Abortion

Abortion terminology

The intense and virulent debate surrounding the subject of abortion has created a number of linguistic pitfalls, where some view the common use of certain terms as inappropriate because such use carries implications beyond the actual definition of the term, or the term is incomplete or misleading. A common example is use of the ambiguous term "choice" interchangeably with the word "abortion" (e.g. "a woman's right to choose" and "a woman's right to an abortion"). While it is uncontested that abortion is a choice, other choices are involved in this debate and the term is therefore less descriptive than it is euphemistic. Another common linguistic pitfall is the use of the word "human", which is often used interchangeably with the word "person". While it is uncontested that an embryo or fetus contains unique human DNA, there is intense disagreement as to whether an embryo or fetus is a person. Similar implications surround the use of the terms "life" and "death". These terms are biologically appropriate when applied to the embyro or fetus at any stage of development. Philosophically, the term "life" and the term "existence" are frequently used interchangeably; to some the use of the term "life" or "alive" implies that an embryo is not merely existent, but is a person. The term "fetus" (literally, "offspring" or "young one") generally raises no objection.

Related Topics:
Linguistic - Terms - Definition - Euphemistic - Human - Person - Embryo - Fetus - Unique - DNA - Life - Death - Biologically - Existence

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