A Review of Opinion Green 1

A Review of Opinion

Christian Green

James Madison University

A Review of Opinion Green 2

Abstract

Throughout history, women have been fighting for equality with men. Through a social

justice effort known as the womens rights movement, women have made society fairer and

more justified. However, people and authorities still debate whether or not women are actually

equal to men in todays culture. This line of inquiry investigates three sources pertaining to the

Democratic Party, womens rights in general, and abortion policies, and how they relate to the

womens rights movement. Summarizing the sources first, this literature review then compares

and contrasts the sources to further understand their content, and how free/equal women truly are

in modern times. The author then provides his own personal viewpoint on womens rights to

conclude the analysis.

A Review of Opinion Green 3

A Review of Opinion

Women have been fighting for equality for centuries. The womens rights movement, an

enlightening ideology, has made equal rights for women its main goal. Despite the movements

tremendous strides in the past century, social justice advocates debate whether or not women are

actually equal to men in todays society, and if the movement still has work to do. Research of

historical facts and modern information indicates that injustices regarding women are not black

and white, and need further analysis to ascertain the cause. Because women make up more than

half the worlds population, and are an enormous aspect to society, understanding their past and

current situations is a vital step towards helping create equality. Through three specific sources,

perspectives surrounding the womens rights movement are made more clear, and more

persuasive.

The first source of information, a viewpoint article titled, The Democratic Party's

Policies Threaten Women's Health and Personal Freedom, explores womens rights and how

they directly relate to the Democratic Party. Meghan Clyne scrutinizes the Democratic Party and

its stand against the womens rights movement. Starting with a background of the author and the

main claim, the article builds credibility to legitimize its information by stating Clynes

occupation and education. Following the introductory paragraph are three questions pertaining to

mens opinions, single parent households, and church attendance, which the author tells the

reader to ponder while reading. These questions increase the readers engagement and

introspection concerning the moral issue of womens rights. The article then proceeds to the

body paragraphs, which examine Obama-care, Republican policies, and reproductive rights.

Concluding with a prediction for the future, the article leaves the reader pondering the

Democratic Partys true intentions.

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The second source, a pro and con article titled, Women's Rights: Is further work

required to ensure women's rights?, directly examines the womens rights movement. Published

by Infobase, the article considers whether or not the womens rights movement has achieved

equality for women. To introduce the issue, the article summarizes both sides/extremes of the

argument; supporters argue that the womens rights movement has not yet achieved equality for

women, while the opposition argues that it has. In order to consider both sides of the argument,

the article explores certain facts and stats that pertain to womens wages, employment histories,

and opportunities. The article starts in in the past and works towards today, which allows the

reader to understand how the womens rights movement has changed/not changed. In the

conclusion, the article states that this debate will most likely continue.

The third and last reviewed source, titled, Abortion: To what extent should women be

allowed access to abortion in the United States?, is a pro and con article. Like the second

source, Infobase published this article. The main argument is whether or not abortion is moral,

and whether it should be legal. The supporters argue that official, clinical abortions are healthier

and safer than alternative methods, and that a woman should be allowed to make decisions that

regard her own body. The opposition argues that abortion is essentially murder, and that it goes

against the babys rights. The article assesses the evidence underlying both standpoints, and tries

to ascertain which side is more persuasive. The article makes no claim, and simply states that the

argument is likely to continue.

Politically, Clynes viewpoint paper and the womens rights article compare with each

other because they both examine the womens rights movement directly. Rather than looking at

specific aspects of the womens rights movement, they look at its progression as a whole and

what does/does not hinder its advancements. For example, Clynes paper, which analyses the
A Review of Opinion Green 5

Democratic Party, conveys that Democrats' political platforms and policies reduce women's

interests to reproductive health and freedom and do women a disservice by ignoring the issues

that truly affect their well-being. (Clyne, 2015, p.1). Although this claim relates to a specific

body of people (the Democratic Party), it generalizes that women are obstructed politically. In

the same way, the womens rights article exclaims that Women were not allowed to vote until

1920, and a variety of jobs remained closed to them until recent decades. (Womens Rights,

2016). Like Clynes paper, the womens rights article also inspects how womens rights are not

equal to mens.

The womens rights source and the abortion paper compare to each other since they are

both pro and con arguments. They both review double-sided, unresolved questions that are

controversial in todays society. The womens rights article questions, Is further work required

to ensure women's rights? (Womens Rights, 2016), and then considers supporting and

opposing viewpoints through evidence that backs each side. For example, supporters argue that

Women are paid less than men are even when they do the same work and major in the same

field. (Womens Rights, 2016). This evidence gives the supporters credibility, and makes the

article more factual. Using the same approach, the abortion article ponders To what extent

should women be allowed access to abortion in the United States? (Abortion, 2016), and then

inspect the two major responses surrounding the issue. Although the womens rights article and

the abortion paper have somewhat differing content, the way they organize evidence through a

pro and con argument is identical.

The abortion article and Clynes viewpoint paper compare by addressing the major topic

of abortion. The Democratic Party, as stated in Clynes paper, believes that to oppose abortion

on demand and taxpayer-funded contraception is to be anti-woman. (Clyne, 2015, P.5). The

A Review of Opinion Green 6

disapproval of abortion obstructs womens decision making in regards to childbearing, and

ultimately their freedom in society. Comparable to Clynes paper, the abortion articles main

focus is the controversial topic of abortion. For example, the opening statement, The debate

over abortion typically contains little in the way of middle ground (Abortion, 2016),

illustrates that the article will assess abortion as a whole. Because the abortion article and

Clynes viewpoint paper both study the topic of abortion and how it relates to the womens rights

movement, they are comparable through subject matter.

The abortion and womens rights articles compare in the way that they assess moral

issues regarding women. Rather than only surveying politics, these two sources both inspect the

subjective, ethical arguments for why women should be granted basic freedoms. For example,

the abortion article expresses that It is a woman's right to decide whether or not she carries

through a pregnancy. (Abortion, 2016). This statement is subjective, and explores a moral

issue rather than a more factual based, political issue. In the same way, the womens rights

article reports that Attempts to limit women's access to contraception, reproductive health

information, and abortion services constitute attacks on women's health and their ability to freely

make their own decisions about their lives and bodies. (Womens Rights, 2016). This

observation, like the one from the abortion article, formulates a moral observation and analysis.

Because both the abortion piece and the womens rights source assess womens freedoms, they

are analytically comparable.

Clynes paper on the Democratic party and the womens rights article provide

information differently. Clynes paper takes a single stance, while the womens rights piece is a

pro and con article that reviews more than one perspective. For example, Clynes work argues

that the Democratic Party [does] women a disservice by ignoring the issues that truly affect
A Review of Opinion Green 7

their well-being (Clyne, 2015, P.1). This writing style contrasts from the womens rights article,

which analyzes different viewpoints relating to the one issue of progression. Clynes paper also

contrasts from the womens rights article in regards to content; half of the womens rights article

argues for pro-choice in abortion, while the other half argues for pro-life. This writing method

contrasts with Clynes paper, which does not take a stance on the abortion issue. Clynes

document articulates that women's prime concerns in this election cycle are the same as men's,

and can be summed up in two words: the economy (Clyne, 2015, P.7), rather than whether or

not abortion should be legal. Since Clynes writing style is differentiable from the womens

rights article, the two pieces contrast structurally.

The womens rights article and Clynes paper disagree on whether or not the womens

rights movement has achieved full equality for women. The womens rights piece inspects

whether or not the womens rights movement still needs work, while Clynes document defines

the movement as still needing progression. For example, Clyne determines that [Democratic]

policies have undermined organizations that help lift women out of poverty without forcing them

to become dependent on the state (Clyne, 2015, 14). According to the article, this claim clarifies

that women as a whole are being marginalized and treated unequally, since the Democratic Party

is feeding off of their dependence. This varies from the womens rights article, which considers

that statistics show that women have already achieved equality in the United States.

(Womens Rights, 2016). Rather than ascertaining that women are still unequal to men like

Clynes piece, the womens rights paper suggests that women have already achieved equality.

Organizationally, the womens rights paper also contrasts with the abortion source. While the

abortion piece explores only the abortion issue, the womens rights article also explores how

Women remain vastly underrepresented in politics and electoral office (Womens Rights,
A Review of Opinion Green 8

2016). Because the womens rights document explores a variety of subjects (voting, freedom,

employment) while the abortion source explores only abortion, the two sources contrast.

Through my research, I have learned more about abortion arguments, the womens rights

movement, and the Democratic Party. After reviewing multiple different sources, I have become

more aware of the issues regarding womens rights, and personally feel as if women are not

entirely equal to men. Although the womens rights movement has influenced significant

changes in recent history, it has not yet achieved its goal of total equality for women. Women are

still at a disadvantage in some areas of society, such as the economy and workplace. Clynes

paper gave me a new perspective on the Democratic Party, a group that supposedly fights for

womens rights. It allowed me to incorporate current political issues about womens rights. The

womens rights source was also very educational and changed my outlook on the womens rights

movement; it provided historical facts and timelines to help me visualize womens achievements.

I now believe the movement is still needed for progression towards equality between men and

women. Lastly, the abortion piece deepened my emotional connection to the womens rights

movement, and allowed me to sympathize with those involved. The abortion document explored

morals and ethics involved in the womens rights issue, increasing my emotional understanding

of what women have been through. Although women are faring much better in todays society,

we still need to ensure not only equality for women, but justice as well.
A Review of Opinion Green 9

Works Cited

Clyne, M. (2015). The Democratic Party's Policies Threaten Women's Health and Personal

Freedom. Retrieved November 2, 2017, from

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?disabl

eHighlighting=&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&docIndex=&source=&prodId=OVIC

&mode=view&limiter=&display-

query=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&windowstate=normal&currPage=&dviS

electedPage=&scanId=&query=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&catId=&u=viva_jm

u&displayGroups=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010922207&activityType=DocumentW

ithCommentary&failOverType=&commentary=true

Infobase. (2016, February 4). Abortion: To what extent should women be allowed access to

abortion in the United States? Retrieved November 02, 2017, from

http://icof.infobaselearning.com/articles/religion,-ethics,-and-

morality/abortion.aspx?sr=1&tab=1&hd=2489

Infobase. (2016, February 22). Women's Rights: Is further work required to ensure women's

rights? Retrieved November 2, 2017,

from http://icof.infobaselearning.com/articles/rights-and-liberties/womens-

rights.aspx?sr=1&tab=1&hd=6344