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The Associated PressĀ again twists the language to give the abortion industry another unearned victory

Feb 6, 2023

By Dave Andrusko

With regard to abortion, it doesn’t take much research to know which side the Associated Press invariably comes down on: on the side of the death peddlers. Of late there has been a barrage of changes in their stylebook—which is the most common used stylebook –in which the AP has shown its true colors.

The Associated Press style guide issued new guidance, telling reporters to avoid the term “crisis pregnancy center.” And for that matter, ā€œanti-abortion counseling centersā€ and ā€œanti-abortion centers.ā€

So what is it that these pro-life groups offer? According to the AP, ā€These terms can be used for centers set up to divert or discourage women from having abortions, by using counseling, material support and/or housing in an effort to persuade women to bring their pregnancies to term.ā€

Excuse me? Is that somehow nefarious? Women who are often strapped for resources are given a roof over their head. They are also advised where to go to get material support and are counseling how they can bring their babies—not their ā€œpregnancyā€ā€”to term.

Back to the recommended changes in the style guide entry.

If reporters are using termĀ ā€œanti-abortion center, explain later that these often are known as ā€˜crisis pregnancy centers’ (with quotation marks) andĀ that their aim is to dissuade people from getting an abortion.ā€

Quotation marks are, of course, added so that the reader understands this is really just a term that ā€œanti-abortionistsā€ have coined to hide their true objectives.

But the AP has been busy, busy, busy, according to the Daily Signal’s Elizabeth Troutman and Tyler O’Neil.

The Associated Press issued guidelines on abortion in December, prohibiting the use of ā€œpro-lifeā€ and instead advising ā€œanti-abortion or abortion-rights.ā€  

The ā€œAbortion Topical Guideā€ instructs journalists to refer to fetal heartbeats as ā€œcardiac activity,ā€ avoid crediting the ā€œabortion pill reversal process,ā€ and never use the term ā€œlate-termā€ abortion or refer to unborn babies as ā€œpain-capableā€ until after 24 weeks, despite evidence that the unborn can feel pain at 15 weeks or earlier. 

Back to ā€œlate-term abortion. Here’s what the AP wrote back in December which is worse than the summary above.

ā€œDo not use the term ā€˜late-term abortion,ā€™ā€ The AP intoned. ā€œThe American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines late term as 41 weeks through 41 weeks and 6 days of gestation, and abortion does not happen in this period.ā€

The last week of a pregnancy is the ONLY time you can use ā€œlate-term abortion,ā€ and, come to think of it, since ā€œabortion does not happen in this period,ā€ voila, no late-term abortion, right? As I wrote

Does anyone not on the abortion industry’s payroll (or in its thrall, like the AP) believe that nonsense? Who is their source? Planned Parenthood)? Of course, they don’t have a vested interest, right? So when they tell us ā€œThere’s no such thing as a ā€˜late-term abortion,ā€™ā€ we can take that to the bank, correct?

Actually no.

A clean sweep for the pro-abortionists, not even a bone thrown to the pro-lifers so the AP could pretend its language is ā€œbalances.ā€

Categories: Media Bias
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