Pregnancy and a step toward inclusive language
Pregnant individuals and pregnant people.
You may have seen those terms in the Toronto Star, including a recent feature that examined efforts to get pregnant Ontarians vaccinated against COVID-19. “Pregnant people with COVID are at significantly higher risk of severe illness,” it noted.
A few readers have questioned the language, wondering why the term “pregnant women” isn’t used instead.
It’s an effort to make the language more inclusive. In health stories, that means reflecting the fact that not all people who become pregnant and give birth identify as women.
In a recent note to editors, Anthony Collins, an editor who coordinates the newspaper’s use of grammar and style, said journalists often take their cue from the people they interview, in this case the health-care community.
“That doesn’t mean there’s a ban on referring to pregnant women, expectant mothers or other gendered terms. But we strive to use accurate and inclusive language whenever possible,” Collins said in his note.
A debate over gender-neutral language played out in pages of the Star last month. In a column titled, “Why can’t we say ‘woman’ anymore?” Star columnist Rosie DiManno wrote about what she called “linguistic knots.”
“‘Woman’ is in danger of becoming a dirty word … struck from the lexicon of officialdom, eradicated from medical vocabulary and expunged from conversation,” she wrote.
DiManno’s column gained added exposure when it was shared on Twitter by author Margaret Atwood.
Two other columnists made the case for inclusive language. Star columnist Emma Teitel wrote that health institutions and media outlets are “finally making an effort to use gender inclusive language with trans and non-binary people in mind.”
Contributor Florence Ashley stated: “When a group does not only include women, it is better to use terminology reflecting that fact. But that doesn’t mean that you cannot use the word ‘women’ to refer to women, or use expressions like ‘mothers and other birthing parents’ to both make women visible while also acknowledging the existence of trans parents.”
Health reporter Megan Ogilvie noted that criticism of inclusive language ignores how epidemiologists, obstetricians and midwives are using the terms “pregnant individuals, pregnant people, expectant parents or birthing parents.
“These inclusive and accurate terms are used all the time, every day, by many in the medical profession,” she said.
Dr. Tali Bogler, staff physician in the department of family and community medicine and chair of family medicine obstetrics at St. Michael’s Hospital, said she takes an “additive” approach, using terms “pregnant women and pregnant individuals” together. “I think the point is to be inclusive, knowing that there are patients who might not identify as a woman.”
“It doesn’t make me less of a woman’s health advocate, it doesn’t change anything,” she said.
Nor does it mean that disparities between genders in reproductive health are being ignored. “How do we be inclusive in our language without dismissing that there is still a very big disparity between women and men, especially around reproductive health,” she said.
Depending on her individual patients, Bogler said she uses the terms pregnant women and mom “all the time.”
Bogler said she is part of a group working to develop evidence-based guidelines to how to use language in reproductive health, drawing on the advice of a diverse group of experts. “How do we make reproductive health as inclusive as possible?” she said. Only a few readers have expressed unhappiness with the language. One urged the newspaper to “knock it off with this absurdity.”
I would underscore that women are not being “erased” from Star stories. Progress toward inclusion and equity needn’t come at anyone’s expense. Far from an absurdity, I think that using more inclusive language is the right thing to do.
Bitcoin scam alert
Readers occasionally ask about what appears to be a Toronto Star article seen on social media pitching a get-rich-quick scheme by investing in bitcoin. It describes how Canadians are “raking in millions” by using a “wealth loophole.”
It’s clearly trying to exploit the Star’s trusted brand. But it’s bogus. It has no affiliation with the Star. Most readers are wise to the scam, but unfortunately several have said they lost money. “I spotted this scam ad, posing as a fake news story involving Justin Trudeau, which uses a semblance of your logo to make it look legitimate,” one reader wrote. “I’m pretty confident that there is a lot of fakery here, including the suggestion that your paper had anything to do with this ‘story.’ ”
My predecessor Kathy English wrote about this scam in 2019 and highlighted doubtit.ca, an online resource created by the Canadian Journalism Foundation to help people identify misinformation. It’s a helpful tool.
And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
‘‘ I think the point is to be inclusive, knowing that there are patients who might not identify as a woman.
DR. TALI BOGLER STAFF PHYSICIAN
AT ST. MICHAEL’S HOSPITAL