ANTI-CHOICE

adjective Sometimes written antichoice (Health and Fitness) (People and Society) Especially in US English, opposed to the principle of allowing a woman to choose for herself whether or not to have an abortion; a derogatory synonym for pro-life (see under pro-). Etymology: Formed by adding the prefix anti- in the sense 'against' to choice. History and Usage: The whole issue of abortion has been an extremely contentious one in US politics during the past fifteen years. The term anti-choice arose in the second half of the seventies as a label applied to pro-life campaigners by those who had fought for women's rights in the US and resented the erosion of their work by the anti-abortion lobby. As such it is deliberately negative in form (supporters of the rights of the unborn child would describe themselves in more positive terms such as pro-life or right-to-life). Although abortion has also been an important issue in the UK in the eighties, the term anti-choice has hardly been used in British sources until quite recently. She said there are at least three races in the state where a clear anti-choice incumbent is being opposed by a strong pro-choice challenger. San Francisco Chronicle 26 June 1990, section B, p. 4