L.A. TImes Changes 'Pro-life' to 'Anti-abortion'

A Los Angeles Times critic is up in arms because the paper changed the "pro-life" language in his review of an opera - and the opera has absolutely nothing to do with abortion.

According to LA Observed, critic Mark Swed's review of the Richard Strauss opera "Die Frau Ohne Schatten," which described the work as "an incomparably glorious and goofy pro-life paean," was altered to say "anti-abortion" instead of "pro-life."

While the opera extols motherhood, it makes no references to abortion, and Swed was in a sweat over the Times' altering his writing to imply something he had not intended to infer.

But his anger reportedly mounted after the Times ran a correction that failed to make it clear that Swed was not responsible for the error, stating only that "A review of Los Angeles Opera's 'Die Frau Ohne Schatten' in Tuesday's Calendar section incorrectly characterized the work as 'anti-abortion.' In fact, there is no issue of abortion in the opera, which extols procreation."

As a result, the Times ran another correction stating that "A correction in Wednesday's paper about the review of Los Angeles Opera's 'Die Frau Ohne Schatten' incorrectly implied that it was the reviewer who characterized the work as 'anti-abortion' in Tuesday's Calendar.

"As the correction should have made clear, the lead paragraph submitted by the reviewer was incorrectly changed to include the term 'anti-abortion.' There is no issue of abortion in the opera, which extols procreation." (The Times just can't bring itself to use such a politically incorrect word as "motherhood," which is what the opera is all about).

Commented one LA Observed reader: "The goofball editor who changed Swed's piece must have thought "pro-life" sounded too benign and pleasant. In his or her mind - likely biased in a liberal direction - "anti-abortion" probably sounded more appropriately pushy and rigid.

"Of course, that same editor never would have considered it necessary to change the phrase 'pro-choice,' were it in Swed's article, to 'pro-abortion.'"

Notes LA Observed: "As of March 3, at 4 p.m., the erroneous story than ran in the paper" remains on the LAT website with no correction attached.

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