Public Radio in US: “Babies are not babies until they are born”

Babies are to be called foetuses up until the moment they are born. That’s according to the style guide of the publicly funded National Public Radio (NPR) a network of over 1,000 public radio stations in the United States whose programs are sometimes re-broadcast on Newstalk.

Standards & Practices Editor Mark Memmott published a blog last week on the correct language to use in describing abortion-related news. He wrote:

The term “unborn” implies that there is a baby inside a pregnant woman, not a fetus. Babies are not babies until they are born. They’re fetuses. Incorrectly calling a fetus a “baby” or “the unborn” is part of the strategy used by antiabortion groups to shift language/legality/public opinion. Use “unborn” only when referring to the title of the bill (and after President Bush signs it, the Unborn Victims of Violence Law). Or qualify the use of “unborn” by saying “what anti-abortion groups call the ‘unborn’ victims of violence.” The most neutral language to refer to the death of a fetus during a crime is “fetal homicide.”’