"Linguistic Minuet"

What a pretty euphemism for Damnable Liars arguing Damned Lies.

"Thus began a kind of linguistic minuet, as the judges reached for acceptable nomenclature for a hypothetical baby that the law might not regard as a person. [Chief Justice] McLachlin tried ‘object’ and ‘being’ and, at one cringeworthy point, referred to it as ‘this, um, dead, um, whatever.’ Her colleagues didn’t fare much better. During a discussion of the applicability of mens rea, Justice Michael Moldaver, a former criminal lawyer who joined the court one year ago, referred to the infant in such cases as ‘the thing’.”

LSN

Here's hoping that "Justice" (cringe) McLachlin's relatives will inscribe: "Here Lies this, um, Dead, um, Whatever" on her gravestone. 
.