For more than 30 years, NARAL Pro-Choice Montana and the NARAL Pro-Choice Montana Foundation have been helping pro-choice Montanans articulate their pro-choice beliefs. Although the freedom to choose is fundamental to our well-being, it is not a right we can take for granted. We must talk openly and persuasively about the freedom to choose to ensure its continued vitality.
The freedom to choose – which I believe is the greatest of human freedoms – stands proudly alongside the freedom to worship, speak and vote as a fundamental American right. And like other rights, we cannot take it for granted. It is constantly threatened – by politicians, by government, by religious extremists.
To ensure that the freedom to choose endures, we must articulate our pro-choice values openly, effectively, and proudly. Talking Openly About Freedom of Choice is designed to help pro-choice Montanans, community volunteers, and candidates for office do just that.
Talking Openly About Freedom of Choice
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statements |
pro-choice response |
| 1 |
Human life begins at conception. Therefore, abortion is murder. |
Throughout history, theologians, philosophers, and scientists have debated the question of when life begins. There is no single answer. That is why each woman must be free to make the decision about abortion based on her own moral, ethical, and religious beliefs, including their beliefs about when life begins. The critical question is who should decide; I believe it should be the woman, not politicians or the government. |
| 2 |
You are pro-abortion; I’m pro-life. |
I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion. I support every woman's fundamental right to make her own choice about pregnancy and childbearing, including abortion. I also believe we need to do more to give women a broader range of reproductive choices including better access to contraceptives and responsible sexuality education. |
| 3 |
Abortion should not be legal in the U.S. Abortion must be stopped, and the right to life must be protected. |
Outlawing abortion would not stop it -- such laws would only drive women to seek illegal or self-induced abortions, endangering women's health and lives. I believe every woman should have the right to examine her own values and beliefs to determine whether or not to have an abortion. Instead of taking away the right to choose, our nation’s goal should be to make abortion less necessary through better access to contraception and responsible sexuality education. |
| 4 |
I’m Catholic, so I’m against abortion. Being pro-choice is anti-Catholic. |
Many Catholics are pro-choice, believing that it is wrong for the government to impose a particular religious view on all women. Moreover, many Catholics disagree with the official policies of the Church on abortion, contraception, and other reproductive issues. It is interesting to note that Catholic women are as likely as women of other religions to use birth control pills or have an abortion. |
| 5 |
Being pro-choice means supporting abortion on demand throughout all 40 weeks of pregnancy. |
Being pro-choice means supporting every woman’s right to make informed, responsible decisions about pregnancy and childbearing. “Abortion on demand” is inflammatory rhetoric meant to polarize the debate and suggest that women are frivolous and irresponsible. I support the balance struck in Roe v. Wade, which allows the woman to make the decision about an abortion prior to fetal viability. After viability, states can ban abortion except when the woman’s life or health is endangered. Indeed, 41 states have laws addressing abortion after viability. |
| 6 |
The abortion rights movement is only about abortion. |
We are pro-choice, not pro-abortion. One of our goals is to make abortion less necessary by preventing unintended pregnancies. We favor increasing access to contraception and family planning programs as well as responsible sexuality education. Unfortunately, the same groups that oppose abortion, too often, also oppose these common sense, preventive measures that make abortion less necessary. |
| 7 |
The right of the unborn to live supersedes the right of a woman to “control her own body.” |
A woman's right to control her own body is fundamental to determining the course of her life. We cannot trivialize this fundamental freedom. |
| 8 |
When do you think life begins? |
There are many different moral and religious views on that question. In a country that embraces and is tolerant of a variety of religious views, it is important to avoid adopting one religious view over another. That is why every woman should have the right to examine her own religious, spiritual and ethical beliefs in deciding what is best for her and her family, rather than allowing the government to impose one view on all Americans. |
| 9 |
Abortion is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution. Where do pro-abortionists get the idea that abortion is a constitutional right? |
Many freedoms are not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, including the right to privacy, the right of free association, and the right to travel. The Supreme Court has consistently said that the right to privacy includes matters of marriage, family, and sex, and the right “to be free from unwarranted governmental intrusion into matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the decision to bear or beget a child." |
| 10 |
We should pass a “human life amendment” to the Constitution, declaring the unborn to be full persons from the moment of conception. |
Throughout history, theologians, philosophers, and scientists have debated the question of when life begins. There is no single answer. In a country that celebrates the diversity of religious views, it is inappropriate to impose a single view on all women. Rather, each woman must be free to make her own decision about abortion based on her own moral and religious beliefs, including beliefs on when life begins. |
| 11 |
The right to choose was settled years ago—when my mom was young. I don’t believe that Roe v. Wade will really be overturned. It’s settled. |
I wish it were a settled issue. The Supreme Court is one vote away from undermining Roe v. Wade. Both houses of Congress are dominated by anti-choice lawmakers who have repeatedly voted to restrict the freedom to choose. States across the country are poised to criminalize abortion if the Court overturns Roe. Meanwhile, many doctors are terrified by anti-choice violence and won’t offer women full reproductive health care, including abortion. |
| 12 |
States should make all decisions regarding abortion. We should at least pass a constitutional amendment overturning Roe v. Wade. |
Constitutional rights are guaranteed to all Americans, not just those in states where legislators refuse to outlaw abortion. Women would suffer and die just as they did before Roe v. Wade if some states outlaw abortion. A woman’s fundamental right to choose should not be subject to the whims of state legislatures and fought for year-by-year, state-by-state, legislature-by-legislature. |
| 13 |
I am not a single-issue voter. I’m pro-choice but other issues are important to me too. |
I care about other issues too, but the right to choose is both fundamental and threatened. The House and Senate are anti-choice and have voted repeatedly to restrict the freedom to choose. For me, this is an issue that reveals a great deal about a candidate. It reflects whether the candidate trusts women to make their own choices and values women’s lives and health. Freedom of choice is in peril, so it’s the first issue I look for in a candidate. |
| 14 |
I don’t think there should be a litmus test for judicial nominees on abortion. |
With a change of only one vote in the Supreme Court, women could lose their right to choose. No one should be nominated to the high Court who isn’t committed to protecting our constitutional rights, and no one should be confirmed who would roll them back. Judges are appointed for life and must be thoroughly scrutinized on whether they would turn back the clock on women’s rights. |
| 15 |
Outlawing abortion would address the moral decay that is destroying America. |
I respect your concern about moral values. But I believe it is moral to allow individual women to take personal responsibility for decisions about childbearing, including abortion, and to respect the choices they make. It is immoral to force a woman to carry a pregnancy to term against her will. The reality is that outlawing abortion would not stop it, but would only make it unsafe, causing death and injury to women. |
| 16 |
Abortion destroys the American family. Pro-life is pro-family. |
Pro-choice is both pro-child and pro-family. It ensures that women – not the government – decide when the circumstances are right to bear a child and when they are not. Access to the full range of reproductive health options, including contraception, abortion and healthy childbearing, allows parents to achieve the most appropriate size family for them; this enables parents to give their children the care and love all children deserve. |
| 17 |
Abortion is “America’s Holocaust” and is modern genocide against communities of color. |
Comparing the freedom of women to make choices about reproductive matters with the Holocaust or racial genocide is inappropriate and insulting. It belittles the tragedy of the Holocaust and the history of discrimination faced by communities of color. The underlying principle of the pro-choice movement is that every woman, regardless of race, ethnicity, or income, should have access to a broad array of options, including abortion, free of government interference or coercion. |
| 18 |
Abortion has become a multimillion-dollar industry; doctors who perform abortions do so because they make large profits. They coerce women into having abortions to make more money. |
Coercing a woman to have an abortion is illegal and wrong – every woman, regardless of race, ethnicity, or income, should decide for herself whether or not to continue a pregnancy. Doctors who provide abortion services are just that – doctors. They are subject to the same professional, ethical standards as other physicians and should be commended for their courage in the face of threats and violence. |
| 19 |
Most unwanted pregnancies become wanted children. Women make big mistakes in having abortions and regret their decision later. |
The decision whether or not to have an abortion is one of the most complex and difficult a woman will ever make. But a woman must be free to make her own decision. Abortion is not the right choice for every woman, but the choice must be hers to make. Numerous studies have failed to show that women suffer psychologically from choosing abortion. When women have the right to choose, then they can take personal responsibility for their own lives and their families’ futures. |
| 20 |
Abortion is a dangerous, risky procedure that causes injury, infertility and death. Natural pregnancy and childbirth is much safer for the woman. |
Legal abortion is one of the safest surgical procedures available today, safer even than childbirth. Legal abortion entails half the risk of death involved in a tonsillectomy and one-hundredth the risk of death involved in an appendectomy. Anti-choice groups portray abortion as unsafe in an attempt to scare women and deter them from exercising their right to choose. Making abortion illegal – their real goal – is the true menace to women’s health. |
| 21 |
Abortion causes breast cancer. |
That's just not true. Anti-choice activists, who want to criminalize abortion and thus endanger women’s health, use this scare tactic. The New England Journal of Medicine, the National Breast Cancer Coalition, the American Cancer Society, and the World Health Organization have concluded that no link has been established between abortion and breast cancer. |
| 22 |
RU 486 is a chemical method of killing an unborn child that is very dangerous to the woman. |
RU 486 (also known as mifepristone, Mifeprex, and the "abortion pill") is an important new medical option for women. It is an early, non-surgical form of abortion. The FDA approved mifepristone in September 2000 as a safe, effective way of terminating pregnancy. Over half a million women in Europe have safely used mifepristone for abortion. |
| 23 |
The "morning-after pill" is really an early abortion. |
Emergency contraception pills (ECPs), often called “morning-after” pills, are ordinary birth control pills that can prevent a pregnancy after sex. ECPs are not the same as mifepristone (RU 486, an early option for abortion), and do not interfere with an established pregnancy. ECPs can decrease a woman's chance of becoming pregnant by up to 89 percent.
Unfortunately, the majority of women do not have accurate information about ECPs, and many hospital emergency rooms will not prescribe them, even to victims of sexual assault. Studies show that increased knowledge and availability of ECPs could decrease unintended pregnancies by half. |
| 24 |
The fetus is not “part” of the mother, but is a separate and distinct human being. |
In no other instance in human development is there so much interdependency as between a woman and her developing fetus. The health of the fetus is directly related to the health of the pregnant woman, which is one reason why we need to work for policies that promote healthy childbearing. |
| 25 |
Aren’t fetuses surviving at younger and younger ages? |
In some cases, medical advances enable infants born prematurely to survive. Such advances are consistent with my pro-choice beliefs, as I believe that we need to do more to ensure that women have a range of reproductive options, including healthy childbearing. However, such advances should not undermine the basic right of every woman to make her own reproductive choices, including abortion prior to viability. |
| 26 |
If fetal viability is becoming earlier, isn't Roe on a collision course with science? |
Roe is not absolute; it is a thoughtful and balanced decision that weighs the interests of the woman and the fetus. Roe allows a woman to make the decision about abortion until viability. After viability, a state can ban abortion except when necessary to protect a woman's life or health. Roe has proven to be a workable decision and I support it. Currently, 41 states have laws addressing abortion after viability. It is interesting to note that the age of fetal viability has not changed dramatically since the Roe decision. |
| 27 |
Pro-abortion people insist that the fetus is nothing but a worthless blob of tissue. They refuse to face the fact that there is a miniature person in that womb. |
Pro-choice people understand that a fetus is a potential life whose interests become stronger as the woman’s pregnancy progresses. Consistent with that, we believe that every woman has the right to examine her own moral, spiritual and ethical values to determine whether or not to have an abortion prior to viability. At the same time, we work for solutions to reduce the number of abortions, such as better access to contraception and responsible sexuality education. |
| 28 |
Pro-abortionists ignore the fact that the baby feels intense pain when it is killed by an abortion. |
Scientists do not know exactly when pain develops, but the weight of the evidence indicates that it is long after nearly all abortions occur. The central issue is who should decide when an abortion is appropriate. I believe that the woman, in consultation with a doctor, is in the best position to balance the interests at stake and to make the decision. |
| 29 |
I’ve seen pictures of highly developed fetuses, bloody abortions, tiny feet and fetuses in garbage cans. It’s obvious that an abortion is the killing of a baby. |
We should not take away a woman’s right to choose because of sensationalized images. Anti-choice visual materials are often grossly enlarged, undocumented and mislabeled. They are cleverly designed to move people away from what is the central and most important question: who decides? I believe every woman, not the government, should decide. |
| 30 |
Women have abortions for their own convenience, for trivial reasons, or on a “whim.” |
The decision whether or not to have an abortion is one of the most difficult decisions a woman will ever make. It’s not my place, or the government's, to decide how she should make that choice. I don’t want the government deciding who deserves to exercise the right to choose and who doesn’t. It is a fundamental right of every woman. |
| 31 |
What about those women who have five, six or seven abortions? Enough is enough. |
We must encourage responsible use of birth control, and I support measures to make contraception more available to reduce the number of abortions. But it’s not for me, or for the government, to decide whether or not a woman should have an abortion. It is every woman's right to decide. And I certainly don’t think that women should be “punished” by forcing them to bear children they are ill-equipped to raise. |
| 32 |
It is wrong to abort a pregnancy because of birth defects; even imperfect human beings have the right to live. |
The decision whether or not to have an abortion is difficult under any circumstance but especially in a wanted pregnancy that has gone tragically awry. I trust women and their families to use the information they receive from prenatal tests appropriately. In the end, it is the woman, in consultation with her doctor and family, who must decide, not the government. |
| 33 |
Too many women have abortions late in pregnancy. Women shouldn’t wait so long. |
The fact is that nearly 90% of abortions take place within the first 12 weeks. Ironically, restrictive anti-choice laws – such as waiting periods and public funding bans -- often cause delay, and lead to increased numbers of second trimester abortions. To reduce the need for abortion, we need to promote better access to contraception, emergency contraception and responsible sexuality education. |
| 34 |
There should be no unwanted pregnancies in a society where contraception is readily available. Women who get pregnant are just plain irresponsible. |
No birth control method is perfectly reliable, and many women cannot use the most effective methods of birth control for medical and economic reasons. Contraceptive information and services are frequently withheld from teens and poor women, and leading family planning programs are woefully underfunded. We should redouble our efforts to promote family planning, not outlaw abortion, if we want to reduce the number of abortions. |
| 35 |
If you have sex, you should expect to get pregnant and pay the consequences. |
It is certainly important to increase awareness about sexuality and its consequences, and to increase access to contraception, but the responsibilities of motherhood are too great, and children are too priceless, to force women to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. Every woman should have the right to decide whether to continue a pregnancy. |
| 36 |
I believe in adoption, not abortion. Abortion is never the best solution. |
When facing a crisis pregnancy, a woman must be able to decide for herself which option is best. Some women choose childbirth followed by adoption; many others choose parenthood; and some women choose abortion. The fact is every woman must have the right to choose for herself what is the best solution. |
| 37 |
There is a lack of adoptable babies today. Willing, capable parents are unable to adopt a baby because abortion is legal. |
Outlawing abortion and forcing women to bear children against their will is not the solution to problems within the adoption system. We should remove the barriers to making adoption a realistic alternative for more people instead of using these barriers as an excuse to restrict a woman’s most fundamental right to choose.
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| 38 |
A mandatory waiting period before an abortion is reasonable to ensure that women have the time to make an informed decision about abortion. These laws are passed to protect women and are not a barrier to choice. |
Every woman should receive full and complete information before she consents to any medical procedure, including abortion. Current law already requires this. Like other anti-choice restrictions, waiting periods are designed to create substantial obstacles for women to access abortion. Due to the shortage of doctors who perform abortions, a mandatory waiting period often requires women to make at least two trips to a clinic far from home, to stay away overnight, and to take multiple days away from family or work. Studies show that waiting period restrictions cause women to delay abortions, thereby increasing the risks to their health. Abortion is one of the most difficult decisions a woman will ever make. I trust women to make thoughtful, responsible decisions without interference from the government. |
| 39 |
Don't you think we should ban partial-birth abortion? |
There is no such thing as “partial-birth” abortion. It is a propaganda term invented by the anti-choice movement, not a medical term. I believe these medical decisions are best left to the woman, in consultation with her doctor, to determine what is most appropriate for her. The Supreme Court declared bans on so-called “partial-birth” abortion unconstitutional because they fail to protect women's health. |
| 40 |
Parents have the right to know if their daughter is having an abortion. Laws requiring minors to obtain parental consent or notification protect minors and strengthen the family. |
Responsible and supportive parents should be involved when their teenaged daughters are considering whether or not to have an abortion. Fortunately, most teens do consult a parent about their pregnancy. However, the government cannot mandate healthy family communication where it does not exist. Many teenagers who don’t tell their parents have good reasons, such as family violence and sexual or emotional abuse. |
| 41 |
Making contraceptives and abortion available to teenagers only encourages them to have sex. |
Studies do not substantiate that claim. In fact, increased access to contraception does not increase sexual activity. Teens who learn about contraception in school have a lower rate of sexual activity than teens who are not given this information. Information and education are the best tools to help teens make responsible choices. Abstinence is an important option for teens. However, reality dictates that contraceptives and abortion be available to prevent sexually active teens from becoming parents or acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. |
| 42 |
Teaching kids about birth control gives them the message that it is okay to have sex. We need to have abstinence-only sex ed. |
Sex education should teach kids about abstinence, but we also need to give teens responsible lessons to prevent pregnancy and protect against HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases. Abstinence-only sex education endangers teens by withholding information about contraceptives. Teens who learn about contraception in school have a lower rate of sexual activity than teens who are not given this information. |
| 43 |
I don’t want my tax money paying for abortions. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for what they believe is immoral. |
If the federal government decides to pay for health care for the poor, then it should not carve out certain medical services for political reasons. Such bans deny many poor women, even women with serious health problems, the right to make the decision whether or not to have an abortion. Currently, the federal government bans the use of taxpayers’ funds for most abortion services. Some states allow for state funding of abortion services, but many women live in states where they are denied these services and their rights. |
| 44 |
It is wrong to allow a woman to choose an abortion without the father’s consent. What about a man’s right to choose? |
Certainly, we hope that every woman can and will consult with her partner when facing this difficult decision. But that is not always possible, particularly in extreme cases like rape and incest. The Supreme Court said that when a husband and wife disagree, only one view can prevail, and it should be the woman’s because she “physically bears the child and she is more directly and immediately affected by the pregnancy.” The woman -- not the government -- is in the best position to determine with whom she should consult, and what the ultimate decision should be. |
| 45 |
It’s inconsistent and unfair that a father doesn't have rights with respect to abortion, but if the mother decides to let the baby live, he has to help pay for child support. |
Because the woman is the most directly affected by the pregnancy, it must be her ultimate decision whether or not to have an abortion.
However, once a child is born, both parents should have the responsibility to provide for that the child. This may seem unfair in some situations but as a society, we must do what’s best for our children. |
| 46 |
Abortion should not be permitted for rape because it is wrong to punish a child for the sin of the father. Besides, pregnancy rarely happens from rape. Women can get immediate medical treatment to prevent pregnancy. |
It is important that a rape or incest survivor have all options available to her so she can make the best decision for her mental and physical health. Some 5% of rape survivors become pregnant. While emergency contraception pills (ECPs) can decrease the possibility of pregnancy, they are not 100% effective and many hospitals do not provide ECPs to victims of sexual assault. |
| 47 |
The "Mexico City Policy" is good because it prevents U.S. tax dollars from paying for abortions in other countries. |
U.S. tax dollars have not been used for abortion overseas since 1973. The "Mexico City Policy," or global “gag” rule, denies U.S. family planning funds to international organizations that use their own money to provide, counsel, or lobby their own government about abortions. This policy amounts to a "gag" on free speech and endangers the health of women. Nearly 80,000 women around the world die of illegal or unsafe abortions every year – groups providing family planning must be able to work for sensible solutions to this serious problem. |
| 48 |
Laws mandating contraceptive coverage should allow religious employers and insurers to avoid covering medical services that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs. |
Allowing employers and insurers to deny basic health care coverage – such as contraceptives -- endangers women’s health by restricting women’s access to reproductive health services. Women, not employers or institutions, should make health care decisions for themselves. |
| 49 |
Restrictions on abortion are made to protect women from coercion, danger, and grief that may plague them their whole lives. |
Laws restricting abortion are passed by anti-choice lawmakers who have the goal, not of protecting women, but of discouraging women from exercising their right to choose. There is no scientific evidence that legal abortion harms women physically or psychologically. Indeed, if anti-choice advocates wanted to promote women’s health, they would stop stigmatizing abortion and the women who choose it. We should do more to reduce unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion by supporting family planning and responsible sexuality education. |
| 50 |
Stem cell research destroys embryos that are human lives. We should ban this research. |
Stem cell research is one of the keys to our medical future and has the potential to cure such illnesses and diseases as Parkinson’s, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injuries. The embryos used in this research are developed from couples who have undergone infertility treatments. If not used for research purposes, they would be discarded. Many individuals who oppose abortion believe that stem cell research -- with its potential to save thousands of lives -- is actually the true "pro-life" position. |
