Chelsea Tatum

1) Newspaper Analysis Form

Research Focus (Thesis, topic, etc.): Abortion throughout history

Identifying Information: New York Daily Times June 29, 1853

Title of Article (header lead-in): “Probably Another Murder”

Era or time period when story written: 1850s Victorian Era

Topic of Story: A girl was found dead with arsenic in her stomach and was believed to
have been murdered by her mother and boyfriend after she had an unsuccessful abortion.

How does topic relate to your research focus?: The topic of the story relates to my
research focus because they are both about abortion and since the story took place in the
1850s it fits in with my topic of abortion through history.

What does story say about topic?: The story says that at the time, abortion was a risky
and often unsuccessful procedure. The story also shows that women are often coerced
into having an abortion by boyfriends or family members.

Identify any bias. I didn’t see any bias

2) Newspaper Analysis Form

Research Focus (Thesis, topic, etc.): Abortion through history

Identifying Information: The New York Daily Times February 14, 1854

Title of Article (header lead-in): “The Seduction in High Life-Remarkable Disclosures of

the Victim-Madam Restell Charged with a Felony-Surrender of the Reputed Husband”

Era or time period when story written: 1850s Victorian Era

Topic of Story: A young women had been living with an older man who pretended to be
her husband for seven years. Over that period of time he had forced her to have five
abortions performed by Madam Restell.

How does topic relate to your research focus?: The topic of the story is a historical
abortion and the topic of my research is abortion through history.
What does story say about topic?: The story shows that abortion was illegal and
dangerous in the 1850s. It also shows that many women were forced to have an abortion
against their will.

Identify any bias. Didn’t find any bias

3) Newspaper Analysis Form

Research Focus (Thesis, topic, etc.): Abortion through history

Identifying Information: The Washington Post January 28, 1973

Title of Article (header lead-in): Ann Landers: “It’s OK”

Era or time period when story written: 1970s

Topic of Story: A women writes in to Ann Lander’s advice column to ask her opinion
about abortion on demand.

How does topic relate to your research focus?: The topic of the article is abortion spec.
abortion on demand

What does story say about topic?: The story says that many leaders like Ann Landers,
who women looked to for advice, were whole-hearted supporters of abortion. Landers
says that it is completely the women’s choice and no one else had the right to tell her
what to do.

Identify any bias: Landers is obviously very biased about abortion. She whole-heartedly
condones abortion and thinks it is a women’s right and no one should stop her except a
physician if he thinks her life is in danger.

What can you gain from the information shared, even if is biased? It helped me to
understand how abortion activists view abortion. They believe it is a right and should be
protected as such. They also believe that abortion is a completely personal choice and
should be made only by the pregnant women. Also Landers said nothing about the baby
being a human and possessing any rights, much less the right to life. Apparently that’s
not even on the radar for her or at least she doesn’t like to think about it.
Bonus question: What does bias in news indicate? I think that the bias indicates a refusal
to acknowledge that an unborn baby is just as human as an adult and has the right to a life
just like any other free human being. It also indicated the selfishness and sinfulness of
man that people would go to such extreme lengths, like killing an innocent life, to protect
their so called “rights.”

4) Newspaper Analysis Form

Research Focus (Thesis, topic, etc.): Abortion through history

Identifying Information: The Washington Post December 5, 1972

Title of Article (header lead-in): Not Enough To Be Human?

Era or time period when story written: 1970s

Topic of Story: It’s actually not a story but a pro-life ad

How does topic relate to your research focus?: The ad deals with the topic of abortion

What does story say about topic?: The ad is strongly against abortion and likens it to the
slave trade. The ad compared laws that were passed legalizing slavery with laws that
legalize abortion. The writers of the ad stated that even though black men and women
were acknowledged to be human, they possessed no rights and were ruled to be inferior
to whites. The ad said that to acknowledge an unborn baby as human but not allow it to
have any rights, especially a right to live, was just as bad as the early slave laws.

Identify any bias: The writer(s) of the ad were very biased against abortion as shown by
the emphatic language and the bold headers and the slightly harsh tone of the views
presented.

What can you gain from the information shared, even if is biased? The ad is very
informative about abortion laws that were recently passed. The ad also shows that not
everyone is jumping on the pro-abortion bandwagon; many people still believe strongly
in the sanctity of human life.

5) Newspaper Analysis Form

Research Focus (Thesis, topic, etc.): Abortion through history

Identifying Information: The New York Times Oct. 9, 2009 written by Damien Cave

Title of Article (header lead-in): “Abortion Foes Tell of Their Journey to the Streets”

Era or time period when story written: 21th century

Topic of Story: Anti-abortion activists and their tactics and stories

How does topic relate to your research focus?: It deals with abortion and the people
trying to stop it.

What does story say about topic?: see above

Identify any bias: The article seemed a little bit biased against pro-life activists. The title
of the article was “abortion foes” and the tone of the article was a bit negative and
condescending toward anti-abortionists, making them out to be un-balanced and harsh.

What can you gain from the information shared, even if is biased? The information given
in the article talks about the pro-life movement, the kind of people that participate in it,
and their reasons for participation. It also gives stories of women who were discouraged
from having an abortion by the pro-lifers.

Bonus question: What does bias in news indicate? The bias indicates that many abortion
activists view pro-lifers as strange, radical, and unbalanced and ignorant and harsh. It
could be helpful for anti-abortion activists to understand this so that they can maybe work
on their tactics.

6) Newspaper Analysis Form

Research Focus (Thesis, topic, etc.): Abortion through history

Identifying Information: The Washington Post October 13, 2009 written by David Crary

Title of Article (header lead-in): Report: “Unsafe abortions kill 70,000 annually”

Era or time period when story written: 21th century

Topic of Story: The dangers and risks of unsafe abortions part. in other countries

How does topic relate to your research focus?: It is about abortion

What does story say about topic?: The story says that “unsafe” abortions kills thousands
of people each year and the writer believed that the solution was to legalize abortion and
make it available in more countries

Identify any bias. How is it shown? For what purpose is it shown? The story was biased
toward abortion. The article said that making abortion illegal is pointless and dangerous
because women would still have abortions, they would just be unsafe and potentially
fatal. The author did not consider any other arguments, possibilities, or solutions to the
problem and criticized Catholics, missionaries, and other pro-life or religious people who
do not support abortion or try to make it legal and available for women in poor countries.

What can you gain from the information shared, even if is biased? The article raises
awareness of the thousands of women that die each year from unsafe and illegal
abortions. However, the solution is not to legalize abortion but to offer women prayer,
love, compassion, and an alternative to having an abortion.

Bonus question: What does bias in news indicate? The bias indicates how strongly the
liberal mainstream believes in abortion. They seem to think that legalizing it will solve
every problem. The bias also shows an unwillingness to admit that there might be good
solutions to the situation other than legalizing abortion in all countries and making it
available to anyone that wants it.