Maybe it’s the journalist in me who pushes me to be a staunch advocate for proper language and correctness in word definition, but it’s very clear to me that all language is in need of a facelift. Syntax, word choice and grammar can very drastically alter the meaning and purpose of a sentence, phrase, article, essay—you name it.

So today I want to talk about the phrase “supporting abortion.” Being a journalist, I’ll get right to the point: This idea does not exist. No one supports abortion. No one.

No, it’s not because it’s an act that should cause guilt. It’s not that pro-choicers are fooling themselves into thinking it’s not a big deal. It’s not that abortion is so “inherently evil” that supporting it just cannot happen unless you are Ted Bundy. Quite frankly, any emotive value of that phrase does not exist either. It’s merely that the phrase does not make sense.

Why not?

No one, especially not pro-choicers, are out there celebrating someone’s abortion. No one is throwing anyone an abortion party because they made a difficult decision. No one says: “Hooray, feelings of emotional distress and confusion! Hooray, not being able to carry the pregnancy to term for physical and/or emotional reasons!” No one is arguing that abortions should be legal because women deserve to experience one.

What people are supporting is choice and access. Of course, this phrase slowly mutated into “supporting abortion” by those who are too ashamed with themselves to utter that they do not support choice. This is because saying you are against choice is on par with saying someone supports abortion. No one actually thinks choice is a bad thing. No one actually thinks health, including physical, emotional and mental, is a bad thing. What people think is a bad thing is a WOMAN’S choice. What people think is a bad thing is knowing that x-amount of people are doing something that they do not feel comfortable with.

Well, using language like “supporting abortion” is only fueling the irresponsible hate machine of the ignorant. Considering it’s become such a popular notion that it’s almost lost its meaning and even pro-choicers are saying they “support abortion,” I say we take our own phrase back: CHOICE. We support choice. We support children being born when women or families are ready to love, nurture and raise another human being. We support love and understanding, whether a woman chooses to have a child or not. We support healthy babies and responsible decisions—and YES, abortion IS  a responsible decision. We support the right to live in an accepting society that makes every effort to keep women from having to go through hell to get an abortion. Yes, we, too, want an end to abortion—not because women shouldn’t choose, but because we want a society that teaches its people properly and prevents this kind of thing from happening to anyone.