Pregnant = anti choice? WTF!!

So pretty much everybody that knows me knows that I am pro choice. Some might even say radically so. A woman's right to make her own choices regarding reproductivity, and health in general, is one of my favorite things to talk about. So the past couple of months have been extremely challenging for me. Now that I am visibly pregnant I have been getting lots of comments from the people in my world about the issues of pro choice vs. anti choice. (I generally refuse to use the term pro life, as this stance has nothing to do with life vs. death, but choice vs. non choice. Plus, I don't think they are actually pro life so much as they are anti woman. That is beside the point)

So it seems that because I chose to get pregnant, and I chose to carry the baby to term, and I chose to become a parent, that suddently transforms me from being pro choice, to anti choice. I have had several acquaintances comment that they are happy I have made "the switch" without actually asking me if I had. They simply assume that pregnant = anti chocie. I also had a group of anti choice protesters give me a thumbs up and congratulations, as if because I am pregnant I must agree be anti choice. Do they think that pro choice women don't ever have babies? (Perhaps that is just wishful thinking on thier parts . . . maybe they are hoping feminists will non breed themselves out of existance)

So, let me say it for everyone to know - I have always been and always will be pro choice. I chose to have a baby. I value that right to choose. I think that all women deserve the same option. If anything, being pregnant has only reaffirmed and strengthened my pro choice stance. I would not wish this on my worst enemy if it wasn't something that they really wanted. If I didn't want this baby, and were only having it because my other options were limited, I would be the unhappiest person alive. I don't believe the government has any business telling women how to use their womb - this isn't a political/religious/moral issue. It is an issue of self autonomy and self determination. I think that all people have an inherent right to self autonomy, and so I believe that all women have a right to control their bodies.

So one more time, just so everybody is clear. I am always going to be pro choice, pregnant or not. And my vagina is not a ballot box. People have no business "voting" on what I can and cannot do with it. In the meantime - a shout out to all my feminist friends who have recently had, or are having babies. You know who you are. I appaud us on our hard work to fight the stereotype that all feminists love abortions, and get pregnant just so we can have them, and then eat the fetus for breakfast. Good work on popping out all these adorable little babies and being pro choice in the process!