168:
671:. He insisted that being anti-abortion is not the same as being pro-life. He discussed a range of issues that illustrated the breadth of the impact of women's reproductive health and freedom. He preached about other issues that should fall under the heading of being 'pro-life,' including criminal-justice reform, maternal mortality, and Medicaid reform."
48:, since they frame the corresponding position in terms of inherently positive qualities (and thus position their opponents as "anti-choice" or "anti-life"). For this reason, more neutral or descriptive alternatives are sometimes preferred, for example by describing groups or individuals as supporters or opponents of abortion or abortion rights.
345:, except in cases where those terms occur in the name of an organization or in a quote. NPR's policy recommends alternative constructions such as "abortion rights supporters" and "abortion rights opponents". It permits the qualifier "anti-abortion", but not "pro-abortion rights". The style guide of
257:
and vice-versa. The terms are commonly interpreted as derogating the other side of the debate by implying that they are either "anti-choice" or "anti-life" (or "pro-death"). The decision to brand the movements in positive rather than negative terms has been compared to the earlier use of the phrase
217:
label. In the memo, Kimmey identifies "the need to find a phrase to counter the Right to Life slogan", and suggests "Freedom of
Conscience" and "Right to Choose" as possibilities, with a preference for the latter because of its brevity and focus on action rather than the "internal matter" of
245:. When abortion was legalized in the United States, the term fell out of fashion, seen as distracting or inaccurate because many people support legal access to abortion without arguing that it is the right choice.
141:, the "pro-life" or "right to life" position more commonly encompassed progressive views such as opposition to war and the death penalty in addition to opposition to abortion. New York Times language columnist
284:
failed to capture the nuanced views of
Americans toward abortion. For example, one poll sponsored by the organization showed that 35% of voters who identified as pro-life did not believe
106:
No pro-life parent or teacher would ever strike a child. No pro-life citizen would tolerate our penal code, our hangings, our punishment of homosexuals, our attitude toward bastardy.
665:
magazine, Volume 200, July 4/July 11 2022, "The
Reverend Senator", page 41 "On Mother's Day, his address was title 'A Mother Trying to Make it,' in which he engaged the question of
167:
589:
608:
171:
A sign at the 1976 Democratic
National Convention reading "Freedom of Choice". This and the slogan "right to choose" prefigured the popularity of the term
94:
627:
477:
681:
711:
210:
132:
569:
154:
726:
645:
496:
351:
recommends the terms "anti-abortion" (rather than "pro-life") and "pro-choice" (rather than "pro-abortion").
131:". For example, anti-abortion organizations founded in the late 1960s included the Right to Life League and
556:
219:
317:
201:, which referred to "Pro-choice and anti-abortion activists... headed to the Women's Clinic." Authors
521:
433:
276:
might have an undesirably "frivolous" connotation, and that polling suggested that the binary labels
88:
57:
began to be used by opponents of legal abortion around the early 1970s, born from the related term "
757:
752:
309:
288:
should be overturned. Another survey found that 12% of respondents identified with both the labels
37:
526:
438:
321:
has asserted that climate change is the "No. 1 pro-life issue" facing the
Catholic Church today.
405:
146:
41:
541:
453:
558:
Before Roe V. Wade: Voices that Shaped the
Abortion Debate Before the Supreme Court's Ruling
406:"A brief history of a marketing masterpiece: branding the anti-abortion movement "pro-life""
110:
The earliest citation for an abortion-specific sense of the term is a 1971 reference in the
237:
was commonly used by those advocating for legal abortion. For example, a representative of
197:
67:(or "right to choose") was coined in response by abortion rights advocates shortly after.
8:
360:
218:
conscience. William Safire suggests the slogan may have drawn influence from the use of "
187:
and was coined by those who supported legal abortion as a response to the success of the
296:
simultaneously. Planned
Parenthood deliberately declined to propose a replacement term.
370:
265:
238:
223:
515:
565:
374:
259:
112:
497:"'Fetal Heartbeat' vs. 'Forced Pregnancy': The Language Wars of the Abortion Debate"
427:
334:
202:
731:
365:
305:
45:
33:
206:
142:
746:
727:"Why the Guardian is changing the language it uses to describe abortion bans"
128:
58:
312:
argued that being 'anti-abortion' and being 'pro-life' are not synonymous.
347:
153:
as a shortened form of the "right to life" slogan. Gray founded the annual
590:"The End of Pro-Choice: Will 'No Labels' Really Help the Abortion Debate?"
253:
Those who identify as pro-choice generally reject the framing of the term
667:
137:
102:, though Neill uses it in a more general sense not specific to abortion:
99:
63:
53:
209:
identify a 1972 memo by Jimmye Kimmey, executive director of the
135:. However, in early usage, prior to the 1973 Supreme Court case
241:
referred to "pro-abortion" legislation in a 1975 statement to
213:, as the genesis of the subsequent widespread adoption of the
127:
used by opponents of legal abortion, particularly the phrase "
123:
seems to derive from earlier constructions involving the word
32:
are terms of self-identification used by the two sides of the
330:
195:
is in a 1969 issue of the
California daily newspaper the
366:
Culture of life and culture of death (Pope John Paul II)
268:
announced in 2013 that it would no longer use the label
688:. Vol. 50, no. 16. 20 May 2014. p. 28
513:
116:to "pro-life, anti-abortion educational programs".
514:
426:
425:
682:"Climate change is church's No. 1 pro-life issue"
329:Many press style guides, including those used by
191:branding. The first use of the term cited by the
744:
628:"Reviewing NPR's Language For Covering Abortion"
554:
609:"Should We Say "Pro-Choice" Or "Pro-Abortion?""
95:Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing
718:
705:
703:
646:"Planned Parenthood Moving Away From "Choice""
44:, respectively. They are generally considered
700:
471:
469:
467:
465:
463:
272:. The organization suggested that the word
639:
637:
583:
581:
619:
248:
555:Greenhouse, Linda; Siegel, Reva (2012).
460:
421:
419:
166:
709:
634:
606:
587:
578:
488:
403:
299:
745:
724:
625:
494:
475:
643:
600:
548:
507:
416:
404:Merelli, Annalisa (28 January 2017).
233:became widely adopted, the qualifier
211:Association for the Study of Abortion
133:Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life
710:Shepard, Alicia C. (24 March 2010).
542:participating institution membership
454:participating institution membership
399:
397:
395:
393:
391:
13:
14:
769:
626:Jensen, Elizabeth (29 May 2019).
588:Rothman, Lily (23 January 2013).
564:(2nd ed.). Yale Law School.
476:Safire, William (18 March 1979).
388:
337:, advise against using the terms
16:Terms used in the abortion debate
607:Barbato, Lauren (31 July 2014).
725:Glenza, Jessica (7 June 2019).
712:"NPR Changes Abortion Language"
674:
656:
226:slogan in the previous decade.
644:North, Anna (9 January 2013).
324:
1:
381:
160:
82:The earliest use of the term
7:
495:Harmon, Amy (22 May 2019).
354:
308:, US pastor-turned-senator
75:
10:
774:
686:National Catholic Reporter
318:National Catholic Reporter
70:
38:support access to abortion
714:. NPR Public Editor. NPR.
630:. NPR Public Editor. NPR.
522:Oxford English Dictionary
434:Oxford English Dictionary
262:instead of "anti-union".
193:Oxford English Dictionary
89:Oxford English Dictionary
310:Raphael Gamaliel Warnock
527:Oxford University Press
439:Oxford University Press
243:The Wall Street Journal
183:entered currency after
157:in Washington in 1974.
249:Criticism and analysis
176:
108:
170:
104:
300:Expanded definitions
229:In the years before
198:Oxnard Press-Courier
92:is in the 1960 book
525:(Online ed.).
437:(Online ed.).
361:Affirmation of life
42:seek to restrict it
482:The New York Times
371:Reverence for Life
315:An article in the
266:Planned Parenthood
239:Planned Parenthood
177:
149:with popularizing
540:(Subscription or
452:(Subscription or
375:Albert Schweitzer
220:Freedom of Choice
113:Los Angeles Times
765:
737:
736:
722:
716:
715:
707:
698:
697:
695:
693:
678:
672:
660:
654:
653:
641:
632:
631:
623:
617:
616:
604:
598:
597:
585:
576:
575:
563:
552:
546:
545:
537:
535:
533:
518:
511:
505:
504:
492:
486:
485:
473:
458:
457:
449:
447:
445:
430:
423:
414:
413:
401:
335:Associated Press
203:Linda Greenhouse
40:, and those who
773:
772:
768:
767:
766:
764:
763:
762:
758:English phrases
753:Abortion debate
743:
742:
741:
740:
732:TheGuardian.com
723:
719:
708:
701:
691:
689:
680:
679:
675:
661:
657:
642:
635:
624:
620:
605:
601:
586:
579:
572:
561:
553:
549:
539:
531:
529:
512:
508:
493:
489:
478:"ASAP's Fables"
474:
461:
451:
443:
441:
424:
417:
402:
389:
384:
357:
327:
302:
260:"right-to-work"
251:
165:
80:
73:
46:loaded language
34:abortion debate
17:
12:
11:
5:
771:
761:
760:
755:
739:
738:
717:
699:
673:
655:
633:
618:
599:
577:
570:
547:
506:
501:New York Times
487:
459:
415:
386:
385:
383:
380:
379:
378:
368:
363:
356:
353:
326:
323:
301:
298:
250:
247:
207:Reva B. Siegel
164:
159:
155:March for Life
143:William Safire
119:The adjective
79:
74:
72:
69:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
770:
759:
756:
754:
751:
750:
748:
734:
733:
728:
721:
713:
706:
704:
687:
683:
677:
670:
669:
664:
659:
651:
647:
640:
638:
629:
622:
614:
610:
603:
595:
591:
584:
582:
573:
571:9780615648217
567:
560:
559:
551:
543:
528:
524:
523:
517:
510:
502:
498:
491:
483:
479:
472:
470:
468:
466:
464:
455:
440:
436:
435:
429:
422:
420:
411:
407:
400:
398:
396:
394:
392:
387:
376:
372:
369:
367:
364:
362:
359:
358:
352:
350:
349:
344:
340:
336:
332:
322:
320:
319:
313:
311:
307:
297:
295:
291:
287:
283:
279:
275:
271:
267:
263:
261:
256:
246:
244:
240:
236:
232:
227:
225:
222:" as an anti-
221:
216:
212:
208:
204:
200:
199:
194:
190:
186:
182:
174:
169:
163:
158:
156:
152:
148:
144:
140:
139:
134:
130:
129:right to life
126:
122:
117:
115:
114:
107:
103:
101:
97:
96:
91:
90:
86:cited by the
85:
78:
68:
66:
65:
60:
59:right to life
56:
55:
49:
47:
43:
39:
35:
31:
30:
25:
24:
19:
730:
720:
692:14 September
690:. Retrieved
685:
676:
666:
662:
658:
649:
621:
612:
602:
594:The Atlantic
593:
557:
550:
530:. Retrieved
520:
516:"pro-choice"
509:
500:
490:
481:
442:. Retrieved
432:
409:
348:The Guardian
346:
342:
338:
328:
316:
314:
306:Mothers' Day
303:
293:
289:
285:
281:
277:
273:
269:
264:
254:
252:
242:
235:pro-abortion
234:
230:
228:
214:
196:
192:
188:
184:
180:
178:
172:
161:
150:
136:
124:
120:
118:
111:
109:
105:
98:by educator
93:
87:
83:
81:
76:
62:
61:". The term
52:
50:
36:: those who
28:
27:
22:
21:
20:
18:
668:Roe v. Wade
325:Media usage
286:Roe v. Wade
224:integration
147:Nellie Gray
138:Roe v. Wade
100:A. S. Neill
747:Categories
544:required.)
456:required.)
428:"pro-life"
382:References
339:pro-choice
290:pro-choice
278:pro-choice
270:pro-choice
231:pro-choice
215:pro-choice
181:pro-choice
173:pro-choice
162:Pro-choice
64:pro-choice
23:Pro-choice
179:The term
51:The term
650:BuzzFeed
532:16 March
444:16 March
355:See also
343:pro-life
333:and the
294:pro-life
282:pro-life
255:pro-life
189:pro-life
185:pro-life
151:pro-life
145:credits
121:pro-life
84:pro-life
77:Pro-life
54:pro-life
29:pro-life
304:On one
71:Origins
613:Bustle
568:
410:Quartz
274:choice
562:(PDF)
538:
450:
694:2017
663:Time
566:ISBN
534:2022
446:2022
341:and
292:and
280:and
205:and
125:life
26:and
331:NPR
749::
729:.
702:^
684:.
648:.
636:^
611:.
592:.
580:^
519:.
499:.
480:.
462:^
431:.
418:^
408:.
390:^
735:.
696:.
652:.
615:.
596:.
574:.
536:.
503:.
484:.
448:.
412:.
377:)
373:(
175:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
.jpg)