On October 17th, The Daily Universe, the official student publication of Brigham Young University, published an article entitled “Utah Women Rally for Reproductive Rights, Voter Action.” Written by Daegan Beus, the article detailed events that took place on October 12th at a rally on Utah’s Capitol Hill. The event, hosted by Green Wave Utah, sought to “empower women to vote and stand for their rights to reproductive care.”
Immediately, backlash ensued against the newspaper’s use of the term “reproductive care,” a pro-abortion euphemism frequently employed to advocate for the killing of the unborn. The term, used many times in the article, downplays and disguises the actual intent of the women’s rally: to call for the “right” to abort babies.
Hundreds of comments flooded the Daily Universe’s X and Instagram posts, calling for BYU to “do better.” Senator Mike Lee of Utah took to X, commenting, “Why do we have to put up with this at BYU?” In defense of the article and in response to Mike Lee, KUTV released a piece criticizing Lee for asking the article to be taken down, juxtaposing Lee’s stance on free speech with his response, stating that “the article was a straightforward report on the rally and didn’t delve into differing points of view.” The piece also referenced the Church’s stance on abortion and birth control, noting that “despite church direction leaving family planning to families… there was a swift social media backlash from anti-abortion advocates… with Lee’s being one of the latest and more prominent voices in the group.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is clear about its stance on abortion. In anticipation of the upcoming presidential election, the church released a statement reaffirming its pro-life position: “As states work to enact laws related to abortion, Church members may appropriately choose to participate in efforts to protect life.” The Church’s official stance on abortion can be found here.
In reaction to the backlash, the Daily Universe promptly shut down comments on multiple Instagram and X posts, eliminating discussion on their choice of verbiage. According to Joshua Carr, a student and writer at the Daily Universe, BYU “reached out to us at the Universe and said ‘there is nothing wrong with the story.’”
Referencing the article, BYU Communications stated: “This article was an academic and learning exercise in a student media organization. As a School of Communications, we sustain the leaders, doctrines and positions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
The Cougar Chronicle affirms the sanctity of life as affirmed by Church leaders, doctrine, and teachings. While we understand the role of the Daily Universe in reporting on Utah political events, we take major issue with the employment of the term “reproductive care” to deceptively describe the killing of the unborn. We call on the Daily Universe and BYU Administration to stand firm on the side of protecting life, even when reporting on pro-abortion rallies and events. In short, we wholeheartedly agree with Elder Maxwell’s caution against using soft words to describe “dark deeds”:
“Ironically, as some people become harder, they use softer words to describe dark deeds. This, too, is part of being sedated by secularism! Needless abortion, for instance, is a ‘reproductive health procedure’…”
The Cougar Chronicle reached out to the Daily Universe for comment and has yet to receive a response. This article will be updated accordingly.
Written by: Adam Blake, Jax Mckinney, and Jacob Christensen
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Cover Photo Source: https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2024/10/15/reproductive-freedom-is-on-the-ballot-it-will-take-all-of-us-to-protect-our-rights/
