Interview Proposal Regarding Abortion

An interview is scheduled to be conducted with Jonathan Walker, a 70-year-old retiree, about the changing societal views regarding abortion over the course of their lifetime. This document will provide an overview of the issue at hand and a summation of the topics that will be discussed in the interview. Hopefully, this interview will provide a variety of insights into the effect that various social, political, and technological changes have had on the development of this issue and the way it is perceived in American society. An in-depth discussion of the organizations and viewpoints that relate to this issue is necessary to provide the proper context for the discussion of the evolving sociopolitical discussion relating to this topic. This interview should effectively provide a great deal of insight into the volatile history related to the development of abortion rights over the course of American history and the ways in which this topic continues to resonate.

An examination of the various organizations dedicated to both pro-choice and pro-life causes is an excellent way in which to begin to examine the context of this everlasting debate. One of the most prominent of these organizations is the National Abortion Federation, whose website, prochoice.org, is one of the most prominent displays of the pro-choice ideology on the web. This organization is a collective of doctors who conduct abortions and is dedicated to protecting the right of women across the country to have agency over their reproductive health. The website contains information regarding abortion, resources for pregnant women, educational materials for professionals, information regarding legislation related to the topic throughout the United States, and other information. This stands in stark contrast to organizations dedicated to the pro-life movement.

Organizations dedicated to pro-life causes share a remarkably similar organizational structure, despite being diametrically opposed to the actions of the previous organization. The website of the National Right to Life Committee, nrlc.org, exemplifies the structure, views, and goals of these pro-life organizations. The organization consists of a coalition of various local and state groups dedicated to the eradication of abortion. The website contains information about legislative issues related to abortion on both the local and state level, statistics regarding the issue, and hotlines and information designed to persuade pregnant women to choose not to terminate their pregnancies. While the structure and goals of these organizations provide a variety of insights into the views surrounding the issue of abortion, it is important to examine the specific arguments each side makes in favor of their position.

Pro-choice advocates cite a wide variety of reasons why abortion should be kept legal and available. Thomas Friedman, in his article “Why I am Pro-Life” for The New York Times, sums up the pro-choice point of view with his statement that “those who choose to oppose abortion in their own lives for reasons of faith or philosophy should be respected, but those women who want to make a different personal choice over what happens with their own bodies should be respected, and have the legal protection to do so, as well.” This statement exemplifies the belief that the right to choose is a personal health issue that is essential to the personal liberty and privacy of women, and therefore cannot be infringed. While, judging by the title, the article would appear to be a defense of the pro-life point of view, in actuality Friedman skewers the Republican party for calling themselves “pro-life” while ignoring myriad other issues related to the health and safety of the populace and ignoring the welfare of women who would benefit from abortion. These ideas stand in fierce contrast to those of the portion of the population that opposes abortion in all forms.

Pro-life proponents believe that abortion is tantamount to murder, rather than being a personal health concern of the mother. As Gualberto Garcia Jones states in his article for USA Today, entitled “Personhood USA: Life Begins at Fertilization”—“To date, 55 million innocent human beings have been killed by abortion.” The article also summarizes the efforts of the pro-life movement to change the legal definition of personhood to state that life begins at conception, rather than at birth. The viewpoint that abortion is ethically equal to murder is the driving force behind the pro-life movement.

The interview will cover a number of topics that relate to the political and social climate related to abortion and the ways in which it has changed over time. Questions will include: In what ways do you feel that the public consensus on abortion has changed over time? In what ways has the rapid development of technology impacted the discourse surrounding the issue? How do you feel the political discourse surrounding the issue has evolved? How do you believe Roe v. Wade has impacted society as a whole? Do you recall the deep divide between pro-choice and pro-life advocates always existing, or is this a relatively recent phenomenon? What is your personal opinion on the topic of abortion? What life experiences do you believe have helped shape your opinion? Has your opinion on the issue evolved over time? If your opinion has changed, to what do you attribute this transformation? Do you see hope for a societal consensus and resolution surrounding the issue in the future? These questions will provide a variety of insights into the foundation and complexities of the social and political evolution of the abortion debate.

The issue of abortion is an extremely complex and heated subject with dedicated activists on both sides. Pro-life advocates support a woman’s right to choose as a personal health issue, while pro-life advocates view abortion as being equivalent to the murder of unborn children, as a review of the organizations and articles related to the subject reveals. An interview with the subject relating to the evolution and development of this extremely important debate will help clarify a number of the more intriguing and important aspects of this debate.

Works Cited

Gualberto, Garcia Jones. "Personhood USA: Life Begins at Fertilization." USA Today. 6 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/story/2011-11-06/personhood-Mississippi-Initiative-26/51097564/1.

Friedman, Thomas. "Why I Am Pro-Life."The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Oct. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/opinion/sunday/friedman-why-i-am-pro-life.html.

"National Abortion Federation (NAF)."National Abortion Federation (NAF). Web. 17 Mar. 2014. http://www.prochoice.org/.

"National Right to Life | The Nation's Oldest & Largest Pro-Life Organization."National Right to Life. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. http://www.nrlc.org/.