The Importance of Abortion Legislation

   Each year, nineteen to twenty million abortions are had by individuals without the credentials needed to perform this medical procedure and/or in environments below medical standards. Women protesting for abortion legislation led to the passing of Roe v. Wade (1973) and the decrease in unsafe abortions. The recent overturning of this legislature causes great worry that the number of unsafe abortions will increase in the United States and, in turn, will raise the number of maternal death in the US. The state of Oregon currently has no laws restricting abortion; all other states in the United States should follow Oregon’s policies. 

   In 2020, Guttmacher reported 930,160 abortions nationally which is a one-and-a-half percent increase from 2019, where 916,460 abortions were reported. Abortions hit their peak in 1990 and have been on a steady decline since. Unsafe abortions remain one of the most neglected global public health challenges. Ninety-seven percent of unsafe abortions are done in developing countries. In addition, millions more of these women are faced with additional complications that are sometimes permanent. Some causes of death due to unsafe abortions include hemorrhage, infection, and poisoning. Legislation helps protect women seeking abortion and, in some cases, can save their life. 

Outline: 

• What Oregon’s policies are 
• How it is beneficial
• More on why other states should adopt these policies.

The Importance of Abortion Legislation

   Women have been protesting for their rights since the early 1800s. They started by protesting about limitations that were placed on women after the American Revolution, and then that turned into the right to vote and representation in government, and then abortion rights.  While these protests have been going on, they have also been met with backlash, and this is no different when it comes to protests for abortion access. These protests led to the passing of Roe v. Wade and the decrease in unsafe abortions. The recent overturning of this legislature causes great worry that the number of unsafe abortions will increase in the United States and, in turn, will raise the number of maternal death in the US.

   In 2020, Guttmacher reported 930,160 abortions nationally which is a one-and-a-half percent increase from 2019, where 916,460 abortions were reported. Abortions hit their peak in 1990 and have been on a steady decline since. In addition, each year, nineteen to twenty million abortions are had by individuals without the credentials needed to perform this medical procedure and/or in environments below medical standards. Unsafe abortions remain one of the most neglected global public health challenges. Ninety-seven percent of these abortions are done in developing countries. In addition, millions more of these women are faced with additional complications that are sometimes permanent. Some causes of death due to unsafe abortions include hemorrhage, infection, and poisoning. Legislation helps protect women seeking abortion and, in some cases, can save their life.

For my passion blog, I will continue last semester’s blog and review movies. For my civic issues blog, I will discuss abortion. I will take on the issue from both sides and also discuss the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade and how that has affected women across the country.

I believe in taking time to help those less fortunate than you. Growing up, I was always taught that it is essential to see the best in people and fully understand their situation before making a judgment about them. From a young age, my parents taught me the importance of donating to charities and volunteering. My mother, a stay-at-home mom, was very active in our community, ranging from helping at my elementary school to being my Girl Scout leader. I followed by example, and in high school, I became involved with my school’s intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) program. 

In my sophomore year, I joined a club called Best Buddies, which matches students with and without disabilities in a one-to-one friendship. The department matched me with Romina, a freshman at my school with down syndrome. I quickly picked up how she expressed herself and what she liked, and we became fast friends. Over the next three years, Romina was my buddy, and I was able to help her in and outside of the classroom. After graduating high school, my younger sister became her buddy, and she is working to form a similar friendship with her. 

In my senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to have a class period of the day with an IDD class and be on the leadership board for Best Buddies. In addition, I served as membership director for my chapter. I created successful friendships between students and created and facilitated events for all students at my school to come together. During the school day, when I spent my time with the CAT B kids, I formed a new appreciation for special education teachers as I learned what they go through on a daily basis. I also formed bonds with over thirty of the CAT B student who all have different IDDs. I learned how to adjust how I talk to them without making them feel inferior to me, and I learned how to communicate in new ways. I became close with nonverbal students and was always excited to see their faces light up when I entered the room because they spotted a familiar face. I helped them learn and grow, and they did the same for me equally, if not more.

For my passion blog, I will either continue with my movie reviews but extend the type of movies to just movies I enjoy instead of romantic comedies. Or for my second idea, I will write a travel blog talking about my experiences in the different countries and states I have visited.

For my Civic Issues blog, my first idea is to write about gun control, and my second is to write about abortion access and the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade. As a political science major and someone from Washington DC, these issues are important to me and directly tie into my major and future life goal of being a lawyer.

For my “This I Believe” Podcast, my first idea is to talk about the power of positivity and the importance of appreciating the small things in life. My second idea is to talk about how important it is to volunteer and spend time with those less fortunate than you.

   For our third unit, “History of a Public Controversy,” my first idea is people’s opinions on vaccines. I think this would be interesting because people have crazy opinions, such as there are government trackers in the Covid vaccine. Also, new parents aren’t vaccinating their kids because they believe it connects to autism. Also, old diseases are coming back because parents refuse to vaccinate their kids. Another idea is the death penalty controversy, as people have opposing views on it. I think if this topic were selected, both sides would be interesting to explore, and we could also discuss prisons and the capacity of prisons being reached.  

TedTalk Slides

Elevator Pitch

   I think one of the most interesting Ted Talks is “My son was a Columbine shooter. This is my story | Sue Klebold.” I find this an interesting Ted Talk because it talks about two things I am passionate about gun control and mental health. The Columbine school shooting left 13 dead (12 students and one teacher) and over 20 people injured. In addition, the shooting left the students and faculty at the school traumatized and families distraught. This Ted Talk is fascinating because of who the speaker is. Sue Klebold has such a unique perspective on the topic and can provide answers to questions many people have when first learning about the Columbine shooting. Many people first think to blame the shooters’ parents, but this Ted Talk shows Sue Klebold feels immense guilt and actively does her part in advocating for gun control and mental health. 

Link to Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXlnrFpCu0c 

   For my Ted Talk, I have three ideas. My first idea is the evolution of women in media. I would discuss all media types, including television, movies, and music. I would most likely start by discussing Marylin Monroe and transition into famous women in the 80s/90s, such as Olivia Newton-John, Madona, and Britany Spears. Then I would include current controversies such as men being favored in award shows or lack of representation of women in general and women of color. Next, I would talk about how Marvel started by having few women, mainly sexualizing them, and moved into a more modern and feminist view of women. To end, I would talk about how Taylor Swift, arguably one of the most famous musicians, is constantly criticized compared to other male artists. 

   My second idea relates to my first, as I could strictly discuss the evolution of Taylor Swift in media and relate it to how women are treated in mass media. I could also talk about her controversies in music, such as rerecording her albums – which is unheard of in the music world – and being interrupted by Kanye at the 2009 Video Music Awards (which wouldn’t have happened if she were a man). My third idea is the evolution of women in government, ranging from Jeannette Rankin (the United States’ first congresswoman) to Sandra Day O’Connor (the first woman on the Supreme Court) to Kamala Harris (the first woman vice president). I think this best relates to my major: political science. I can also tie this to my aspiration to become a lawyer and talk about the women on the Supreme Court.

   I think my speech was strong because I could get my point across effectively. After listening to my speech, I believe the audience will be able to identify my artifacts, clearly understand my thesis, and see the lens I chose to dissect the artifact. In my future speeches, I will continue to work on my deliverance. I think I had a good tone throughout my speech and I believe I spoke clearly. Next time I could definitely work on better memorizing my speech more thoroughly, so I don’t have to reference my notes as often. In addition, I could use better hand gestures to ensure that the video portion of my speech best captivates the audience. 

   I watched Jane Greco’s speech. Her speech was strong and she had a great tone. It was easy to identify their artifact, understand their thesis, and see the lenses they used to analyze their artifact. I have read her essay drafts and in comparison to her speech, I think she did a great job at picking out the key points and emphasizing their roles and impacts. In addition, Jane’s opening was able to catch the audience’s attention and she held their attention throughout her speech. It is clear Jane practiced her speech before giving it and it doesn’t look like she is reading off the screen or her notes. I think that how Jane chose to include a quote from Thunberg shows how deeply she analyzed the artifact and better explained the artifact to the audience. I think that how Jane included two pictures from Thunberg’s speech was a good way to show her audience the artifact and further analyze it without having to explain it more. I think the pictures she chose, out of the many she could have picked, were picked strategically because she addressed certain parts of her facial expression from the picture in the speech.