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How to Talk About Abortion

As we’ve seen year after year, abortion is continually been attacked by politicians across the U.S. Their rhetoric further stigamizes abortion. With this in mind, it is important that we know how to talk about abortion. It is our job to educate our friends and family about abortion. We all know and love someone who has had an abortion. Abortion is health care. Abortion is necessary. Abortion is lifesaving.

Below are some word choice considerations you can make now to begin changing the conversation.

Instead of..                                                                 Use this…

Choice

Decision

Anti-Choice / Pro-Life

Anti-reproductive health / Anti-abortion

Reduce abortion / Keep abortion rare

Safe and legal / Reduce rate of unintended pregnancy

“Late term” abortion

Abortion later in pregnancy

Weeks, trimester

Throughout a pregnancy, at different points in pregnancy

Heartbreaking, tragic

Complex, personal decision

Fetal abnormality, anomaly, impairment

Fetal diagnosis, severe fetal diagnosis

Unwanted, unplanned (fine in terms of stats, but not people)

Unintended

Language that shames unintended pregnancy / teen pregnancy

Acknowledge no politician can make this decision for someone else

Terminate / termination

Abortion, end a pregnancy

Heartbeat bill

6-week abortion ban