The political slogan "a woman's right to choose" has been used by forces advocating a removal or liberalization of the legal restrictions on abortion, especially in the United States. The slogan casts the debate over abortion in terms of the personal rights of the pregnant woman. It asserts the position that every pregnant female has (or should have) an absolute right to decide whether to give birth or abort her pregnancy.

The slogan implies that the decision about whether to bear a child should be made by the woman involved, not by anyone else. This argument is connected to the idea that privacy is and should be a right protected by the United States Constitution; and that abortion is a "private" matter, about which every woman ought to have the right to make decisions for herself. She may ask advice, but the decision is hers: it should not be made by her husband, her father, or the legislature.

The chief argument against this position maintains that no "choice" in itself can be a matter of personal preference, but that the rights of other human beings are also of importance and must be considered. Moreover, for those who consider a fetus (especially a viable one) to be a human being, all reasonble effort ought to be made to preserve the life of the unborn "child".

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