Pro Ecclesia notes that "Life Begins at Conception - If You're a Panda"

Jay Anderson of Pro Ecclesia refers to James Taranto of Opinion Journal and his observation of two AP headlines:

Life Begins at Conception--if You're a Panda

"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

Jay's virulent reaction follows:

You know, I've read this again, and the difference in tone between the two AP excerpts couldn't be more striking.

In the first excerpt, you can almost feel the angst, sorrow, and disappointment at the loss of another rare giant panda "baby" inside its mother's womb.

But then look at the second excerpt. Probably thinking about how the "radical right" hijacked Terri Schiavo's "right to die", the AP writer can barely conceal the contempt for Susan Torres' husband who, rather than allowing her to "die with dignity", has "kept on life support" his "cancer-ravaged" and "robbed of consciousness" wife for the sole purpose of allowing a parasitic "fetus" to incubate within her womb.

I don't see this the same way. Granted, the slip that Mr. Taranto's notes is undeniable. I'd love to hear AP editors explain that one. The journalist that covered Susan Torres' delivery, however, I found somewhat sympathetic to Ms. Torres and her family. She used the appropriate terms of "daughter" and "baby" once the child was born.

As to the story's opening line:

"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

I found this more to be an invocation of the conflict inherent in the story. It's the journalist's hook that grabs the reader's attention. This is good journalism, not partisan moaning. Aside from the annoying political correctness of "fetus", I found nothing in the tone of this line that condemned Mr. Torres or his daughter.

It doesn't surprise me that Jay had this reaction. We Fools have too often seen our precious worldviews stomped over and p*ssed on by Reasonable journalists throughout MSM. When we've been beaten down over and over, we can become quick to lash out at anything that appears to be more of the same. I don't read minds (especially for free!), but I'd guess that Jay saw in this line a brickbat coming his way. He may be right. I just didn't see it this time.

Update: Jay may agree. Welcome Pro Ecclesia readers!