Can someone be a feminist and pro-life at the same time? The answer, in my view, is very simple... Of course! You might just as well ask these questions: Can someone be a feminist and still wear a bra? Can a person believe that a woman should be given the same opportunity as a man to compete for a job, while still believing that abortion is wrong? Can a woman treasure the simple act of voting and appreciate that women once had to fight for the right to do so, and still be pro-life?

There is no blueprint for feminism. It is a belief system. Early feminism was all about allowing women to vote, to give women the same opportunities men had to be educatied, the right to work and be treated fairly. It was about removing gender bias.

Over the decades since, the waters were muddied. Many other issues, unrelated to the original drive of the movement, came to be labelled as feminist issues. Abortion is one of those. Obviously, if men could become pregnant, it would be different. But whether you are pro-life or pro-choice is a personal issue. It became embroiled in the feminist arena when the father of an expected child attempted to prevent the termination of the pregnancy.
I am not going to enter into the debate of whether or not he should be able to do this. The courts have and will decide.

There are people who would picket the office of doctors or even bomb them, as a "pro-life" stand. There are a lot of people who consider themselves "pro-life" who obviously would never be involved in such militant action. In the same light, there were feminists who thought that burning bras or blowing things up was not their thing in the seventies. There are feminists who believe that feminism should still be about education, work and equality.

It is my view that it is unreasonable to be forced to write 400 words to give such a simple answer. Yes. Absolutely, a feminist can be against abortion. Yes, a woman can believe in fairness in the workplace and still believe that abortion is wrong. Yes, a person can be thankful that their daughter has as good a chance at being accepted into the university of her choice, and still be "pro-life".

The point, and the answer to the original question, is relatively simple, even if the issue of abortion is not. Not all feminists feel the same, just as not all of ANY group feels the same. It is an individual's own decision as to which side they land on, feminist or not.

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