Is Abortion A Civil Right?

A reader asks:

"President Obama said this yesterday; "So let's work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term.

I have one question. Why do liberals now say that they "want to reduce the number of abortions"? If there is nothing wrong with abortion why would you want to limit it? If there IS something wrong with abortion why do you claim it's a "civil right"?"

That was three questions. But I'm not aware of any pro-choicer who thinks that there is nothing wrong with abortion or promotes it as a form of birth control. Abortion is an invasive medical procedure that carries both physical and mental risks to the patient. Women would want to undergo this procedure with reluctance and in consideration of alternative consequences-- in consultation with their doctor not their legislator. Abortion per se is not a civil right any more than driving a car is a civil right. The process to privately decide whether or not to abort is a privacy issue and is indeed a civil right. From this perspective, it seems to me that traditionalists and liberterians-- those who fear and resist the intrusion fo the state into the sphere of individual and family rights-- would have to be pro choice. The president's goal of making abortion legal, safe, and rare while promoting education and adoption seems appropriate.