My Thoughts on Comments: Planned Parenthood

Reading through online comments from CBS’s article on Planned Parenthood and fetal tissue sales was not easy for me.  I am a feminist and strong pro-choice believer, and disagree vehemently with many of the arguments against abortion and Planned Parenthood.  However, as I was reading I had to keep my temper in check, and logically work through each argument presented.  I found the amount of not credible comments outnumber the amount of credible ones.  Here are a couple examples of each.

CREDIBLE COMMENTS

Ossanna, Lia. "Screenshot of Georgex9 comment."
8/28/15 via http://www.cbsnews.com/news/planned-parenthood-health-services-beyond-abortion/

Georgex9 does not exude extreme fear or anxiety, beyond wishing for Planned Parenthood to remain open.  S/he supports the health services the organization provides, believing they are necessary and should be available to everyone.  Georgex9’s beliefs are more prominent, revolving mainly around secular values.  This is obvious from the Secular Coalition for America quote at the end.  S/he also refers to abortions as “medical knowledge”, a positive and praising term.

The introduction of the comment, beginning with explaining the circumstances of Biblical times, shows Georgex9 understands the religious side’s argument.  S/he then goes onto refute their position, explaining how “tribal mentality” is no longer relevant today.  The sequence of the argument is clear.  Georgex9 was not inflammatory or belligerent.  Closing with a quote from the Secular Coalition for America strengthened his/her position, and gave the comment validity.

Ossanna, Lia. "Screenshot of Some Stuff comment."

8/28/15 viahttp://www.cbsnews.com/news/planned-parenthood-health-services-beyond-abortion/

Some Stuff mostly wishes for aborted fetuses to get the respect s/he believes they deserve, rather than be discarded casually into general medical waste dumps.  Some Stuff is pro-life, believing Planned Parenthood workers have a “cavalier attitude” towards abortions, which is “sickening.”  S/he also believes that women who choose to have an abortion simply because they do not want the baby, and refers to abortions as “killing.”  This implies condescending disrespect for women who choose to have abortions.

While Some Stuff is more flippant than Georgex9, s/he does bring up a fair point: if not tissue sales to researches, where is the fetal tissue disposed?  Those who are against tissue sales have not provided a strong argument for an alternative of what to do with the tissue after an abortion.  Some Stuff’s argument that tissue sales at least provide some knowledge and opportunity is rational.  Although Some Stuff does have a clear opinion on abortion, s/he seems more open minded about reaching resolution than some raging commenters.

NOT CREDIBLE COMMENTS

Ossanna, Lia. "Screenshot of Stepfordfox comment."

8/28/15 viahttp://www.cbsnews.com/news/planned-parenthood-health-services-beyond-abortion/

Stepfordfox is afraid of people (or of him/herself) losing their rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  S/he desires for everyone to have someone to turn to for support when considering abortion (presumably, the comment was not clear).  The angry tone of the second paragraph emanates severer anxiety than either of Some Stuff or Georgex9.  

In addition to valuing patriotism and individual rights, Stepfordfox places a high emphasis on patriarchal values.  S/he believes if a pregnant woman has a man’s support, she will not seek an abortion.  This rings strongly of family values, and the idea that women depend heavily on men.  Also, Stepfordfox endorses the idea a married man and woman are best suited to raise a child.

Mainly this comment lacks credibility because it’s so ambiguous.  The concept of abortion or fetal tissue was not even mentioned – I merely inferred the comment was about abortion.  The implication that women who seek abortions are too alone or afraid to either make a serious decision, or raise a child, is not supported.  It is a broad statement about all women and abortions, when in reality each situation is unique and complex.  Stepfordfox’s last note about taking away rights is also unclear.  Whose rights are being taken away?  The unborn fetus?  The pregnant woman?  Stepfordfox’s comment is so vague it’s nonsensical.

Ossanna, Lia. "Screenshot of Connman250 comment."

8/28/15 viahttp://www.cbsnews.com/news/planned-parenthood-health-services-beyond-abortion/

Connman260 wishes abortion not to be legal, expressing outrage over the fact it is.  S/he is obviously pro-life, viewing abortion as murder.  The description of “chopping a human life to pieces” is intentionally grotesque and provocative.  Connman260 also values following the law, and laws were focused more on things like preserving human life, instead of trivial things like touching bird nests.

The comment is very sparse in substance and lacks a sufficient argument.  Connman260 has equated abortion to “chopping a human life to pieces” without any evidence, which is a pretty drastic claim to not have support for.  The comparison to being forbidden to touch a bird’s nest is also unsupported, vague, and not relevant.  Connman260 failed to address the topics brought up in the article, such as fetal tissue sales, or the other services Planned Parenthood provides.


REFLECTION
The comments Gabee and Bailey found credible were generally longer, which makes sense because those were were credible explained themselves in greater detail than those who just made blanket statements.  I also found this to be true.  We all seemed to favor comments that were moderate, rather than overly inflammatory.  Those with calmer tones generally seem to automatically sound more reasonable, and therefore credible.  We also all seemed to agree comments that don't relate to the subject of the article, or make statements without support are usually not credible.

However, I think I was more picky about which comments were credible.  Part of that might have been because comments of the highest credibility were not available/did not exist for their articles; I know it was hard for me to find comments of any credibility.  From both blogs, I found one of their credible comments actually didn't make as much sense to me as I would want a credible comment to.

My Controversy

Ossanna, Lia. " Screenshot of CBS article 'Abortion controversy overshadows Planned Parenthood health services.'" 8/26/15 via http://www.cbsnews.com/news/planned-parenthood-health-services-beyond-abortion/

In July, heated discussion sparked after a video revealed organization officers discussing selling researchers fetal tissue.  CBS was among many news sources reporting on the issue, arguing that the focus on the tissue sales “overshadows Planned Parenthoodhealth services.”

This issue bled heavily into the nascent 2016 presidential election debates.  GOP Senator Ernst proposed cutting all Planned Parenthood funding, leading many Republican candidates to denounce the organization in the first Republican candidate debate.

However, CBS and Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards are emphasizing all of the health services the organization supplies, many of which are not related to abortion: contraceptive resources, STI testing, and breast cancer screening. The focus on simply the abortion sector is misleading and even dangerous.  Senator Ernst’s drastic reaction is potentially illegal under the “freedom of choice” Medicaid provision.

I am a feminist, and will not shy away from the controversial issue of reproductive rights.  Women’s rights, human rights, and fighting patriarchy is not only a passion for me: it’s a necessity.  My fundamental identity is based off believing in equality.  I strive to increase my understanding of the complexities and politics of race, gender, sexuality, income inequity, nationality, and culture; all of which create the billions of unique and deserving individuals.

Calender Reflection

Lee, See-ming. "SML Notebooks/20090903.10D.52443/SML"
9/3/09 via Flickr. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License

It’s a tad overwhelming to see how much time homework and classes take up.  I originally thought I would have a couple free hours each day.  In actuality, although I will have a bit of time for myself, most of my day will be spent working.

Yes, this is daunting.  Even though I attended an academically rigorous high school, I’ll need to work harder in college staying focused and productive.  But it is reassuring to know I will have time to get everything done.

I understand how Harry and Ron felt entering their 6^th year at Hogwarts.  Suddenly, they were given this beautiful gift of extra hours between fewer classes – but they weren’t as free as they initially seemed.  I’m spending less time inside the classroom, but that time will be made up for in the library.  Of course, Harry and Ron had magic to make life better.  And also Hermione.


Wow are we all stressed.  It's surprising to me that it seems most of us were under the same impression, that we would have lots of free time, but then realized most of it will be taken up by homework.  Why weren't we prepared for this?  Is it because movies and entertainment give an unrealistic picture of what college is like?  Why didn't all those college tours we took say something about the huge time commitment class alone would be?  There's been a lot of focus on clubs, groups, events, and general "college experience", but not a lot on the false allure of free time.  This assignment seems to be a real wake up call for all of us.  That being said though, I think some of us may be panicking too much, in a knee-jerk reaction to this news.  It's hard not to freak out, but the general hysteria coming from these blogs is probably not necessary.  Hopefully over the next few days we can all calm down and understand this all is possible, despite the work.

Replies:
Betsy
Michaela

My Writing Process

In analyzing what type of writer I am, I've found what really allows my writing its full potential is discussing with another about my ideas, my argument, and the actual writing itself.  The process of drafting I don't find too difficult.  Although I don't need to talk with someone over everything I write, having spoken with peer editors before has made me a stronger writer, which in turn improves all the writing I attempt.

Search Engine People Blog. "Conversation." 6/30/09 via Flickr.
Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

1) I am a sequential writer.  Half of my difficulties with writing stem from simply motivating myself to begin drafting the work.  For me, spending too much time planning becomes a way of procrastination. I become no longer productive in forming my ideas.

However, I need a bit of planning, because I cannot just jump into the writing itself.  For smaller pieces of work, this planning period can only take a few moments to gather my thoughts, without needing to write any plans down.  For larger works, I need to write down my ideas or talk them out with someone else to get organized and orientated.

Revising is extremely crucial.  I am rarely satisfied with my first drafts.  At most I will use a few sentences or a paragraph from the original rough draft for the final product.  Peer editing helps me first on big ideas, and then with cleaning up syntax.

2) Generally I begin forming ideas loosely, by a list or a chart.  I want an idea of what my argument and structure of the text will be.  From there, starting sentences automatically begin forming in my mind.  

Next I work on drafting.  Sometimes I draft a paragraph, but then need to go back to planning before I can draft another. 

Once a draft is complete, I seek outside advice and opinions.  I start with improving the logic of my argument, the depth of my analysis, and organization.  Once I am satisfied with the overall content, I move onto clarifying phrasing, varying my sentence structure, and cutting excess language.

3) I’m proud to say my writing process has definitely improved over the last couple years.  I have become more efficient at completing writing projects, while also producing higher quality work.  If I have enough initial ideas in the planning phase, momentum builds, and I can complete a draft in one sitting.  After that, it helps me take a break and work on revising the next day.

However, I don’t always keep myself on track.  My process is certainly not fail proof, and unfortunately subjugated to procrastination.  While I am highly uncomfortable allowing time for only one draft, I still don’t work as efficiently as I could.  Starting the writing process early to prevent feeling rushed sometimes makes moderate procrastination along the way tempting.

4) I enjoy the process I have now.  Relying on others for peer editing advice can be discouraging, because I can feel I’m not totally in control of my schedule or writing process.  But I’ve found discussing different viewpoints improve my writing drastically.  Peer editing is very useful because while the work is still my own and my ideas, talking to someone else expands my thoughts and challenges my arguments.

I aim to mainly focus on starting my work early to have plenty of time to complete my process in small chunks instead of being forced to do everything at once.  This means staying focused and dedicated, even with the false allure of procrastinating when a deadline is several long days away.


The two posts I read both described heavier planners than me.  Honestly, I was surprised that Hunter and Olivia both seemed to think their planning part was more important than revising.  That implies a large amount of confidence in their ability to draft well off their plans.  I lack that kind of confidence and drafting skill, and in turning in a paper without much revising, would feel like I wasn't truly putting in my best effort.  However, both of them feel their process works well, demonstrating the writing diversity in our class alone.  Without revising, there is too much pressure on the planning part.  For me, revising more feels safer.