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.