Proabortionist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who supports the legality and accessibility of abortion as a reproductive choice for individuals
2. An advocate for the right to choose abortion, emphasizing autonomy over one's own body
3. Someone who actively promotes policies favoring abortion rights and defends the practice against opposition

Etymology: "Proabortionist" is a plain formation: "pro-" meaning in favour of, attached to "abortion," with the suffix "-ist" marking a person who holds or advocates a position. Its parts are therefore transparent, which is why the word can be read at a glance. The hyphenated form "pro-abortionist" and the closed spelling "proabortionist" are both in use, the closed form being an alternative spelling of the same noun. The "pro-" element follows the pattern of earlier coinages such as "pro-life," "pro-choice" and "pro-war," and it is a useful reminder that much of the vocabulary of public debate was built by stacking a prefix onto an existing noun. "Abortion" itself comes from Latin "abortio," from "aboriri," to miscarry, and "-ist" comes through French and Greek from "-istes," the suffix for one who practises or believes in something.