There are two misconceptions concerning pro-lifers that I would like to address. The first is that they are all about anti-choice, and the second is that they are against reproductive rights.
First, pro-lifers agree that women have the right to choose many things. For example, they have the right to pursue any (legal) career they desire. However, the law rightly puts many limits on what they may do with their own bodies. They may not drive a car without wearing a seat belt, ingest or inject illegal substances, or engage in prostitution. There are other choices that, although not illegal, are discouraged by all of society. No one is campaigning for women’s rights to starve and cut themselves with the slogan “my body, my choice”.
The second falsehood is that pro-lifers want to steal women’s reproductive rights. Of course women have the right to decide when they want to have children. But when a woman is pregnant she has already reproduced a child. The pro-life movement is about respecting all human life, whether inside or outside the womb.
The unfair and inaccurate labels given to pro-lifers must be removed. Only open and honest discussion can benefit the women and children involved in this issue.
Mary VanderVelde
