I think abortion is like a root canal.

[Chemisse]

51. I think it's a good analogy.

And partly because abortion is as scary and painful as a root canal, and because of that, women aim to prevent them. But in the same way, shit happens and then you need to have that painful and costly procedure.

When abortion first became legal, I was afraid it would become not just socially acceptable, but somewhat expected - almost mandatory. Accidental pregnancies could be dealt with, so why should a young couple ever "have" to get married? Why would someone on welfare tax the system by having additional children? Would women having Down's Syndrome children be ostracized for making a choice that society would have to pay for? Would women ever be forced to have abortions, rather like the forced sterilizations of young black girls in the deep south in the 1960s.

Clearly I was way off base! Who would think it would all go backwards!

But my point is, this is why I am pro-choice, but not pro-abortion. I don't think we should be trying to increase the numbers of abortions in this country, and I don't think we should be nudging women in that direction.

In fact, I wonder if pro-abortion and pro-choice are contradictory ideas, where if you are pro-abortion, then you are against full freedom of choice.