abortiondebate: Framing the Debate

Ari (

noabsolutes) wrote in

abortiondebate,
@ 2008-05-16 01:02:00

Framing the Debate
One of the rules in the

abortiondebate community centers around a contentious issue - naming. As you all know (or SHOULD) know, it's a violation of community rules to refer to one "side" or the other by anything other than their "chosen" name. There are prolifers and there are prochoicers. There are no anti-choicers, no pro-aborts, no anti-lifers, no pro-deathers, unless you're new here or aiming for moderation action against you (suicide by moderator? let's go out with a bang!).

SO!

FOR DEBATE: How much do you think the naming of each group affects the debate? How does it affect how you view people you are debating with - in person or online - if they choose to use the accepted, "neutral" names, or the more polemic alternatives? How do the names used affect your perception of articles written about sexual politics/the abortion debate? Do they affect your perception at all?

(Post a new comment)

tsukikage85
2008-05-16 10:05 am UTC (link)

Honesty, I think using the "alternatives" just shows ignorance to the actual beliefs and arguments of the core of each side of the debate, and is entirely irresponsible, especially the terms "pro-death" and "anti-life". As a pro-lifer myself, for example, I would consider myself anti-choice in many situations, but not all, and to summarily term me as anti-choice makes me uneasy. The terms "pro-death" and "anti-life" imply that pro-choicers want ALL conceptions to be aborted, which is the furthest thing from the truth (as I conceive it, no pun intended). Really it all comes down to inaccuracies attempting to put false words in people's mouths. In conclusion, I'm very likely to dismiss any article or person who uses such terms.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

pink_porcupette
2008-05-16 05:50 pm UTC (link)

I can understand why you wouldn't want to label yourself 'anti-choice', but if you set aside the abortion part of it, and consider any other situation where a person was against others having choice in many situations but was in favor of a select few (the few they supposedly approved of), could you see how others would still view them as being 'anti-choice'?
It seems to me that it isn't really offering choice at all.

	lil_elf 2008-05-16 06:56 pm UTC (link)
	so "pro-death" and "anti-life" are inaccurate as they imply that pro-choicers want a certain outcome for pregnancies, which is not true. Yet, I can't see how that same reasoning would apply to "anti-choice", if one does indeed believe that a woman should not have the choice to carry to term or not when she is pregnant. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	jakshadows 2008-05-16 12:45 pm UTC (link)
	How much do you think the naming of each group affects the debate? To me personally, not so much. I just don't care about the labels. However, I know that a lot of people are affected by the use of emotionally laden terms. (Reply to this)

	malasadas 2008-05-16 01:04 pm UTC (link)
	It doesn't affect the debate -- it keeps the peace. So, reasonable if often meaningless. (Reply to this)

	My only thought ... cicipsychobunny 2008-05-17 07:11 am UTC (link)
	Being accused of being against a set of choices is in no way equivalent to being accused of committing murder. (Reply to this)(Thread)