Choice

I feel like a lot of reputation that pro-choice activists get is from the pro-life activists. Since much of their energy is devoted to protesting abortion pro-choice folks automatically get labeled as the opposite, aka for abortion. Also the fact that abortion is such a controversial topic makes it good material for the media to blow-up. Birth control pills and midwives are not nearly as controversial. So the pro-choicers end up being only known for abortion making them seem scary to the rest of the world. A lot of the change needs to come from the media’s portrayal of the issues. If the media wouldn’t sensationalize abortion then maybe the world would realize that the definition of choice is not abortion. It is hard to change this of course. Grassroots media groups can do a lot to promote the issues of pro-choicers other than abortion. If equal access to health care, right to contraception, right to choose how to deliver your baby were issues that got more coverage I think the there would be more support for “choice”. Americans are unaware of what choice means. They think it means pro-abortion only. This needs to change to move ahead. Like we discussed in class equal access to birth control is less controversial and something that more people can agree on. These issues are a good way to introduce the idea of choice to Americans.
And on a lighter yet highly relevant note