A reporter for The Daily Texan, the student newspaper for the University of Texas, got it right when calling abortion supporters what they are – “pro-abortion” – five times in an article about a counter-demonstration held during the annual pro-life Texas Rally for Life on January 24.
The term even made the article’s headline. [see below page break for image]
But she infuriated those who support abortion but who strangely aren’t proud of it. Complaints poured in:
- “First, someone who supports reproductive rights and access to abortion is not ‘pro-abortion.’”
- “The ‘pro-abortion’ label is completely inaccurate…. [O]ne can be personally opposed to abortion for themselves while still being comfortable supporting another person to make that choice for her own body.”
- “I just saw our paper’s “news” article about the pro-choice rally that was held on Saturday…. No one at that rally was pro abortion.”
- ”I found that the title ‘Pro-abortion rally draws support…’ to be inappropriate. I am a pro-choice person, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I am pro-abortion.”
- “I was horrified to see today’s headline at the top of The Daily Texan…. I find this headline to be insulting and embarrassing, not just to your paper but to those of us on campus who call ourselves pro-choice. To be clear, there is no such thing as a ‘pro-abortion’ group. No one is pro-abortion. To characterize the pro-choice movement in such a way is to demonize those involved….”
Seems to me they doth protest a tad too much. What other supposed constitutional right are supporters so uncomfortable with?
At any rate, the headline and terminology were quickly removed from the online story….
… and replaced with “abortion rights.” The only evidence remaining is the hard copy of the newspaper, snapshot above.
I certainly didn’t mind that the story’s author labeled us as “anti-abortion.” It is the fair counterpart to “pro-abortion.” And I’m proud of it. But it was overused a bit…
But the newspaper’s real bias was making a protest by 200 abortion supporters a front page story, while that which they were protesting – a pro-life rally with 4,000 in attendance, was only mentioned at the end, after a warning to watch out, they could be violent.
Further, the author totally misrepresented why the pro-lifers gathered in the first place. It wasn’t “to protest Texas Judge R. H. Wallace Jr.’s order to take pregnant and brain-dead Marlise Munoz off life support.” To be sure, pro-lifers opposed Wallace’s decision, but the Texas Rally for Life is an annual event.
[HT and photos via Jill's Wilberforce mentee Rachel Bush, a pro-life leader at UT]
Cross-posted from JillStanek.com
