ACOG parades as a neutral arbiter of medical accuracy, but their language guide is transparently partisan. Can you guess which phrases they don't think we should say anymore? secularprolife.org/2022/03/acog-h…
1. Late-term abortion. ACOG suggests "abortion later in pregnancy." They argue "late-term" implies 41 weeks thru 41 weeks 6 days. I don't think most people saying or hearing "late-term abortion" think it means that, as even PCers used this term regularly until recently. 
But I don't mind saying "later abortion." Connotation sounds the same. I'll also say "post-viability abortion" or, depending on convo, "3rd trimester abortion." They all mean the same thing - killing fetuses who'd have a good chance of surviving if born instead.
2. Chemical abortion. ACOG prefers "medication abortion." I usually say "medication abortion" because the public more widely recognizes the term. Even PLers don't always realize "chemical" and "medication" abortion refer to the same thing.
https://twitter.com/secularprolife/status/1462846751111618571
Still "chemical abortion" is accurate. The process typically involves mifepristone & misoprostol, both of which are chemicals.
3. Surgical abortion. ACOG argues "the abortion procedure is not a surgery" & we should say "abortion procedure" instead. This one is bizarre. The non-medication abortions, even in 1st trimester & certainly after, qualify as surgeries per AMA's definition: policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder/d…
UpToDate (evidence-based database used by clinicians world-wide) describes 1st trimester uterine aspiration as "surgical abortion" & references a dozen citations using the phrase. I'm skeptical ACOG has the authority to redefine terms like "surgery" in deference to abortion PR.
4. Heartbeat bill. ACOG wants "gestational age bans" instead. But those are based on LMP or time since fertilization. Heartbeat bills are based on detecting fetal heartbeat. They aren't 6 week bans because if there's no heartbeat detected at 6 weeks, the abortion is legal.
Here it is ACOG that repeats medically inaccurate info: claims embryonic hearts have no chambers (they have atria & ventricles, i.e. chambers, by 7 weeks, see pic) & that ultrasounds detect electrical impulses (they don't, they detect movement). secularprolife.org/2022/03/oppone…
5. Fetal heartbeat. ACOG prefers "fetal cardiac activity." This is just the same anti-science obfuscation we've seen the last few years from abortion advocates. But embryos have hearts and heartbeats, plenty of sources in this thread:
https://twitter.com/secularprolife/status/1433791297530351638
6. Dismemberment ban. ACOG doesn't claim this is inaccurate, just "inflammatory" & "emotional." It refers to dilation & evacuation abortions, which literally involve dismembering the fetus. (Contrast this with *intact* dilation & evacuation aka partial-birth abortion, see #11.)
ACOG also argues "dismemberment ban" focuses on the fetus instead of the pregnant person. But that's a question not of accuracy but of priorities/value systems. Medical doctors have authority to speak on medical accuracy, not on what the rest of us should focus on or value.
Most Americans think fetuses are relevant, as evidenced by 65% thinking abortion should be illegal in 2nd trimester (80% in 3rd). Only the most fervent abortion advocates try to stop people from ever focusing on the fetus. Apparently ACOG is among them. apnews.com/article/only-o…
7. Abortion provider. ACOG suggests "physicians (or clinicians) who provide abortions." Just silly at this point. Drs who perform abortions call themselves "abortion provider." Abortion rights orgs who want to celebrate them also call them "abortion providers." Calm down, ACOG.
8. Baby/unborn child. ACOG requests "embryo" or "fetus." I have no problem saying either, but ACOG's reasoning is terrible. They claim "baby" & "unborn child" center language on "a future state of pregnancy." They're projecting their own value systems onto everyone else.
Most people who call a fetus a "baby" don't mean "will become a baby." They consider the fetus a baby *right now*. That's why "unborn" is in the phrase "unborn child": to emphasize the prenatal state. People have been using the words "baby" & "child" this way for centuries.
9. Self-induced abortion. ACOG prefers "self-managed abortion." But women who get pills online to abort at home are both inducing & managing their abortions themselves. Both phrases are right. They sound the same to me. I genuinely don't get why ACOG cares about this one.
10. Elective abortion. ACOG prefers "abortion." Their complaint is (again) not about inaccuracy, but value systems - they don't like people distinguishing reasons women get abortions and evaluating those reasons. But Americans, including pro-choicers, do care about the reasons.
And from a public health standpoint, ACOG should care about the reasons too. Many people seek abortion who would rather not have needed one. Understanding the reasons they seek abortion could help us prevent others from needing abortions in the future.
11. Partial-birth abortion. ACOG prefers "intact dilation & evacuation." This is not about accuracy; it's about opacity. Here is UpToDate's description of Intact D&E.
In layman's terms, UpToDate is describing birthing the fetus breech until his head is caught in the birth canal, crushing the skull, & removing the remains. So this abortion method involves birthing the child--partially. "Partial-birth abortion" is an accurate description.
ACOG also complains that "partial-birth abortion" is "vaguely defined in law." It's actually defined quite specifically in the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. congress.gov/bill/108th-con… What is vague about this description?
12. Womb. ACOG prefers "uterus." Again ACOG's objection is about not accuracy but value. They complain "womb" applies "an emotional value" to a human organ. What authority does ACOG have to determine how we should apply value to anything? Anyway, "womb" & "uterus" are synonyms.
13. Abortion-on-demand. ACOG prefers "abortion." This one is similar to #10 (elective abortion). They don't want people discussing reasoning or varying levels of need for abortion. Again, nothing to do with medical accuracy, everything to do with abortion PR on ACOG's part.
Overall, ACOG's language guide is less like a primer on medical accuracy/terminology and more like a public relations piece for abortion rights. That's their prerogative, but can we stop pretending they're an organization of neutral professionals?
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
