Language for an unpalatable truth

■ Campaigners for repeal of the Eighth Amendment are increasingly using clinical terms like “foetal life” to describe what, up until very recently at least, everybody would have referred to as a baby.

I was immediately reminded of other examples of distancing language like “collateral damage” and “friendly fire” which are used to encourage people to gloss over what is being described and not to linger on an unpalatable truth that the users don’t want you to think about.

In this case, the lives of innocent human beings.

Theresa Johnston

Crozon, Sligo