not theirs)...and then discuss it.

[troubleinwinter]

23. It means PERSONAL PRIVACY to me.

[Lindacooks]

34. You got it!!

That's EXACTLY what it means.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

28. Excuse me, but you lost me at the last part of your post. Who has said

such things when a woman has had a miscarriage? You seem to be inferring that this is said often by people who are pro-choice. I have never heard of this before.

[Horse with no Name]

31. It was in another thread

I won't link to it...but it hit me as so hard and uncaring.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

44. Thank you for clarifying that as it seemed to come out of left field. n/t

[Maddy McCall]

37. This is a continuation of the locked Santorum thread.

The Santorum thread has NOTHING to do with pro-choice or anti-choice.

It has everything to do with bringing a dead body home, cuddling it, singing to it, forcing your children to touch and hold it, and then sleeping with it.

That has not one iota to do with women's rights to control their own fertility.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4429749#4432989

[Beaverhausen]

41. wow. I agree- NOTHING TO DO WITH CHOICE

and I'm very sorry about your losses. :hug:

[Maddy McCall]

42. Thanks, Beaverhausen.

:hug:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

45. Thank you too for the clarification. I deliberately ignored that thread.

[CornField]

47. EVERYTHING to do with choice

I'm sorry you either can't or won't see it.

We should be a society which supports the choices made by women, even the ones we find personally offensive.

[ibegurpard]

29. To me it means no one's business but the people involved.

eom

[seabeyond]

30. i dont give other women my religious beliefs. it is a womans choice

thru her own beliefs, not mine.

[Lindacooks]

33. It means that everybody minds their own business.

And don't force, or even TRY to force, someone else to live by your convictions, especially with such a personal, private issue as pregnancy.

[stepnw1f]

36. Freedom to Chose to Die and to Live

The rest is up to you, your Church and finally your God, if you have one.

That's it. Very simple.

[RSchewe]

43. It means a woman can make up her own mind about her body.

The government should stay out of people's personal lives. That decision is between her and her god, if she believes in one or many.

This is very much like the Schiavo issue.

It is as simple as "mind your business".

[Nobody]

46. It means that strangers don't get to decide for you

that you have an acceptable reason for aborting or for not aborting.

No stranger has the information to make an informed choice about what I should do with a pregnancy. And that information will not be shared with them.

No one who does not have a stake in the outcome has any business deciding for me what I should do and they do not get to second guess what I do decide to do.

My reasons do not have to be shared with strangers and they don't get a vote.

[DanCa]

48. Star Trek's Prime Directive This is not a joke.

That's why i perfer pro neutreal. I don't want to interfere in that decision. The only say so a man has is right before the act yes or no and than it's literaly out of his hands.

[barb162]

49. A woman has COMPLETE control over her own body

(and that includes the right to abort, to use birth control methods of her choice, etc)

[Orangepeel]

50. It means I don't get to decide for others. It doesn't mean I can't opine

for example, someone like Sanatorum has the right to think a woman who has an abortion is evil. He shouldn't have the right to make the decision for her. Similarly, she has the right to think he's a sick bastard for making his kids say goodbye to a fetus. She shouldn't have the right to tell him they can't.