Joyce Fegan: Coining the term 'pro-life' was a masterstroke but it avoids the reality of abortion

Women and girls who need abortions would love the luxury of a world where it was never necessary

In reality, the term 'pro-life' means anti-abortion, and it is totally unconnected to the reality of women — and indeed couples — who need or want abortions. Picture: Alamy/PA

As women chanted ‘abolish abortion’ on the steps of the US Supreme Court in Washington DC last Friday, when the decision to reverse the 1973 Roe v Wade abortion ruling was confirmed, one word came to mind: Luxury.

What a world it would be if abortion were unnecessary. Let’s imagine what that might look like. Menstrual-cycle awareness — every person who menstruated, aged 10 and upwards, would know the length of their cycle, how to track it, when they ovulated, and how long that meant they would be fertile.