What does pro choice mean? It refers to the freedom that an individual has to decide one's course of life with respect and support from others. It is the responsibility that one has towards one's own life and the right to decide which course one's life should take. Then should pro choice abortions be read as pro abortion? Let's see what does abortion - pro choice and pro life mean. 

Abortion has been a controversial topic for a long time. Even after the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the United States in 1973, the controversy still rages on. In older times, individuals who opposed abortion were said to be anti-abortion and those who supported them were called pro abortion. However, in more recent times, as the debate further heated up, those against abortion used the term pro life and those who supported abortion used the term pro choice to represent themselves.

Abortion: Pro Life Arguments

Life is precious. It is an amazing phenomenon that has made this planet one-of-its-kind in the entire galaxy (at least so far as our knowledge goes at present). Abortion is strongly criticized by those with strong religious beliefs as they believe that life is a blessing from God. Any attempt to destroy or modify a life is seen as meddling with the powers of the Almighty. Advocates of pro life arguments strengthen their anti-abortion arguments by saying that life begins at conception itself. Hence abortion is tantamount to homicide. Pro life advocates also give forth the argument that the widespread acceptance of abortion may help it to be used as a form of contraception. They also point to the medical complications and post abortion syndrome associated with an abortion. According to them, women who demand complete control of their body should also shoulder the responsibility of preventing unwanted pregnancy. Be the conception be a result of unplanned pregnancy, rape or incest, aborting the embryo is equivalent to punishing the unborn child for no fault of his, which is not right.

Abortion: Pro Choice Arguments

Pro choice (abortions) refer to the political and ethical view that a woman should have complete right over her fertility and that she should have the freedom to decide whether she wants to continue or terminate her pregnancy. The pro choice movement entails to guarantee a woman her reproductive rights. Those who are pro choice give the following arguments in support of abortion:

• Control over her body and the freedom to decide the course of her life is critical to a woman's civil rights. When a woman is pregnant it is her body that goes through all the stress of pregnancy. If she decides not to have a pregnancy she should be able to do so. Denying her the right to her body is violating her most basic freedom.
• One of the most pertinent questions regarding abortion is when does life begin. A fetus may be alive but so are sperms and eggs. It is true that life in every form should be respected. However, should the right of a fetus be greater than that of a woman who in majority of the cases would bear the responsibility of the unplanned child?
• One of the important abortion fact is that most of the abortions take place in the first trimester when the fetus cannot live independent of the mother. It depends on the mother through the placenta and the umbilical cord for nutrition and health and hence should not be considered a separate entity.
• A lot of care and precautions are taken while carrying out an abortion. Most of the abortions are done during the first trimester when abortions are most safe. As a result, abortions pose only 0.5% risk for the woman to develop serious complications. This certainly does not affect women's health gravely or their ability to conceive in future.
• Unwanted teenage pregnancy can have serious complications if the pregnancy is continued. An adolescent is neither mentally nor physically ready to continue a pregnancy. Besides health related complications, a minor mother isn't psychologically ready to handle the responsibilities of a child. With a life to support, many such girls drop out of school and start working in order to fend for the child. This certainly spells a bleak future for such girls.
• While some believe that life begins at conception, there are others that do not believe in this. There are different theories regarding when life begins. Unless every one can be made to agree to the one point when life begins, laws prohibiting abortion would be forcing one theory on all.
• Making abortion illegal does not stop unwanted pregnancies from taking place. In case abortion is made illegal, many women may get it done from unauthorized entities. This would pose a greater threat to their life and health.
• For those who fear that abortion might be used as a contraceptive, there is no reason to panic. Studies have shown that as few as 8% of the women who undergo abortion did not use contraceptives.
• One of the important pro choice reasons is that rape or incest is traumatic for a woman. Forcing her to bear the added responsibility of the child she conceived through the unfortunate act would only add to her mental stress.

Despite all the support for abortion, one of the important pro choice facts is that those who raise pro choice issues to strengthen their cause are not pro abortion. They take the right to as a woman's freedom to her body and life. However, we must remember that abortion should not cloud the sanctity of life. It is important to bear in mind the pros and cons of abortions before taking any decisions regarding one's pregnancy.

Pregnancy is not just about continuing a life inside the womb. With life comes the responsibility of providing it with all the rights and comforts that it is entitled to. While the debate between abortion - pro choice vs pro life continues, it depends on us that we act responsibly while we deal with creating a life so that we do not find ourselves time and again standing on the crossroads, having to decide whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy.