Posted on 07/31/2009 3:35:22 PM PDT by NYer
It’s a terrible story. A Massachusetts woman named Darlene Haynes was 8-months pregnant. She was murdered and her baby was cut from her and kidnapped. Police have now Julie Corey who apparently lived in the same apartment building at one point. The baby was “found” alive at a local hospital and is doing well.
As I looked at differing media accounts, I noticed that some members of the media seem to be struggling with the proper language to use in this case. Technically, Darlene Hayes had a fetus inside her. But when she was murdered and cut open, was a baby kidnapped or a fetus? Here are a few headlines, starting with this one published yesterday by Fox News:
Pregnant Massachusetts Woman Killed, Fetus Taken
But today Fox has a new story:
Woman Suspected of Cutting Baby From Massachusetts Mom’s Womb Held on $2M Bail
Okay, ABC News covered this yesterday with this headline:
Mom-to-Be Darlene Haynes Killed, Cops Search for Her Fetus
ABC posted a new story later the same day:
Baby Cut From Slain Mom’s Womb Found Alive
Today, ABC has a third follow-up story:
Slain Pregnant Woman Lived in Same Building With Accused Fetus-Stealer
The Boston Globe had this yesterday:
Authorities in Worcester seek killer in case of fetus cut from womb
CNN had this yesterday:
Woman killed, fetus cut from body
And here’s CNN’s follow-up today:
Baby cut from slain mom’s womb found alive
The Boston Herald had this yesterday:
Officials search hospitals for victim’s fetus
And today the Boston Herald has this:
Suspect in brutal murder, baby snatch held $2M bail
Are you seeing the pattern here? A fetus was kidnapped but a baby was discovered.
Now I realize that the editors at these MSM institutions are probably following some style-guide which tells them that a baby inside a mother is fetus and a fetus in the hospital is a baby. What this case points out so clearly is that it’s a distinction without a difference. If we wanted to lay aside the style-guide we’d have to admit it was a baby when it was kidnapped and it was a baby when it was discovered alive in the hospital. Calling it a fetus didn’t change anything about it except its implied location. So why do it? I think the answer is obvious. You don’t have to look any further than yesterday’s NY Times hagiography of George Tiller for an answer. From the Times story:
[T]he other 2,800 abortions involved viable fetuses. Some had serious but survivable abnormalities, like Down syndrome. Many were perfectly healthy.
Those were healthy babies Tiller dismembered. Babies.
Finally, the prize has to go to the Bostonist which published this headline yesterday:
Fetus Cut From Womb Found Alive In N.H.
They found a fetus! But notice the first line of their story:
The baby cut from a slain mother’s womb was found alive in New Hampshire Wednesday night.
The Bostonist might be confused about the style-guide rules of journalism, but they got it right.
Ping!
It is all just so sad. Liberals and the PC crowd are without hearts.
Whoa! I can see where the leftist Commie DemocRATS could have a problem here. Looks like the Piggie Pelosis of the world might have a little ‘splainin’ to do.
Their brains must really hurt!
Even in PC California, back when Scott Peterson was in the news for killing his 8 month pregnant wife Laci, he was charged with 2 counts of murder. That means 2 homocide victims (persons) involved.
Here in Kansas if it’s an abortions then it’s a fetus but if it’s car wreak or a tornado then it’s mother and unborn baby are fine. The hypocrisy is very blatant.
Do you remember the case of the two college kids who had a baby in a motel and threw it in the trash? They both got homicide - 2yrs/21/2yrs. The judge gave him 6 mths less because he had encouraged ?Amy to have an abortion, and per the judge, it reflected his “good character”.
Control the language, control the culture.
Fetus is Latin for “little one”, so it doesn’t bother me if they use if for inside OR outside the womb. But we all know they would never use the word “baby” for an unborn child. To do so would be to recognize the humanness of an unborn child... which msm/liberals would never do. It’s a clump of tissue until birth (unless you are performing a partial-birth abortion, of course!).
Good post!
Now Hubby and I recently moved to the Jersey Shore. I’m not sure if this is a state law or a municipal law, but he told me the other day that a Keyport cop ticketed a pregnant woman for smoking in her car, for harming the fetus/baby in her womb.
And hubby (no big pro-lifer he) asked: and isn’t she allowed to abort it?
We imagined her going before a judge to argue this point, saying she was on her way to have an abortion, but the cop’s (that is society’s) concern for the fetus/baby convinced her to carry her pregnancy to term.
Support for abortion can never be logical, it is always premised on some right to kill the undesirable.
I always think the pro-life movement should adopt the old anti-drug message “speed kills” and re-tool it as: Abortion Kills - People Like You.
I’m sorry I don’t remember that case.
Either way, this sick world is worse when they mince words.
Fetus, I believe, actually means baby in Latin.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.