Now, when we talk about unborn babies, they have a certain ontology. Either they are ontologically humans, the same way you and I are, or they are ontologically something less than human. Tissues and organ clumps.
They cannot be both human and un-human at the same time.
Intent informs ontology.
This is exactly why it’s so important to note the language used about fetuses depending on whose it is, what the intent is, and many other factors surrounding the pregnancy.
Many media sites seem to think they have the authority to shift around the ontology of these unborn babies based on whatever best suits their needs, or their audience. When covering Angelina Jolie’s pregnancy, the unborn is referred to as a “child,” yet the same publication, when discussing the benefits of abortion, or pushing against pro-lifers, employs entirely different language. It touts the abortive procedure as ‘women’s care,’ or refers to the unborn infant as a fetus.
How can the same magazine refer to one baby as a child, and in the next breath refer to thousands of others as mere fetuses?
Because it’s far easier to kill a fetus than a child.
It forces me to wonder, what if Beyoncé decided to get an abortion? Would it be termed ‘murder’ by People Magazine? Would her beloved twins suddenly cease to be children and be demoted to mere fetuses?
The problem with this line of language is we as humans do not necessarily get to dictate the ontology of the unborn. We do not get to decide what it is. The same mass of tissues and cells cannot simultaneously be a non-human fetus and a beautiful baby boy or girl.
Just as with the elderly, the crippled, the handicapped and those of other skin colors from us, we do not get to dictate their ontological merit. They are not human because we have deemed them so, nor are they sub-human because we decide otherwise.
We do not get to decide if and when someone becomes a human, so let our language reflect our beliefs. May we be people who speak the truth with love and integrity, not shifting our language around depending on circumstances. May we be people who are able to see through hypocritical double-talk and use language honestly and transparently.
We cannot dictate the worth of another human, nor can the media. Either they are all worthless fetuses, or they are all children made in the image of God. They do not change based on our desires for them.