Texan here, aghast at the latest women hating policies from the GOP. They have lost their damn minds. I'm frequently in deep red areas of Texas, and have some kind of influence among my conservative family members. I bring up politics about once a quarter with each, any more often and I'd lose my mind. I don't shut away from abortion discussion, because of some false need to respect religious views. It ain't about religion folks, it's just plain logic.
I use two lines of reasoning when explaining why pro choice is not pro abortion:
1) I have used the phrase, "it is because I am for more life that I am pro choice". Depending on the person, I might say, I'm pro choice, because I'm pro life (this cause great, in the moment confusion... Then they might listen). Then I quickly follow with, if the goal is to for a society to have fewer abortions, then it needs to remain safe and legal. Then I say something like if your goal is to shame women and increase abortion rates, then take away women's healthcare including contraception and legal abortion. Then, in the air, I draw the chart of the rate starting at 1973, steep climb to 1980, then gradual slope to the early nineties. I explain that the spike in the rate after Roe v Wade was likely due to underreporting. Then I might go on to question why abortion rates are the same or higher in countries where it is illegal.
2) Here's my less than scientific point that'll make people chuckle: All else being equal, if men birthed babies, getting an abortion would be as easy as shopping at a Sam's club.
New material: I recently met a woman who had have a medically necessary abortion in the early 1950s. It saved her life as she battled an illness. She would go on to have three kids and seven grandchildren. Stunned me. Incenses me that men in some marbled building would have the gall to wedge themselves between a woman and her doctor.
Tell your right wing family members why you are pro choice. Don't argue about religion, just try to get some logic and information to them. I think just getting any question into their mind is helpful, because there's so much bad information that has them trapped. Makes me so mad we even have to have this debate again.
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