Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 9 January 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

Implementation of Government Decision Following Expert Group Report into Matters Relating to A, B and C v. Ireland

10:40 am

Ms Jennifer Schweppe:

No problem. I am expecting a baby. What is inside my body is unborn; it is a foetus. It is not a baby; babies are born. One expects the baby to come out of one's body. Once it does so, then it is a baby. I am also not a mother. I do not have any other children, therefore, I am a pregnant woman.

When we use very emotive language like "mother" and "baby", it automatically colours how we think about the issue. That is why I have said we should use value neutral language.

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