Running head: WOMENS HEALTH ISSUES

A Visual and Rhetorical Analysis on Womens Health Issues: Contraceptives

April Vasquez
University of Texas at El Paso

Running head: WOMENS HEALTH ISSUES

Womens Health Issues: Contraceptives

The War of Womens Healthcare is Real is a ten minute video that talks about one of the
many issues women come across their live time. The short documentary brings attention and
outlines the importance of contraceptives options.
Audience and Purpose
The audience in the case would be young women and older women that can understand
the importance of contraceptives, men that have wives/ girlfriends and that are sexually active.
Not only them but politicians that may be against or for womens healthcare for contraceptives
The video is to persuade and inform these particular people that men shouldnt be the ones to
make a decision that involves a womens health Dr. Kimberly Shepherd stated, we have a men
raging a war on women and womens health care it is completely wrong for politics to be
getting involved in this issue (Whiteside, 2012). To be able to have access to these
contraceptives. In my own option I think that the language is very formal and may catch many
viewers attention.
Ethos
The three main speakers are high women figures, Stephanie Schriock is a President for a
program called Emilys List, Dr. Kimberly Shepherd is an OBGYN, and lastly is Lois Capps she
is a politician for California. These three women are the only countering the information and
speaking for womens rights in this video, the other clips the creator puts in are of all male
newscasters, radio hosts, and politicians. In one hand we have a women politician, Lois Capps
and she mentions, A way of control for the ruling class which is the men is to subjugate the
women, and one of the most effective ways to do that is to deny access to reproductive health
(Whiteside, 2012), and in the other we have a radio talk show host and conservative political

Running head: WOMENS HEALTH ISSUES

commentator, Rush Limbaugh that says, If we are going to pay your contraceptive pay for
you to have sex, then we want you to post the videos online. (Whiteside, 2012). The women of
this video want to speak out and protect themselves from radio people like Limbaugh who have
no one else to speak for but himself.
Pathos
This video can be seen as very strong if you dont understand where the people that are
in the video are coming from. I say this video can be seen as strong because the women that
come out are very assertive and want their message to be heard. The gestures being used by the
men in the video that come out in black and white are very controlling. The voice that the three
main women use is very forceful, they want to be heard not only by the viewers of the video but
from all the male politicians that are representing women when they are not women
themselves. The three main speakers Dr. Shepherd, Stephanie Schriock and Lois Capps state
within the video many times We as women, the word Our as in women in general,
(Whiteside, 2012). Not only that but they want something to be done, they arent saying it to
waste their breath. The video states, We are going to fight, and We HAVE to win (Whiteside.
2012) meaning that they are in what they think is a war because there is no women
representation what so ever among all the political parties, especially when they have the
discussion of a womens healthcare, contraceptives, ext. The music that the creator of this video
put in makes the viewer think about the situation that is going on. When displaying information
about women, the panels were on a white screen with colorful lettering. This can imply that
people should consider the information and open their eyes to all the statistics.

Logos

Running head: WOMENS HEALTH ISSUES

All the facts on the video all appear to be on the yellow screens with black lettering, the
statistics on the other hand are all on white panels with bright colors of lettering. Many of the
facts given are amendments and or laws that have been already passed which in my opinion are
very reliable and credible. In my opinion the overall message of this video is about how women
are not being represented by high figure women when it is time to be represented. Instead we are
being represented by men that do not know what we women might go through. Therefore they
have no evidence per say to back them up when they do speak for us. Dr. Kimberly Shepherd
mentions, A womens healthcare should not even be discussed in the political room
(Whiteside, 2012). Many of the male representives that represent us women that dont know the
other reasons why women take birth control. One of the facts that is on the video says that
contraceptions have other uses: regulating periods, some use it for menstrual cramps, to lower
risks of ovarian cancer, it can be used as a treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome, clearing up
different types of acne and many more (Whiteside, 2012)
In conclusion this ten minute video can be seen as a video that talks about one of the
many issues on womens healthcare of contraceptions. It can also be seen and taken the way I
interpreted it, which was on how women are not being represented in a political room when
women related issues are being said.

Running head: WOMENS HEALTH ISSUES

References
Whiteside, C. (2012, July 30). The War on Womens Health is Real. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejYoV_UzGFk