Same as antiabortion; -- used by those opposed to voluntary abortion, to emphasize their view of a fetus as already living, and to avoid the negative tone of a word beginning with "anti-".
A belief that pregnant women should have limited or no access to abortion. There is a range of beliefs among people who consider themselves pro-life: some would allow the woman and the fetus to die rather than terminate the life of the fetus; others would allow abortion for specific reasons but criminalize it under all other situations. Common reasons held by some pro-life advocates to allow abortion are: pregnancies resulting from rape, pregnancies arising from incest, pregnancies in which the fetus is very seriously genetically malformed and would quickly die, and/or pregnancies that would seriously harm the health and perhaps cause permanent disability to the woman if they are not terminated. There is no consensus on the meaning of the term "pro-life", although many people hold firmly to their own definition as the only correct one. In recent years, the meaning of the term has expanded to include matters related to assisted suicide, in-vitro fertilization, the death penalty, pre-implantation diagnosis, etc.
advocating full legal protection of embryos and fetuses (especially opposing the legalization of induced abortions)
In general, this is movement which includes those who believe that life becomes human life at the instant of conception (or perhaps shortly after when a unique DNA is produced), and that it should be protected under law until birth. The term has been embraced by some who feel that abortions should be totally unavailable, even to save the life of the woman. Others would allow a woman to have an abortion to avoid disastrous or disabling health problems. At the other end of the spectrum are persons who would allow abortions if caused by of rape or incest. According to one Pro-life group, legislators who have vote in favor of a partial birth abortion ban are now calling themselves " pro-life:" Pastor Matt Trewhella of www.missionariestopreborn.com noted that now even a person "who is only opposed to partial-birth abortions can sell themselves as pro-life."
A respect for all innocent human beings from conception/fertilization to natural death, without compromise, exception or apology.
anti-abortion, anti-Kervorkian, pro capital punishment. Ironically, many Republicans and the Christian Right that favor less government intervention in other areas feel that a woman's uterus is best controlled by the state. See hypocrite, zealot. Contrast Pro-Choice. (The views expressed here happen to be those of BAE, principal of Zeus Productions.)
Pro-life is a term representing a variety of perspectives and activist movements in bioethics. It can be used to indicate opposition to practices such as euthanasia, human cloning, research involving human embryonic stem cells, and the death penalty, but most commonly (especially in the media and popular discourse) to abortion, and support for fetal rights. The term describes the political and ethical view which maintains that all human beings have the right to life, and that this includes fetuses and embryos.