La Voz

Issue date: 10/9/06 Section: Opinion

October 9, 2006


An anti-abortion advertisement called "Stop the Madness" recently caused a stir here at La Voz.

The 12-page packet painted abortion in a very negative light - to say the least.

It led to a heated discussion among newspaper staff about whether it should run in the paper. The editors ended up rejecting the ad.

Unfortunately, La Voz showed the same pro-abortion bias the mainstream media does. The media feels that the best part about abortions is that women are still having them.

Even "The Associated Press Stylebook," the Bible of print journalism, is biased in favor of abortion.

The book, which defines the rules about how different words and sentences are supposed to look in newspaper articles, says about abortion: "[Write] anti-abortion instead of pro-life and abortion rights instead of pro-abortion or pro-choice. Avoid abortionist, which connotes a person who performs clandestine abortions; use a term such as abortion doctor or abortion practitioner."

Following the AP definition, anyone who disagrees with abortion must be portrayed negatively in articles. However, those who support legalized abortion are portrayed as fighting for "rights" like a modern day Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr.

AP also gives those who perform the abortion act titles like "abortion doctor" or "practitioner" to downplay what they really do.

Since the AP Stylebook is used by most schools that teach journalism, these establishments end up teaching the book's bias to their classes.

As a consequence of the media's bias, those that are against abortion are portrayed as bigots who want to bring back back-alley abortions. They are shown as angry sign-waving hate-mongers and religious fanatics.

The media rarely gives time to legitimate arguments against abortion, like how many women use abortion as a form of birth control rather than a onetime procedure.

The anti-abortion ad that La Voz rejected could have been seen to some as slanted propaganda. But both sides of the abortion debate should get a fair share of time in the media. The truly sad part of this situation is that this newspaper's job is to keep the student body informed.

This can't happen if La Voz decides for you what you shouldn't see.

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