What we have here is a failure to communicate.
Could that be all it is? Maybe the great abortion divide is of an
etymological origin; pro-lifers and pro-aborts simply can’t
agree on the meanings of some basic words. Now, if we can just
get our lexicon straight, then perhaps we can formulate policies
that we can all agree on.
So, let’s look at some of the important vocabulary words that come
up in the abortion debate, along with the pro-lifer’s definition
and the pro-abort’s definition of each term. Then you tell me
how close we are to resolving the impasse.
Abortion
Pro-lifer’s definition: (noun)
intentional murder of a preborn child
Pro-abort’s definition: (noun,
archaic) termination of a problem pregnancy
Baby
Pro-lifer’s definition: (noun)
young member of the human species, age conception to two years
Pro-abort’s definition:
(potential noun) two-year-old with no physical or mental
handicaps
Read the page on Planned Parenthood’s website with the week-by-week
description of pregnancy. You won’t find the word “baby”
anywhere in it, or anywhere else throughout the website…except
maybe spoken during the video Got STD? “Hey, I’m taking
my herpes medication, so my game’s back on, baby!”
Choose
Pro-lifer’s definition: (verb)
to decide among different options
Pro-abort’s definition: (verb)
to terminate a problem pregnancy
According to Planned Parenthood’s most recently published annual
report, they aborted more than 300,000 babies while referring
out fewer than 1000 clients for adoptions. When pro-aborts say
“choose”, more than 99.7% of the time they mean “kill.”
Convenience
Pro-lifer’s definition: (noun)
the reason for the vast majority of abortions
Pro-abort’s definition: (noun,
newly coined) what the other side is guilty of
Here’s the latest case of that classic middle school ploy, whereby
you try to silence your critic by sniping back at him using the
exact same words that he used to describe you, no matter how
preposterous and groundless your use of those words is.
Florida state representative Scott Randolph (D) recently called
the GOP’s attempts to restrict abortion rights in his state “the
classic ideology of convenience.”
Embryo
Pro-abort’s definition: (noun)
research tool; guinea pig; cash cow
Pro-lifer’s definition: (noun,
vulgar) pejorative term for a preborn baby girl or boy
Fetus
Pro-abort’s definition: (noun)
trespassing blob of tissue, the removal of which will forestall
the ruin of a woman’s life
Pro-lifer’s definition: (noun,
vulgar) pejorative term for a preborn baby girl or boy
Health
exception
Pro-abort’s definition:
(phrase) vacuous criterion that can be used to justify elective
abortion for any reason
Pro-lifer’s definition:
(phrase) vacuous criterion that can be used to justify elective
abortion for any reason
Hey, we agree on that one!
Privacy
Pro-abort’s definition: (noun)
a Constitutional “shadow and emanation”
Pro-lifer’s definition: (noun)
a non-Constitutional smokescreen
Reproductive Health
Pro-lifer’s definition: (noun)
propagation of the human species
Pro-abort’s definition: (noun)
curtailment of the human species
Right
Pro-abort’s definition: (noun)
an absolute freedom defined in the context of a single
individual, the exercise of which may be made without restraint
or accountability to others
Pro-lifer’s definition: (noun)
a freedom limited by its potential to negatively impact the life
and health of other individuals
Roe v.
Wade
Pro-abort’s definition: (court
case) Supreme Court decision celebrated annually in January as
the highest pro-abortion holy day; also known as Choicemas
Pro-lifer’s definition: (court
case) Supreme Court decision more akin to the antics of April 1
and October 31 all rolled up into one
Safe,
Legal, and Rare
Pro-abort’s definition: (buzz
phrase) “safe”, “legal”, and “rare”—wink, wink
Pro-lifer’s definition: (buzz
phrase) unsafe, illegal, and commonplace
Social
Agenda Extremist
Pro-abort’s definition: (noun)
someone who tries to nullify a woman’s right to choose
Pro-lifer’s definition: (noun)
someone who murders a baby to “solve a problem”
May 9, 2011
