What is meant by a pro-choice approach to abortion?

Abortion is a complex issue within today's world, with conflicting views on the acceptance or dismissal of the procedure. There are many powerful arguments for and against abortion. A pro-choice approach focuses on arguing for the acceptance of abortion in relation to a number of factors. One argument would be that the mother has the right to decide if she wants the baby because it is her body. The change that the body goes through during pregnancy is strenuous and can be unpleasant, and therefore women have the right to choose whether to proceed with the process. In the case of rape, a pro-choice approach highlights that it would be immoral and in-compassionate to deny the woman a right to abort a baby that is a result of a horrendous attack. In addition to these arguments, pro-choice examines the various social, economic, and emotional welfare of the mothers - if a young woman is not financially stable or emotionally stable to look after a child, then abortion should be a viable option if they are unable to cope with raising a child at that point in their life. Most pro-choice advocates would suggest that the embryo or fetus that would be aborted does not have the same rights as the mother at that stage of development. Furthermore, a prohibition of abortions may result in a return to 'back-street' abortions which are significantly less safe for the mother, and a more difficult process; therefore, abortion could be the lesser of two evils.