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Just as Democrats have decided the battle over abortion could save them from a disaster in the midterms the Pro Choice Caucus has announced now is the time for a rebranding.

There’s something pretty funny about the “Pro Choice Caucus” sending out advice that the word “choice” is harmful language. Dave Weigel noticed that the messaging is already having an impact on some common chants/slogans.

Lots of people are struggling to fully make sense of this change.

Apparently, the decision to use the word “decision” is based on concerns about equity.

Even if that’s true, how does “decision” help?

Also, does this mean newspapers will from now on refer to pro-lifers as “anti-decision?” As Weigel points out, this seems to add a layer of absurdity on top of what both sides argue is a very serious debate.

In any case, you have to wonder about the timing of this. Is this really the moment for progressives to once again retreat into off-putting language?

This Dem pollster says the decision/choice change is the only part of this that doesn’t make sense. The rest was probably poll tested.

It’s not really a surprise that Democrats are throwing “safe, legal and rare” under the bus. They’ve been trying to get away from that for years. Similarly, I can’t blame them for wanting to ditch the common phrase “unwanted pregnancy” which raises the uncomfortable concept of an unwanted child which is pretty ugly if you think about it. Unexpected pregnancy goes to the same place without making people feel as awkward. I’m not sure “criminalizing healthcare” is as good as “back-alley abortions.” The latter is a gruesome mental image, the pro-choice equivalent of photos of aborted babies. Criminalizing healthcare on the other hand is so anodyne that I’m not sure it generates much interest from either side of the debate.

But the decision/choice language is clearly the headline here. Democrats have been the “pro-choice” party for 50 years and now they want everyone to drop that on a dime? It seems like too big a change to happen so abruptly.

I’m not sure if Seth Mandel’s tweet was a reference to Spinal Tap mark 2 but that’s what it brought to my mind.

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I think my favorite response to the new language came from an account with a small follower count. He just wrote “The Dems are gonna blow this aren’t they?” It certainly seems possible.

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