The Tale of 2 headlines

Speaks volumes

Published on August 9, 2005 By Dr Guy In Current Events

Here are 2 headlines from that AP:

"A 13-year-old giant panda gave birth to a cub at San Diego Zoo, but a second baby died in the womb, officials said Wednesday."--Associated Press, Aug. 3

"A cancer-ravaged woman robbed of consciousness by a stroke has given birth after being kept on life support for three months to give her fetus extra time to develop."--Associated Press, Aug. 3

Note both are from the same day. Also note that an unborn panda is a baby, but a child born to a brain dead woman is still a fetus.

This is your brain. This is your brain on stupidity.

Any questions?

Comments (Page 1)

Dr Guy

on Aug 09, 2005

I guess we should be glad they did not call for the post partum abortion of the 'fetus'.

Manopeace

on Aug 09, 2005

unrelated....Christpher Reeves' widow was just diagnosed with lung cancer...sad.

island_gurl12

on Aug 09, 2005

Weird... I guess when it's still in the womb it's a fetus and when it's born it's a baby?

Dr Guy

on Aug 09, 2005

Weird... I guess when it's still in the womb it's a fetus and when it's born it's a baby?

Look closer.

but a second baby died in the womb

Only if it is an animal is it a baby. If it is human. it is a fetus.

HC1240

on Aug 09, 2005

Very sad.

Dr Guy

on Aug 09, 2005

Very sad.

PC on parade. And it is sickening.

philomedy

on Aug 09, 2005

The second headline appears to have been written by some sort of lower life form anyways. What the hell is "robbed of consciousness by a stroke."??? And "cancer-ravaged"??? How about just "A woman, rendered comatose by a stroke and also afflicted with cancer, has given birth..." and so on. Do we really need to be told that cancer ravages or that strokes can rob you of your consciousness. I think we're smart enough to realize how serious her situation was without this particular reporter's sensationalistic buzzwords.

That said, I see your point, too.

Dr Guy

on Aug 09, 2005

That said, I see your point, too.

Rant away. And thank you.

It is very saddening to see them like this, both on the same day.

dharmagrl

on Aug 09, 2005

Ah yes.....the media using semantics to make things more palpable for the general public. Using the word 'baby' to give us the warm fuzzies about a panda, but being all clinical and using words like 'fetus' for a different circumstance.

Sickening, really.

dynamaso

on Aug 09, 2005

Like Philomedy, I have had a problem with sensationalist language for quite some time. So many journalists use it these days, but I find it makes it harder to take anything they say seriously. It is just mediocre writing by mediocre journalists trying to beat up whatever story they're given.

HC1240

on Aug 09, 2005

beat up? or beef up?

Low substance generally = flowery words

HC1240

on Aug 09, 2005

unrelated....Christpher Reeves' widow was just diagnosed with lung cancer...sad.

Very sad. She wasn't a smoker, was she?

kingbee

on Aug 09, 2005

unless, of course, the 2nd panda died after being fully formed to the point where it could have been delivered and was therefore stillborn.

a stillborn human is buried.

a miscarried (spontaneously aborted) fetus isn't.

prior to being viable outside the womb, a mammalian fetus is a fetus. they didn't say the woman gave birth to a fetus did they?

dynamaso

on Aug 10, 2005

beat up? or beef up?

Take your pick...

Champas Socialist

on Aug 10, 2005

I think kingbee is on the right track here. The panda story is referring to a foetus/baby that was in the process of being born. The human story is referring to a developing foetus, in the months prior to birth.

Try again. (And yes, I know the law has a contradiction on that, and we could debate it for hours).

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