By: Claire

Who doesn’t love rattling off a good quote or rallying behind a strong slogan? As part of our #HowTo #BeAnAbortionAlly July campaign, HowToUse wants to ensure that all of our abortion allies have strong pro-choice messages to draw from when defending reproductive rights. Whether we’re borrowing words from politicians, activists, or our favorite poster boards at the protest, we’re ready to show up and speak out.

Pro-Choice Quotes From Activists

1. “If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.”
–FLORYNCE KENNEDY

Florynce Kennedy was an American lawyer who was known for both civil rights and feminist activism. We love how unabashedly she underscored the link between abortion and gender inequity. Opposition to abortion is not pro-life, it’s anti-woman.

2. “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her own body.”
-MARGARET SANGER

Margaret Sanger is considered by many as one of the pioneering champions of birth control and sex education. And her quote gets straight to the point: abortion is a matter of autonomy and freedom.

3. “What we need in the world is to grow a culture where we value women. If we valued women as full human beings, we would not be having the debate.”
–CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE

Need a crash course in feminism? Pick up Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “We Should All Be Feminists”. Adichie is a Nigerian author and activist, whose work features profound themes of identity, privilege, and equity. Like Kennedy’s quote, Adichie rightfully highlights the underlying misogyny in the attack on abortion.

4. “I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. That’s not pro-life. That’s pro-birth.”
–SISTER JOAN CHITTISTER

Sister Joan Chittister is an interesting figure, to say the least. A Benedictine nun and theologian, she also champions women’s rights. We love her distinction between a pro-life vs. a pro-birth agenda.

Pro-Choice Quotes From Politicians

5. “No matter what men think, abortion is a fact of life. Women have always had them; they always have and they always will. Are they going to have good ones or bad ones? Will the good ones be reserved for the rich, while the poor women go to quacks?”
–SHIRLEY CHISHOLM

Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman to be elected into US Congress in 1968, and then subsequently sought the presidential nomination. A true feminist leader, she was defending abortion rights before the passage of Roe V. Wade, when abortion advocacy was considered nothing short of political career suicide. Her quote is a frank reminder that laws do not determine whether or not women will have abortions, but how safely they will have abortions.

6. “It’s funny- if you ask a Republican in Congress if they believe in climate change, they say, ‘Well, uh, I’m not a scientist.’ That’s what they say. But when it comes to a woman’s right to choose, suddenly they’re a doctor.”
–BARACK OBAMA

Serious political shade that also makes us laugh- oh, how we miss you, Obama. His point is a salient one- abortion is health care, and politicians have no place in it. #ComeBackBarack

Pro-Choice Slogans For Abortion Allies

7. Seventy-seven percent of anti-abortion leaders are men. 100% of them will never get pregnant.
-PLANNED PARENTHOOD

We are all for pro-choice male allies. But when it comes to a man telling a woman that abortion is wrong? Excuse us while we go roll our eyes some more.

8. Against abortion? Don’t have one.

I mean- how can you argue with that? Sometimes the best slogans are the simplest ones.

9. Pro-life is “I know what’s best for you.” Pro-choice is “you know what’s best for you.”

Sometimes “pro-choice” becomes code word for “abortion”. But it’s important to remember that pro-choice includes all choices. And who is better to decide what to do with your body than… you?

10. I’m a woman. Not a womb.

Not all women have wombs. Not all wombs are in women. Women who have wombs are not just wombs. Did you get tongue tied there? Long story short: we are more than just our reproductive parts.

What did you think of our list? Was there one that you loved in particular? Maybe one that we missed? Are you inspired to do some googling of your own? Let us know what pro-choice quotes and slogans you rally behind, and we’ll share it with our community!

If you are looking to learn more about safe medical abortion, you can visit our website. You can also follow us on social media: we’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest .

Claire is a teacher, reproductive rights advocate, and the manager of https://www.howtouseabortionpill.org/