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Professors say new ‘lexicon’ will ‘minimize preventable adverse outcomes’ in response to Supreme Court abortion ruling

Radiologists and students studying the practice will now be instructed to avoid referring to first-trimester babies as “living” or “live,” according to new guidelines developed by a panel of scholars.

The recommendation comes from the “Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound First-Trimester US Lexicon,” a summary of which was published this week in the journal Radiology.

A panel of experts, including Thomas Jefferson University Professor Dr. Shuchi Rogers, developed the document to “minimize preventable adverse outcomes and to protect patients and clinicians,” according to the article. One of the key reasons they gave for creating the lexicon was the overturning of the U.S. Supreme Court abortion decision Roe v. Wade.

The lexicon “recommends well-defined, scientific, and specific terminology to communicate clearly across disciplines, minimize bias and harm, and respect patient preferences,” the scholars wrote in Radiology.

However, two of their recommendations quickly sparked criticism from other professors and medical doctors.

One tells radiologists not to refer to the “heart” or “heartbeat” when conducting ultrasounds on unborn babies in the first trimester.

“Since cardiac development is a gradual process and cardiac chambers are not fully formed in the first trimester, the term cardiac activity is recommended in lieu of ‘heart motion’ or ‘heartbeat,’” the lexicon states.

The second tells radiologists that the terms “living” and “live” also should “be avoided in the first trimester.”

The scholars wrote that they made the recommendation because “these terms may be appropriated by people outside of the field of medicine to support political rhetoric and proscriptive legislation.”

“In addition, these terms may raise unrealistic expectations for patients facing potential pregnancy loss …” they wrote.

But a Princeton University law professor described the recommendations as Orwellian.

George Orwell, call your office. https://t.co/lvscf38QWc

— Robert P. George (@McCormickProf) August 29, 2024

Another professor, Charles Camosy at the Creighton School of Medicine, a private Catholic university, asked on X if he should “laugh or cry.”

here they explicitly say the reason to avoid the terms “live” and “living” is because it may have consequences they don’t like…not because it isn’t true. absolutely remarkable. (also worth noting they disappear millions of pro-lifers working in healthcare) pic.twitter.com/AXk9GNHJ0L

— Charlie Camosy (@CCamosy) August 28, 2024

The organization Secular Pro-Life also responded, writing on X that the scholars did not say the terms “living” and “live” are scientifically incorrect; rather, they opposed them because they “may be ‘appropriated’ to ‘support political rhetoric.’”

The group’s website cites numerous medical textbooks and academic studies that state unborn babies are living human beings with beating hearts in the first trimester of pregnancy.

But two medical professors at Yale and University of California San Francisco defended the changes in an accompanying editorial in Radiology.

Dr. Leslie Scoutt, a radiology professor at Yale, and Dr. Mary Norton, who teaches reproductive sciences at UCSF, said the scholars focused on “patient preference, respect, and compassion” when developing the new language guidelines.

“As patients more frequently view their imaging reports, it is imperative that reporting language be respectful, supportive and compassionate without raising false expectations and also reflect patient preference,” they wrote.

The new recommendations also reflect changes in society, Scoutt and Norton wrote.

“Phrases considered acceptable in the past may now be associated with unforeseen negative implications. Imprecise and inaccurate language may also be misinterpreted by the judicial or legislative systems and result in denial of appropriate, potentially life-saving intervention,” they wrote.

MORE: Leading ‘reproductive justice’ professor insists fetal heartbeats do not exist

IMAGE: StudentsForLife/YouTube, Society of Radiologists/Radiology journal

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