“They do know it is a terrible choice”
And that is why their first reaction is paint pro-lifers as whacko jesus freaks who hate teenagers and rape victims.
If they can make someone else out to be the villain, then they feel better about killing babies.
Like most liberals, they hide behind “sob stories” to bring about a right for everyone. “It’s for the children”, “It’s for the rape or incest victim”, “It’s for the noble homeless”. Once the right is ensconced, they know everyone who can will take advantage of the benefit and thereby become more dependent on government to not only hand them benefits but continue to define morality in a comfortable way.
In the meantime, they redefine morality themselves. It is no longer about fidelity to God or to others but about treating animals and the earth right. It’s about not hurting the feelings of evil or lazy people, about not discomforting mass murderers in the death chamber, about not condemning leeches on society. Morality is about imposing standards on others and exempting yourself (”because my situation, of course, is different”).