I also note the use of "birth canal" to describe the vagina as if a woman had an exit chute on her baby factory;
I think "birth canal" is a reasonable and common usage designating the entire passage (cervix, vagina, vulva) through which the baby passes during birth. I'm not sure of the context of the article, but it is probably not appropriate at other times (we don't usually speak of menstrual blood or contraceptive devices passing through the birth canal).
and the use of "womb" in place of 'uterus'.
I think "womb" is a common usage, and a word I happen to like, and I don't see how this vitiates the NPOV of the article any more than it would to use "afterbirth" instead of "placenta;" but I agree that "uterus" is synonymous, and I won't defend "womb" to the death - just long enough to say that our articles are directed at a general audience, and I don't see how the word "womb" is any more unscientific than "heart" or "eye."
However, I fully support you in changing factual errors that exist in the article, about whose topic I am essentially uninformed. The article's "talk" section will reach the widest audience for discussing the changes you make, should you feel the need to do so in more detail than you can in the "reasons for edit" box.
Welcome to the Pedia. Matt (Montrealais)
The informed, capable public opinion campaigns by activists on both sides of the abortion debate have, over the course of more than thirty years, loaded the language to the point where it is difficult to select neutral terms.
In a medical or scientific context, the medical terms (cervix, uterus, vagina) are more appropriate since these are the terms used by the medical and scientific community. They are also better defined inasmuch as terms like "birth canal" may mean "vagina" to one person and have a broader definition to another. However, some abortion foes may argue that the scientific terms are an attempt to sanitize the discussion and hide the real meaning.
"Womb," particularly, is used in religious writings and for most readers has connotations of motherliness that the more scientific terms lack. Abortion foes know this and utilize "womb" in their communications.
All of this is just a warmup for trying to get people to agree on whether to use "baby" or "fetus."
Louis who has seen way too much to have any opinion on abortion