What should be the descriptive term for doctors who perform abortions?
Well, let’s see now, the doctor who takes care of your feet is given a special designation for that particular field – he’s called a podiatrist. In the same way, one routinely refers to a heart doctor as a cardiologist. The doctor who gives you anesthetic before an operation is an anesthesiologist. And a doctor who treats the nervous system is a neurologist. So, doesn’t it simply make sense to use the term abortionist to describe a doctor who specializes in that particular...uh, operation?
Timothy Lamer, a writer for World magazine, not too long ago conducted a search of America’s foremost influential newspapers in which he looked specifically at the nomenclature of abortion. In a one-month period, these newspapers had 39 references to dermatologists. Not even in one instance were they referred to as a skin doctor or skin care provider. But, you're way ahead of me, when it came to abortion, it was a much different story.
The word “abortionist” showed up only 8 times and almost all of those were used in the somewhat negative term " anti-abortionist" applied, of course, to those people who believe preborn children shouldn't be killed.
But no, characterizing the fellows who perform the abortions, these newspapers used the term “abortion doctor” 21 times and “abortion provider” 36 times! A subtle but yet very clear example that there’s little hope for fairness or even common sense on the life issue from your newspaper.
