Reflections

I began this project with the intention of remaining relatively unbiased in my blog posts regardless of my anti-abortion stance and how my opinions might change throughout my research. I found, however, that remaining unbiased, even outside of the posts, became easier as time went on because the more information I learned about the issue, the more I began to earnestly sympathize with each side of the debate. I learned that no side or aspect of the abortion debate is as simple as it may seem initially and that understanding this concept is the key to organizing your personal opinion. The abortion debate may be "black and White" in your mind, but it is not so plainly colored in the minds of every person around you. It is important to stick to personal convictions but it is helpful to learn to back up your opinions with logic as well. I learned that in this debate you don't necessarily have to be Pro-life, Anti-abortion and anti-legalization all at the same time. You don't have to be Pro-abortion to be Pro-choice. There are many different facets that go into this debate considering ethics, politics, circumstances, and principle.
Throughout this project I learned a lot about research. In studying a bilateral debate it is important to receive information from both sides of the argument because most sources you implement will be somewhat biased. You have to constantly measure what you read against what you already know and the original ideas that you construct. It is also important to check your sources and be sure that the information is credible. There are a lot of people with opinions on an issue as heated as abortion who throw their ideas into your pool of resources and present them as fact when they are not. I learned that it is important to construct a well rounded argument and not to focus on just a singular idea.
Through out the process of trying to update my blog I learned a lot about conveying personal and academic ideas. It is important to write out what you are trying to say in the clearest way imaginable so that your opinion is not misunderstood and readers can follow your train of thought. The tone and wording used in writing such as this deserves great attention because you don't want to be offensive and you want to get your point across. The issue is important to you so you want the audience to listen but the topic is also an emotional issue that deserves respect.
Throughout my blog I attempted to remain professional but warm and to refrain from being offensive.
In interacting with classmates regarding the project I was greatly encouraged to become more proactive in informing myself on the facts of current public issues. I learned about the diversity of ideas and of opinions. I learned how to defend my own opinion as well as to question the opinions of others. I learned to attack at the root of the point being made and to think critically about the implications that came with my assertions. I also learned how topics inter relate. Stem cell research and various other forms of biological experimentation has risen into an ethical debate as a result of the tension over abortion. Political identification links the abortion issue with the issue of capital punishment where the value of the human life is commonly and contradictorily questioned.
Through the span of this project I learned the negative results that come from a lack of information or understanding in things of worth. The reason these debates have become as ugly as they have is because so few people make the effort to consider the big picture. Public issues are important. They are related. They affect us socially, morally and politically. They affect us everyday.

Check These Out...

I have truly enjoyed watching the blogs for this project evolve as we all developed and expanded our ideas. With each post I read, I learned new information about the major public issues facing our world today and their effects on our culture that I didn't know before. If you haven't already, I would strongly advise you to check out any or all of these three posts.

Save Darfur is a dynamic blog with a lot of information and variety packed into it's posts. I migrated towards this blog originally because I really care about this topic but found myself continually visiting because of the specific information being added within the posts. I like how Kristy keeps the issue raw and personal. It's not merely an issue to be debated or a current event to be recorded but it is the true story of people's daily life and I think Kristy does a good job of not forgetting that principle. I also like how Kristy interacts with comments being made on her blog and questions being asked by the rest of the world at large. She incorporates all of this into furthering her ideas.

People Shouldn't Kill People, So Neither Should the Government is an exceptional blog to visit in order to gain insight into the death penalty debate. As a freshmen class this summer, we were told to read a book focusing on this issue and upon arriving at UNC were then asked to discuss it. It seems like the issue might feel stale by now but one look at this blog and you will know it is far from it. The Capital Punishment debate only seems to be climbing higher in the rankings of important public issues, and therefore it is imperative that you stay aware. Jeff does an excellent job of presenting his argument clearly and logically. He supports all of his points with facts and remains sensitive to the touchy issue at hand. He covers many facets within the capital punishment debate, which not only aids in pulling his ideas together, but opens the doors for new ideas.

Marriage: The Sex is Always the Same is a positively original blog which I truly enjoyed visiting. Whatever your opinion on this issue, this blog is one that you can get information and understanding out of while being entertained by the author's witty tone. Patrick does an excellent job at connecting the public issue in broader terms beyond it's effect on us here in the United States. His points were enlightening and thought provoking. Patrick makes his own opinions clear, but his writing seems to encourage readers to also think for themselves.

Want to Learn more About this Topic?

Type in the the word "abortion" to any major search engine and a slew of sites will appear, all with differing perspectives and amounts of coverage addressing different aspects of the issue. You will learn a great deal fairly quickly if you take the time to read. It is important to keep in mind, however, that since abortion is such a divisive debate the sites about abortion often contain biased perspectives. The media may be rich in logical fallacies and emotionally charged statements. It's primary focus may be to persuade the reader, and at times this occurs at the expense of truth. When reading these sites take in the information, but be sure to compare it to your previously acquired knowledge and original thoughts. Be prepared to make your own assumptions of the validity of the arguments presented.

Abort73 is a Pro-life site that I found very useful and found myself reverting back to quite often. It is a little radical in some of it's arguments, but overall I believe it presents a broad spectrum of valid information. It contains not only a clear layout of a pro-life argument, but an in depth analysis of the debate. The site covers the history of abortion, it's legality, and up to date statistics. The site is personal and informative. I especially appreciated the ease with which a visitor may navigate the site.

Abortion Facts is a clearly presented site which provides a large range of information on the issue. The site does a pretty good job of remaining neutral on the issue, presenting the arguments for both sides of the debate in a symmetrical format. This site also provides good links to more information on abortion in general as well as the debate. It links visitors to other issues that correlate with abortion.


Hope Clinic is the official website of an abortion clinic located in Illinois, and I actually found it as a relevant source for information. It is helpful for understanding the how the practice of abortion is presented to someone who might be interested. Viewing the sight gives insight into the practical and personal aspects of abortion and it's relevance to our culture. The Clinic's site also provides a helpful time line of the history of abortion and the abortion debate.


Just Facts is an impressively unbiased website worth checking out. It contains information on the practice and on the debate. The site presents the facts behind the arguments of the debate clearly, but even more impressively it encourages readers to think independently about the facts being presented.

I went through the list of all the sites I visited throughout this project and choose the four I found the most beneficial and quite frankly, the most interesting as a whole. I hope you enjoy!

How could this go down? (Implications Post)

Every side of the abortion debate holds it's share of emotionally charged arguments and logical fallacies. Personalized, accusatory and faulty arguments are the reasons for which the debate is so divisive. It's hard not to visit a string of Pro-Life sites without once reading references to women who seek abortions as being "murderers." It is hard not to run across the name "religious zealots," denoting the pro-lifers, while scanning pro-choice sites. Both sides neglect to recognize the positive intentions of the opposing view and instead condense the argument to simplified logic void of morals or intellect.
Pro-life debaters seem to forget that those who are pro-choice do not wish to promote abortion necessarily. They do not believe in abortion, as much as they believe in the right for a woman to decide for herself whether of not she is in favor of the procedure. Using the term "pro-life" seems to beg the claim that the opposing view is "pro- death."
Pro-choice supporters seem to forget that not everyone who is pro-life is as judgmental and closed minded as choice activists like to claim they are. Pro-lifers are not unintelligent and they are not against feminism. They may simply believe that life begins before most abortions would occur and logic tells them it would be wrong for the government to tolerate the termination of such life. Maybe they believe the potential for human life should hold a more significant wait within the legal system then the mother's rights of free will.
If understanding does not take root between both sides of the debate sometime soon; the problem will only grow worse. Hatred for the opposing view will only increase and with that will grow a greater lack of tolerance. The intolerance has already become evident in our culture in the rude remarks made in the classroom, the radical picketing on the streets and the violence outside of clinics.

Ending the Debate or Ending the Hate? (Theory Posting)

Abortion is a multi-faceted issue to say the least. It affects people around the world in different ways and for wildly differing reasons. For some, it is an extremely emotional topic; it is a choice they are forced to confront personally or to personally witness the effects of. Some feel strongly about the issue because they view it as the center piece of some moral injustice or legal dilemma. Some are radical in their beliefs favoring one side, pro-life/outlaw of abortion or pro-choice/legalization of abortion. Some strongly hold an opinion in the middle, such as those who support legalization but with heavy restrictions. The debate as a whole, however, rages on with intensity no matter the reasoning or perspectives of those involved.
How can this debate be brought to an end? That fact is: I don't believe it can. People will always disagree on this issue. Why? Perhaps because it has such a moral and ethical undertone. When we talk about abortion, we are considering the potential murder of thousands of lives. We are discussing the denial of the right to make life-altering decisions that should not be denied without proper cause. Most people believe what they believe on the basis of personal moral conviction, if not for religious reasons. The abortion debate, through it's history, has become tied to religious identification. The catholic church, for instance, has always been quick to voice their opinion publicly through the Vatican. The debate has also gained political reigns. Abortion debates have found themselves screeched through megaphones and recorded through microphones. Politicians instill their position on abortion into their election platforms. The pro-life position of abortion is linked directly with the United State's republican party and the pro-choice position is a part of the identity of the more liberal United States democratic party. With such strong ties to politics as well as religion, the abortion argument has become a part of our culture as well. it is a common topic of discussion across cultural, economic, and age demographics. It is in the media and in the home. The argument has infiltrated numerous aspects of human thought. This religious, political, and cultural infiltration is the reason why the abortion debate has become so heated.
If it won't end, what can be done? I believe the most important step that needs to be taken is a step in understanding. People ought not to judge everyone who does not hold the same opinion as them, but rather ought to take the time to understand and even appreciate some of the reasons for support on the opposing side. People may come to learn the fundamental interests they do agree upon and then may be able to make progress from that perspective. For instance, both sides value human life, simply in different ways. Pro-life activists value the protection of human existence while Pro-choice supporters value the quality of human life.We can unite under that intention of bettering the human experience, by trying to limit the need for abortion. Just because a person is pro-choice does not mean they like the idea of having abortions, it simply means they believe women should be allowed the right to make that choice if need be. Of course abortion, even for the most adamant of all pro-choice activists, is not a procedure one would go looking to have. Both sides may unite to promote safe sex practices which would limit the need to come to this decision in the first place. Of course focusing on this one issue will not dissolve the argument or tension of abortion. My point is simply that we must concentrate on the positives that can come out of shared ideas rather than focusing simply on "evil" of the opposing view. It is this misdirected attention that has caused abortion to become such a divisive debate to begin with.