While reading Fickle's Political Jujitsu this evening (it's night time in Hungary now), I was reminded of the importance of framing and messaging, and for some reason "birth control" popped into my mind. Most people probably don't think there's any negative connotation with "birth control," but I would like to suggest a new way of framing the "birth control" debate.
Call it what it is-- family planning. Controlling birth makes it sound like it's abortions that are being performed, and while I support a woman's right to choose, I think moving away from flash points in language can be a good thing. So instead of calling to mind partial-birth abortions with the words "birth control," call to mind the image of a family with "family planning." Planning a family sounds a whole lot better than preventing a birth, and, unfortunately, sound bites rule America today.
Sorry, not much of a diary, but I hope it maybe makes a few people think about changing the way they speak about family planning.