The dishonesty of the abortion debate

There was an interesting article in the Guardian today about one of the less discussed aspects of miscarriage: the language employed about it by the NHS. “How dare they call my lost baby a “product of conception”’ was the headline for Katy Lindemann’s moving piece about her miscarriage, where she describes how “a baby” – as her unborn child was described when still gestating – was, after dying in the womb and being surgically removed, referred to as the “retained products of conception”. She notes: “From the outset of your antenatal care, the NHS refers to “your baby”’ but not when he or she dies. And she goes on to note that their remains may, if delivered before 24 weeks’ gestation, be incinerated with other clinical waste.

She calls for the NHS to use “more appropriate” vocabulary and recommends the Japanese approach, which is to describe all losses in pregnancy at whatever stage in the same way, and commemorate them with Buddhist ceremonies.