The anti-abortion movement's campaign to ban the media from using "ban" when reporting on anti-ab messaging is an addition to the anti-abortion myths that I detailed in my article, "Evidence-based Responses to Antiabortion Myths." I will resend it to you and hope that you can make use of it in some way. And I so appreciate your brilliant work on this brutal attack on women! Rebecca Chalker, beckychalker@gmail.com.
Have their been any studies showing how many abortions are granted/denied under the 'exceptions' in anti-choice states? I'm not at all contradicting what AED has talked about many times, how these are exceptions in name only. I'm just wondering if there have been any attempts to quantify this.
Every time they try to push someone for using “ban” the response should be- so a law banning individuals from possessing guns, except for a few exceptions, isn’t a ban? They are so full of shit.
Please Jessica, SOON, tackle the issue of polls about abortion views. Polls record what people think they believe about abortion. Anyone who has worked on abortion services knows that when folks are faced with the reality of an unwanted pregnancy (their own, a family member's, a friend's, etc), their actions frequently are not aligned with what they told the pollster.
How did the anti-abortion movement succeed in getting journalists to label them "pro life"? That is a totally inappropriate label, which journalists should be pressured to stop using.
'expecting the media to tell the truth about abortion is the absolute bare minimum'
Well, they've failed at that for decades, so I don't have great hope for it to change now. The language is important but honestly what's more important is that they're reporting the correct facts. I don't care as much what we call something. Whatever you call crisis pregnancy centers, say what they actually do. Whatever you call these laws, say what they actually do. Fucking do the reporting and tell the people what's going on instead of just interviewing "both sides" and then passing on the spin. THAT'S the media's failure.
Jessica - you are always so on the money. I work for a menstrual equity nonprofit and we are in the throes of crafting a statement in response to the enactment of laws that BAN sex education as well prohibit educators and school nurses from using the word "period" (or "menstruation" or whatever else they decide is unlawful to utter.) We were discussing the importance of using the word "ban" in our staff meeting yesterday. It's powerful, evocative and above all, TRUE. Thank you for this timely take on a very important nuance in language and who gets to say what.
Another one I keep trying to call out is "the moment of conception" or "the moment of fertilization." Of course, there's the concurrent idea that this "moment" (which doesn't exist) is when pregnancy commences. How many lies can be packed into three or four words?
I really don't understand how a MINORITY--which is what the anti-choice crowd is--has been so incredibly successful in getting its language adopted by so many others, INCLUDING THOSE IN THE MAJORITY.
It’s time for the prochoice movement to call for an end to the use of medieval ‘homunculus’ language--‘preborn babies’ and ‘unborn humans.’ That language, such as what Kazmeryk used,
Is coercive, inaccurate, and deceptive. Men do not deposit fully formed babies into the uterus. They need to use appropriate scientific/medical terms and stop inaccurate representations in the models they choose.
The Anti-Abortion Movement’s Language War
The anti-abortion movement's campaign to ban the media from using "ban" when reporting on anti-ab messaging is an addition to the anti-abortion myths that I detailed in my article, "Evidence-based Responses to Antiabortion Myths." I will resend it to you and hope that you can make use of it in some way. And I so appreciate your brilliant work on this brutal attack on women! Rebecca Chalker, beckychalker@gmail.com.
What I meant to say was respond to any author who uses a euphemism for ban by sending Jessica’s essay today. I have bookmarked it.
Yeah, that’s right.
Have their been any studies showing how many abortions are granted/denied under the 'exceptions' in anti-choice states? I'm not at all contradicting what AED has talked about many times, how these are exceptions in name only. I'm just wondering if there have been any attempts to quantify this.
Every time they try to push someone for using “ban” the response should be- so a law banning individuals from possessing guns, except for a few exceptions, isn’t a ban? They are so full of shit.
Other than using "ban," every chance I get, I use "pro-subjugation," "the state ownership of our uteruses," and of course "forced birth."
Please Jessica, SOON, tackle the issue of polls about abortion views. Polls record what people think they believe about abortion. Anyone who has worked on abortion services knows that when folks are faced with the reality of an unwanted pregnancy (their own, a family member's, a friend's, etc), their actions frequently are not aligned with what they told the pollster.
How did the anti-abortion movement succeed in getting journalists to label them "pro life"? That is a totally inappropriate label, which journalists should be pressured to stop using.
'expecting the media to tell the truth about abortion is the absolute bare minimum'
Well, they've failed at that for decades, so I don't have great hope for it to change now. The language is important but honestly what's more important is that they're reporting the correct facts. I don't care as much what we call something. Whatever you call crisis pregnancy centers, say what they actually do. Whatever you call these laws, say what they actually do. Fucking do the reporting and tell the people what's going on instead of just interviewing "both sides" and then passing on the spin. THAT'S the media's failure.
This is an excellent analysis. The pen is indeed mightier than the sword. We should all start pointing this out in our own words.
Jessica, can you cut this back and turn it into an op-ed for the Times?
Jessica - you are always so on the money. I work for a menstrual equity nonprofit and we are in the throes of crafting a statement in response to the enactment of laws that BAN sex education as well prohibit educators and school nurses from using the word "period" (or "menstruation" or whatever else they decide is unlawful to utter.) We were discussing the importance of using the word "ban" in our staff meeting yesterday. It's powerful, evocative and above all, TRUE. Thank you for this timely take on a very important nuance in language and who gets to say what.
Another one I keep trying to call out is "the moment of conception" or "the moment of fertilization." Of course, there's the concurrent idea that this "moment" (which doesn't exist) is when pregnancy commences. How many lies can be packed into three or four words?
Thank you for this! Makes so much sense but I didn't notice the language shift on my own.
I really don't understand how a MINORITY--which is what the anti-choice crowd is--has been so incredibly successful in getting its language adopted by so many others, INCLUDING THOSE IN THE MAJORITY.
It’s time for the prochoice movement to call for an end to the use of medieval ‘homunculus’ language--‘preborn babies’ and ‘unborn humans.’ That language, such as what Kazmeryk used,
Is coercive, inaccurate, and deceptive. Men do not deposit fully formed babies into the uterus. They need to use appropriate scientific/medical terms and stop inaccurate representations in the models they choose.