Annotated Bibliography on Abortion

Paige Trutna
Mrs. Jank
Interpersonal Communications
12/14/17

Topic: Should abortion be legal or illegal in the United States?
Claim: Many people on the pro-life side argue that abortion should not be legal in the United States because it is murder, and there are many other options if you don’t think you are able to take care of a child.

Annotated Bibliography
Should Abortion Be Legal? Abortion Procon Website. https://abortion.procon.org. N.D.
This website gives reasons for both of the sides in this debate, and it stated that the 14th amendment says depriving “any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” This website talks about the pros and cons of abortion, which I feel could help with our arguments. It uses many examples from different points of view, like morality, government, and legality. There aren’t many limitations with this source, because they are not very biased (given that they have both sides) and they use many sources. We feel that this website can help strengthen our arguments because it talks about both the legality and the morality of abortion and the pro-life side.

Alcorn, Randy. 39 Major Pro-Choice Arguments and Their Refutations. Eternal Perspective Ministries. http://www.epm.org/resources/2010/Feb/18/39-major-prochoice-arguments-and-their-refutations/. Feb. 18, 2010.
On this website, the author is listing pro-choice arguments and explaining how prolifers can refute them. This article is an excerpt from a book written by Randy Alcorn. He is arguing that the pro-life side is correct. To support this argument, he has many examples of things the pro-choice side has argued, and how it is possible to refute them. This source has some limitations- bias and lack of other sources. However, these can be overlooked, given that the author is a published writer. In our debate, we will use the different arguments in this article to refute the other side and make ours stronger. This will be a good source to allow us to see what the other side could potentially argue, and how we could possibly refute it.

The Prolife Argument. The University of Colorado Boulder. https://www.colorado.edu/studentgroups/studentsforlife/argument.html. N.D.
This website talks about the pro-life argument from an objective point of view. It is from the University of Colorado Boulder, which means it is probably reviewed and valid. The authors of this paper aren’t really making an “argument” so to speak, because it is objectively written. However, I think this can be useful. If it is objective, then it allows people to see the pro-life side without forcing it on them. The potential limitation is its objectivity. There are also very good things about this source. It is non-biased, it cites its information, and it is from an official university. The general ideas found in this article about the pro-life argument could be very useful in our presentation. We will be able to provide the audience with information about what we are arguing and why it is relevant.

Brind, Joel. Abortion- Breast Cancer Link [ABC link]: Review of Recent Evidence from Asia. http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehpl/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&sid=5cf939e0-949a-486a-bfeb-08a628722636%40sessionmgr103. Sept. 1, 2017.
This source talks about the potential link between breast cancer and abortions. It states that women who have 1 or more abortions are 160% more likely to have breast cancer. This was recently proven in Asia, and although it is not the United States, it could be very prevalent here. This article was written by Joel Brind, a PHD. He is a qualified person to talk about this issue, because he has a PHD in issues like this. This source also cites its information, and it has many credible sources. It has many info graphics, data sets, and images that allow us to understand the information better. It is a peer-reviewed source, which makes it valid and relevant to the topic. This source has no limitations. Because the source talks about the link between breast cancer and abortions, it will be a good source to use in our presentation about why abortion is negative.

Stewart, Amelia. The Economics of Abortion. Adam Smith Institute. https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/the-economics-of-abortion. N.D.
This source talks about the link between economics and abortions. One of the main points that would be useful in our argument is “Since legalization, the overall birth rate fell by 5% in the US…”. This talks about how since abortion was legalized, birth rate has gone down, so our country isn’t as prominent with people. 5% might not seem like much, but when I did the math, it ended up to be 16, 205, 939 people. That’s a lot of people that could’ve helped in the future. One limitation of this source is its lack of other sources. It doesn’t have any other websites or articles cited. However, it has some strong suits. It isn’t very biased, and it has a lot of data to back up its points. I think that in our presentation, this website could be very useful in bringing up the economics of abortion, along with the legality and morality. I think that with this source, we have a lot of areas covered.

Preliminary Research:
http://www.frc.org/brochure/the-best-pro-life-arguments-for-secular-audiences
https://www.thoughtco.com/arguments-for-and-against-abortion-3534153
https://prolifetraining.com/resources/five-minute-1/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/five-ways-to-actually-be-pro-life-based-on-evidence_us_58f94350e4b086ce58980f52

Video Media Essay

Paige Trutna
Interpersonal Communications
September 25, 2017

 

Video Media
How does video media influence adolescent/teen development?

One of the main ways that video media influences teens is the way it might make them want to change something about themselves or their lifestyle. This can be good or bad, depending on the teen.
When we did the TV programming discussion in class, one of the most surprising things I took away was that most teens, at least here at Lincoln Lutheran, wanted shows that had more positive themes and messages. They said that they liked when shows had a lesson in them, like Full House, or even Disney Channel shows. I guess I was always under the assumption that most teens liked shows that were violent and had some sex. When I heard this point, I was really glad, because just like the teen representatives in our discussion, I like shows that have a positive message, even if they are a little bit cheesy. Additionally, shows with positive themes could affect teens in a good way. If they see something happy or something they can learn from on TV or any sort of video media, they may want to copy it, and it could inspire them to be a better person.
While TV can influence teens in a positive way, I think that it can influence them in a negative way as well. Take 13 Reasons Why, for example. This is one of the most popular shows on Netflix, and it depicts suicide in a gory way, just for entertainment. Even if you don’t think that the show will influence you in a bad way, “our recommendation would be to have your child forego watching this series” (Why We Don’t Think Teens Should Watch 13 Reasons Why). I personally would take this advice. I myself didn’t watch the show because I didn’t think I could handle it.
While a lot of people say this show bad, some people think that it is important for teens to watch the show, because it gives them a better grasp of suicide and what it really is. “I respect anyone’s choice to not watch the show, however, I found it to be an important series to view” (13 Reasons Why You Should Watch 13 Reasons Why). While I can see that it is important to be exposed to suicide and its effects, I don’t think this show did it in an appropriate way. There are many ways to learn about the world’s problems, none of them in this gruesome of a way. Also, if teens watch this show, they could be majorly influenced, and in a bad way. The thought of suicide will always be in the back of their mind, maybe not as something to do, but just as something that they saw as entertainment. They will never really stop watching the series. This could potentially make them have more negative thoughts about life, and their outlook will never truly be the same.
Not only can fictional TV shows like 13 Reasons Why influence teens, but reality TV shows can too. This can be positive or negative, depending on the show. On the negative side, shows like Dance Moms and even Survivor can come to mind. Tom Green, a writer for the Huffington Post and a ex-reality TV star, says that “the easiest way to win the competition for eyeballs in the digital age is to broadcast bad behavior. People like watching train wrecks.” In addition, he argues that reality TV is affecting our society, and making us think that bad behavior is rewarded with a reality show. If teens see bad things depicted on these shows, they will want to copy them, especially if the bad behavior doesn’t have consequences.
On the flip side, some people, like James Poniewozik, think that reality TV is great quality TV for families. He thinks that “reality TV has also become the new version, and maybe the last bastion, of primetime family viewing.” He argues that even though reality TV can be violent and sexy, some shows (like The Voice, MasterChef, Chopped, and the Amazing Race) are very family oriented and can be good viewing for families, especially with kids. Furthermore, reality TV is prime entertainment for families and even though it can be bad, Poniewozik says that he watches reality TV all the time with his kids, and believes that it can be good.
Whether reality TV is good or bad, it can influence teens. It can make them more competitive or make them feel like if they behave badly, they will have more people to relate to. But it can also make them more confident in themselves. If they see things being depicted on TV that are bad, and they know that they don’t do those things, their self confidence could be boosted majorly.
Another thing that could influence teens in video media is ads. We watched a few car commercials and looked through magazines to find what lifestyles ads were promoting. Some were promoting the “rugged warrior” lifestyle, some the “family fun” lifestyle, some the “health freak” lifestyle, and many more. If teens see these ads and like the product they are portraying, they may want to change something about their lifestyle in order to fit in with the stereotype of the product in the ad.
Like I said, teens can be influenced by video media, but it depends on the teen. I’ve watched some shows on Netflix that could’ve influenced my outlook majorly, but I don’t think they have. My personality and interests have changed a little bit because I watched these shows, but I think that’s inevitable. TV shows that I’ve watched haven’t influenced the person I am at my core. On the other end of the spectrum, I know people who have watched shows (like 13 Reasons Why) and have been influenced. Their outlook on life will never truly be the same, and that’s because they’ve seen TV shows, videos, movies, or even advertisements that have made them want to change something about their life.
In conclusion, I think that teens can be influenced by video media. It can make them want to change something about themselves. However, this depends on the show and the teen. Some teens can be influenced in a good or bad way, and some can simply just watch TV without it having an effect on them.