A woman who is pregnant is not "expecting" a child. She already has one. The child exists and is living and growing in her womb. She is not about to bring the child "into the world." The child is already in the world. The mother's womb is as much in the world as the mother herself.
The pregnant woman is not "going to be" a mother. She already is a mother. By saying she is "going to be" a mother, we inadvertently reinforce the notion that motherhood begins at birth. This reinforces the idea that the child really is a child only at birth.
A pregnant woman is fully a mother. She does not have "half" a child, or a child "on the way." ("On the way" from where? to where?) The child is here, already in the world, fully unique and in possession of the same dignity as every other person.
If our language reflects this reality, we will help the world to understand that children in the womb are indeed members of the human family-right here and now!
[Frank Pavone]
Psalm 127:3 ... Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.❤
