Tierin-Rose Mandelburg
The Daily Signal noticed that AP changed its rulebook to get rid of the phrase “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” and instead use “Anti-Abortion Clinics.”
Here’s what AP said in its guide update:
If using the term anti-abortion center, explain later that these often are known as ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ (with quotation marks) and that their aim is to dissuade people from getting an abortion,” the style guide entry states.
The guide describes centres that don’t provide abortions as places that are “set up to divert or discourage women from having abortions.” Coming from someone that volunteers at one every week, I can assure you, that’s far from true.
Most pregnancy resource centres provide pregnancy tests and educational resources on options for pregnant women. They often also provide things like baby clothes, diapers, car seats and even items for pregnant and new mothers themselves. These centres look to empower and assist women and encourage them that killing their child is not the only way to succeed.
They don’t and never have claimed to offer abortions. That’s just not something they conduct at their facilities. They’re clear about that and are in no way “dissuading” or “diverting” people. They’re actually likely the only honest ones when it comes to pregnancy “clinics.” Unlike abortion mills, they have no financial incentive.
This isn’t the first shift in AP’s “rules.” In early December, the AP Stylebook refined its abortion terminology regarding the phrase “late term abortion.” Instead, it suggested journalists used the phrase “abortion later in pregnancy.” It also suggested that people stop using the term “abortionist” for people who perform clandestine abortions, aka illegal abortions as well as to avoid using “pro-abortion” for those who support intentional baby death. Similarly, we were told to not use “pro-life” but instead use “anti-abortion.”
So the change in terms regarding pregnancy centres is not surprising.
The worst part of all this is that the AP Stylebook is often considered the “journalist bible.” Many or most journalists use it for rules on grammar and style to create cohesion and clarification amongst different publications. With AP clearly pushing and pandering to the leftist narrative with its “rules,” there’s no doubt that “journalists” will take its suggestions. Furthering the already pervasive groupthink.
