A Pro-Life Vocabulary Lesson

[PhaedraMcSpiffy]

Ever wonder why pro-lifers use the language that they do? Evil Slutopia found a post on the Rock for Life blog that provides the answer. They deconstructed the vocabulary lesson for pro-lifers.

There's a lot of amusing (yet unsurprising) things in there like using euphemisms and emotional terms rather than medical ones. Unless, of course, those medical terms confuse people and benefit their cause. There isn't really anything that we haven't seen pro-lifers use before, but this is an interesting look at the rationale behind it.

Most troubling is the fact that this guide explicitly advocates taking the pregnant woman out of the equation entirely:

Rock for Life blog

5. Pregnant woman—This term takes the child out of the equation and can make pregnancy sound like a disease. Abortion is often referred to as “terminating a pregnancy.” Instead, use terms such as “mother,” “pregnant mom” or “expectant mother.”

Evil Slut Clique

I think what this one reveals is how much some of these anti-choicers wish they could take women out of the equation. And who really thinks that the term "pregnant woman" makes pregnancy sound like some kind of horrible disease? Anyone?

 

[October Cross]

Quote:

"If I, a human being, am talking to another human being about my pregnancy or about reproductive rights issues in general, is there a chance that someone's going to get confused and think that I'm actually carrying an ocelot, or that the conversation is about the reproductive rights of llamas?"

This. This made me spit soda all over my monitor. I love it. Totally hillarious! I favorited this site to show my mother. She'll get a kick out of it.  

[CatLuvr83]

I much prefer the phrases "pro legal abortion" and "anti legal abortion" to define this issue -- b/c, really c'mon -- pro-choice and pro-life are really terms arguing about different things entirely.  

[Munkers]

I facepalmed at the "women don't have eggs" bit.  

[PenguinKaz]

reading this web post i was hit by a rather interesting thought. since the pro-lifers are argueeing that life begins at fertalization does that mean they are all vegans since chicken eggs and much the same as human embryos??
if a ball of cells is thought of as a fully formed alive person (even though npot capable of conscious thought) then surely animals (which are intelligent and trainable etc) should have the same rights??
anyone with me on that train of thought  

[_Morgane Fay_]

I hate to disappoint you, but Ive never heard of any anti extending their philosphy to the animal kingdom.  

[Roslin]

I rolled my eyes at the egg part, they aren't even using correct terminology in regards to an oocyte. It just makes them look more ignorant/crazy.

edit:
"These terms have very negative connotations and are very demeaning, especially for the child who happens to overhear some mention of the circumstances in which he or she came into ********. I'm not even going to address the biased religious based drabble that followed this sentence but the child is not hearing anything until way way way into the pregnancy and even if they did they could not comprehend it.  

[PhaedraMcSpiffy]

I think that they mean when the child is older. But even then, who cares? Most of us were accidents. Our mothers could have had abortions, but they didn't. The fact that I wasn't a planned pregnancy doesn't bother me. The fact that I may not have been born doesn't bother me any more than the fact that I may not have been conceived. What does bother me is the thought of my mother being forced to have me. I would feel horrible if that were the case. It's not like it would be my fault, but the thought of anyone doing that to a woman, especially someone I love, is horrible. If I had to choose between that and having never been born, I'd go with not being born.  

[Fran Salaska]

Hehe, at least I know I was planned.  

[PhaedraMcSpiffy]

"You weren't an accident. You were a surprise!" -Momma McSpiffy  

[Munkers]

My mom gets indignant and proceeds to tell people just how hard she worked for me if someone insinuates I was a surprise. Took her about a year to get pregnant with me.