I'm responding to comments by Sharon Larson, RN, BS, who objected to your use of terms such as "fetal tissue" and "products of conception" in an article about caring for women after a miscarriage ("Insensitive Language," Letters, November 2005). Clearly the author of the article wasn't advocating the use of those terms when speaking to a patient who's had a miscarriage. We're all perfectly capable of selecting our own words when speaking to patients.

Because this article was written from an objective point of view for nursing professionals, I'd expect professional terminology to be used. I don't agree that terms such as "fetus" and "fetal tissue" can be desensitizing to nurses. These terms may serve to keep us from becoming too emotionally involved with a patient's pain and grief.

Nurses recognize that the "products of conception" are a "living, developing baby"; many of us have had these "products" ourselves.

LAUREL M. HARPER, LVN

Torrance, Calif.