The international debate on abortion unfortunately pits \u201clife\u201d against \u201cchoice.\u201d The former is a powerful, and evocative word, which is largely standing in the way of the real problem: unsafe abortions, and women\u2019s right to survival.<\/p>\n
\u201cPro-life\u201d is a misnomer, and it does women many a disservice. By bringing up the rights of the unborn, it fails to respect the rights of the living. It also makes their choices seem selfish, decontextualizes women\u2019s stories, and strips their narrative off its complexities.<\/p>\n
For instance, I once met a 30-something woman seeking an abortion. In her mid-20s, after she\u2019d been told she was infertile, she\u2019d coaxed her husband to adopt a boy and a girl. Then, on a routine visit to her gynecologist, she discovered was carrying twins. After much deliberation she settled on abortion. She and her husband could afford to educate only two children. She decided to terminate her twin pregnancies and tie her tubes so she could do justice by her adopted children, and give them all she\u2019d promised. Luckily, this woman found a caregiver who understood her needs.<\/p>\n
Behind every decision to get an abortion is just as complex a story. But not all women find the help they need. Take young Shamin from Pakistan. As a young, unwed mother, she was driven by stigma and shame to seek the aid of an untrained caregiver. Shamin died from infections she contracted, when part of the fetus stayed inside her. (Read full story here: The Guardian, May 30<\/a>).<\/p>\n Several Shamins die everyday because of the lack of medical support. So, it\u2019s great to see feminists consciously adopt the term \u201canti-choice\u201d to address conservative groups that are against legalizing abortion.<\/p>\n But what does it mean to be \u201cpro-choice?\u201d<\/p>\n To feminists, it means honoring a woman’s right to live, by getting rid of laws that make safe abortions unavailable. (Abortion as a feminist choice on Kafila <\/a>)<\/p>\n