Letter to Maddow Re:Reproductive Rights Framing

[texshelters]

Rachel Maddow and Writers of the Maddow Show:
Rachel Maddow <[e-mail]>

I have been a fan of your show and your broadcasting style and skills ever since I heard you many years ago on KBOO in Portland. Generally, your words are well written and thought out. However, during last night’s show (March 1), you bought into the right wing’s framing on choice by calling them “anti-abortion”. No one is “pro-abortion”. I assume you, a card carrying liberal, are not for abortions. You are for “choice”. The far-right fundamentalist groups in America are against women’s choice, they are “anti-choice”. Furthermore, they are not “pro-life”. Any group that wants to control what another person lawfully does with their body is not pro-life. They are anti-choice tyrants.

Please continue to be a role model for us all and accurately label the groups in this fight for rights. The people on the far right are anti-choice and anti-women. The rest of us are pro-choice. No one is “pro-abortion”, and with few exceptions, all of us are “pro-life”.

Yours,
Tex Shelters

Let's call this debate what it is and stop supporting the false framing of the far regarding reproductive rights.

[classof56]

1. I guess I thought the far right proudly called themselves anti-abortionists

and stand strong against abortions for any reason whatsoever. Many of them also stand strong in favor of the choice to kill abortion providers. I'm of the mindset that abortions should be legal, safe and rare. Don't know if that makes me pro-abortion, which I'm not except in certain cases, but then it's not up to me to decide.

At any rate, I have no issue with Rachel's framing. Think she lays it out there pretty clearly, but maybe that's just me.

[texshelters]

3. This partially

a goal I have to change the framing and I think liberals need to stop using the framing of the right.

You sound very pro-choice to me, and surveys have shown that 80% of Americans agree with the legal, safe and rare stance you present. Sorry I don't have a current link to those surveys.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Citizen Worker]

2. That's why I prefer the label of "peace movement" as opposed to anti-war movement. We are pro-peace

while the rabid right and a very significant number of self described liberals are pro-war.