The chairman of the Democratic party, Howard Dean, is afraid to use the word "pro-choice." From today's Hardball:

Chris Matthews: Why do you hesitate to use the phrase pro-choice?

Howard Dean: Because I think it's often misused. If you're pro-choice than it implies sure not pro-life. That's not true. There are a lot of pro-life Democrats. We respect them. We believe the government...

HD: I believe the government should stay out of the lives of family and women. They should stay out of our lives. That's what I believe.

CM: I find it interesting that you have hesitated to say what the party has always stood for, which is the pro-choice position.

HD: The party believes the government does not belong in making personal decisions.

CM: I guess I'm learning things about a hesitancy I did know about before.

What Chris Matthews is learning is that the Democratic Party has come to the conclusion that a majority of the American people find the term "pro-choice" distasteful and disengenious. Howard Dean is attempting to fashion a new word that he, and the party as a whole believe will make this position more palatable. It would seem that he has a lot of work to do before he accomplishes that.