Photo by The Jopwell Collection on Unsplash
It is not surprising that we need big changes in our culture if we are to become a society that prioritizes life and better care for the unborn. This begins with something as simple as the way we describe and discuss pregnancy.
It Starts With How We Speak
Ideas and everything else that settles among a culture begins and ends with language. The words we use are impactful, for better or worse. Making something heinous seem acceptable, or something virtuous seem appalling, doesn’t happen overnight. It's possible for entire societies to change and it begins with language. Evil propaganda harms as it persuades. Truth however is just as powerful - if not more so - than lies. Spreading truth and knowledge through the way we talk is a powerful thing.
The Other Side Already Knows This
Those supporting abortion are already well versed in the important role of using language to their benefit. They use terms like “terminate” and “fetal tissue” to hide what abortion really is and what it does. They say “clumps of cells” to dehumanize a developing baby in its most vulnerable state. It's so prevalent that it occurs subtly among unknowing pro life people as well. We can change that. We should be careful not to deny the life inside a woman's womb even in common everyday phrases when describing a pregnancy.
Carrying > Expecting
When a woman is pregnant we should add the word “mother” in the description; she is a pregnant mother. The baby is there, it is alive and growing. She is not expecting a baby, she is carrying a baby. She is not a soon-to-be-mom, she is one already during the development process. By saying these facts in a clear way we can recognize the baby’s value from the moment of conception.
“He” or “She” over “It”
Most expecting mothers eagerly find out the gender of their baby. Speaking about an unborn child with words like he or she helps with bonding. But even if the gender is not known we should steer clear of calling that child an “it.” There are many subtle but impactful changes we can make.
Make the Truth Clear to Dispel the Lies
The fact is that those voices pushing for abortion spread lies carefully in the way they talk. We can promote truth by boldly speaking about an unborn baby in the present tense from the start. Pregnancy is spoken of by some as if it is a temporary health condition that only involves the woman’s body. Imagine how different our society would be if every time the word pregnancy was used, the context was synonymous with newborn child. Pregnancy equals life, not a medical symptom. What the word describes involves two distinct persons who are inescapably connected. Pregnancy is a natural process linking both the mother and the child. We should speak that way in every circumstance, wanted or unwanted.
Wanted or Unwanted, The Child is Still a Child
When a baby is unwanted, the language changes drastically. Two different pregnant mothers can be carrying babies the same gestational age, one wanted, the other unwanted. Each child will be talked about in very different ways. The mother who wants her child will often talk about her baby as a member of the family, and wanted children lost in miscarriage are rightfully mourned. When an unwanted child is lost to miscarriage or abortion though, people express relief and are quick to remind the mother that it was just a clump of cells, as if there had never been a child at all. In both instances the baby has the same worth, but the language has changed. Let’s stick with the truth over the euphemisms no matter the circumstances. There is a reason older generations used to use the term “with child” rather than simply “pregnant”. Giving humanity to the unborn is crucial to our cause, and language is an important way to do so.
Already Here
“Expecting”, “soon-to-be-mom”, and other phrases are used out of habit and with good intentions. But we need to go a step further and talk excitedly about every pregnancy as a baby that is here now. Here in the womb and in the same room. We don’t need to welcome them to the world just at birth, that baby has been here for nine months just in different stages of development. This fact should be reflected in the way we make pregnancy and birth announcements. Even a simple switch from “we’re excited to add a new member to our family this October” to “we already love our son so much and can’t wait to meet him in October” can be a subtle affirmation of the humanity of the preborn child.
Dignity From the Start
Embracing life even at the level of the words we choose will help guide our lost society to find its way back to the truth that every unborn baby deserves dignity through every level of development. Pregnant women are already mothers and need all the encouragement they can get from the very beginning.
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