“Pro-choice” means that feminists and liberals support a woman’s right to decide freely whether to have a child or not. It means the decision belongs to the woman and no-one else. Pro-choice people consider it unethical when others pressure pregnant women to have either an abortion or a baby. When pro-choice people have babies, it often solidifies their pro-choice beliefs, because they can see how wrong and difficult it would be to carry a pregnancy to term against one’s will.

At abortion clinics, options counseling provides women with full information on alternatives to abortion. If women seem ambivalent about abortion, or feel pressured by others, counselors will encourage them to take more time to think about their decision. Many patients who were unsure end up deciding to carry to term. When a woman chooses to have a child, pro-choice people welcome the decision. But if a woman is not in a position to have a child, this must be accepted and the woman treated with respect and compassion.

Proponents of choice also aim to provide sexual education for young people and to facilitate access to contraception in order to reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy – the main cause of abortion. But many women will need and request abortions, and it’s important that abortions are performed under the best possible medical conditions.

Sources:
sisterresist, Mythos Abtreibung – Ammenmärchen zum Schwangerschaftsabbruch

Pro-Choice Action Network, Misconceptions About Abortion

xojane, My Planned Pregnancy Made me More Pro-choice