The Associated Press has updated its Associated Press Stylebook, telling journalists to stop using the term ‘pro-life’, and say ‘anti-abortion instead.
It further recommends “Avoid abortionist, which connotes a person who performs clandestine abortions.”
The Associated Press (AP) produces the most widely used style guide, which is used by journalists from across the political spectrum.
The guidelines also advise journalists not to use the term ‘pro-choice’ and instead use ‘abortion-rights’.
Dishonest guidelines
“Replacing the terms “pro-choice” and “pro-abortion” with “abortion-rights” inaccurately implies that women have a right to end the life of the child growing in their womb”, say Virginia Allen and Mary Margaret Olohan writing for the Daily Signal.
“The Associated Press Stylebook’s decision to replace the term ‘pro-life’ with ‘anti-abortion’ is another attempt… to paint the pro-life community in a negative light.”
“The new phrasing is not reflective of the pro-life community that exists today, a community that consists of millions of [people across the world], more than 3,000 pregnancy care centers [in America along], and thousands who give of their time and resources every day to journey with women during and after unplanned pregnancies,” the reporters for the Daily Signal added.
“use anti-abortion rather than pro-life”
The BBC in its own style guide also carries a heavy bias in favour of abortion. It states “Avoid pro-abortion, and use pro-choice instead. Campaigners favour a woman’s right to choose, rather than abortion itself. And use anti-abortion rather than pro-life, except where it is part of the title of a group’s name. Heartbeat bill should be carried in inverted commas, attributed or framed as so-called heartbeat bill.”
Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson said “The new style guide from the AP betrays a strong bias in favour of abortion. The pro-abortion bias of the AP is on clear display in this style guide.”
