Individual Assignment | Debarnab Chatterjee

Individual Assignment: Editorial Analysis

Critical Thinking & Writing Skills
Prof. Sangeetha Unnithan
Debarnab Chatterjee | Section A | 2021IPM042

Article: The Pro-life Movement’s Work Is Just Beginning

Source: The Atlantic | By: David French | Date of Publication: June 25, 2022

Arguments made in Sources Ambiguity or lack of Any sweeping

the editorial quoted/evidence clarity, if any, in statements/hasty
presented for each each argument generalizations in
argument the entire editorial

Justice is necessary No evidence or The term justice is The scope of the

for a culture of life to source has been not clearly defined in entire article and the
thrive. quoted to back this the scope of the arguments pertaining
claim. article, thereby to the legitimacy of
presenting ambiguity abortions lies on a
on what truly very basic
construes just assumption which
behavior. For has not been proven
example, is it going scientifically –
to be necessary to fetuses have life. It is
have court cases and assumed that
trials held for abortions transgress
abortions for that is the right to life,
what is meant by which essentially
justice within the implies that fetuses
legal framework? have life.

“A just society Ambiguous how

protects all life. A abortions transgress
moral society values the right to life
all life.” without if fetuses
have life.

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 Individual Assignment | Debarnab Chatterjee

Banning abortions Data from This argument rests This might be an

isn’t enough to put an Guttmacher institute on a simple instance of affirming
end to it. has been cited as correlation that has the consequent where
evidence intended to been observed and the author is
corroborate the extrapolates a implying that due to
argument – “Abortion causation from it, increased rate of
was more common which is not abortions, women are
when it was mostly statistically a right now feeling less
illegal.” inference since insecure and are
correlation does not feeling stable. Here,
imply causation and the true situation is
the established that women are more
causality may have stable and less
been the result of insecure and thus it
confounding is leading to
variables. increased rate of
abortions, the
Abortion is not Tricia Bruce’s (Notre converse of which is
viewed as a desirable Dame sociologist) then misconstrued as
good but rather 2020 study on being factually
always taken as a American attitudes correct.
difficult decision about abortion.
predicated by
unexpected
circumstances.

Circumstances Tricia Bruce’s (Notre As the number of

relating to pregnancy Dame sociologist) abortions drops, the
are often 2020 study on pro-life movement is
instrumental in American attitudes gaining "cultural
determining whether about abortion. momentum,"
abortion is to be according to the
considered or not. author. Despite
quoting the Notre
Better policies can Abortions have been This argument is in Dame report, he
help reduce previously argued as contradiction to his disregards the fact
abortions. not being viewed as a previous arguments that pro-choice

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 Individual Assignment | Debarnab Chatterjee

desirable good and because if abortions campaigners do not

often being can be ended through want the number of
attributed as being policy changes, there abortions to grow.
caused by is no point in legally
circumstances like disallowing them.
relationship between
parents, financial
conditions, mental
health of the mother,
etc.

Pro-lifers should be This is an extension

humbler and should of the author’s
not bear any malice previous argument
against their political regarding better
opponents. personal conduct
being required for
bringing about a
systematic
elimination of
abortions. Moreover,
they should not in
any way isolate
pro-choice women
and should instead
make them feel more
secure.

Improved personal This argument is This argument is in

conduct can help end made in conjunctions contradiction to his
abortions. with two previous previous arguments
arguments made because if abortions
regarding can be ended through
circumstances like policy changes, there
financial condition is no point in legally
being important and disallowing them.
abortions not being

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 Individual Assignment | Debarnab Chatterjee

viewed as a desirable
good but rather
predicated by
unexpected
circumstances.

Tweet: While the decision to ban abortions is a pro-life move, which should be treated with
enthusiasm rather than disquieting dissent, the only way to stop abortions is to bring about
structural changes rather than mere changes in the judicial systems.
***
Article: The Ruling Overturning Roe Is an Insult to Women and the Judicial System
Source: New York Times | By: The Editorial Board | Date of Publication: June 24, 2022

Sources Any sweeping

Ambiguity or lack of
Arguments made in quoted/evidence statements/hasty
clarity, if any, in
the editorial presented for each generalizations in
each argument
argument the entire editorial

The US Supreme Article about the The author has stated

Court has forfeited overturning of Roe vs that “Americans are
women of their right Wade published on weary of the
to abort at their will. New York Times. decades-long fight
over abortion”
The repercussions of Article regarding the without citing any
this verdict can be populace of women source to corroborate
momentous for of childbearing age in the same. Also, the
United States. US (64 million) in author has not
New York Times. qualified the
quantum of the
Article regarding population who are
how half or more of truly weary, making it
the states in the US come across as the
are probably going to entire American
ban abortions, population being
published in New weary, which is an
York Times. instance of sweeping

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 Individual Assignment | Debarnab Chatterjee

statement.
Article regarding
undesired
pregnancies like
those caused by rape
and incest will need
to be sustained,
published in the New
York Times.

Article on how
miscarriages might
be interpreted as
murder and
prosecuted,
published in the New
York Times.

Majority of 55% of Americans,

Americans are in according to a poll
favor of allowing conducted by Gallup,
women to choose for are in favor of
themselves if they abortion rights; 63%
want abortions or of respondents say
not. that it will be "a bad
thing" to overturn the
Roe v. Wade decision;
and so on.

The claim by the A comment from one

justices concerned of of the justices, Brett
being impartial. Kavanaugh, stating
the same thing.

The neutrality of the A statement made by

judges involved in the one of the three
ruling is of dubious judges who disagreed

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 Individual Assignment | Debarnab Chatterjee

nature and may have with the majority

been politically opinion and argued
motivated. that neutrality would
better protect rights.

The ruling was Article about

essentially brought Trump’s claim of
about by Republicans having plans to place
who are right-wing conservative judges
who strategically so as to overturn the
placed Roe vs Wade ruling,
ultra-conservative published in CNBC.
judges in the bench.
Article attributing
the appointment of
conservative judges
to Donald Trump and
McConnel, published
in Politico.

If abortion is not Dissenters of the

right, there might be ruling have expressed
questions raised over concerns that other
other rights too. rights might be in
danger because
something as
fundamental as right
to abortion was
considered as being
not deep-rooted.

Article about Justice

Clarence Thomas
asking for
reassessment of other
rights as well under
the same caveat,

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 Individual Assignment | Debarnab Chatterjee

published by the New

York Times.

The public will begin Article about the

questioning the waning confidence
Supreme Court’s people have in the
credibility. Supreme Court,
published in Gallup.

John Roberts was not Article where

in favor of Roberts himself is
overturning the Roe quoted as saying this,
vs Wade ruling. published in the New
York Times.

The ruling is likely to The article just

lead to bring about claims, without citing
more years of legal any source, that all
conflict. the state laws will
now be challenged
and will make their
way to the supreme
court, leading to
sustained periods of
legal conflict.

Tweet: Unfortunately, in the battle between pro-life and pro-choice segments of the population,
the principal stakeholders – women themselves – have been sidetracked for conservative state
representatives, steadily dismantling the power of the court in the process and casting doubt on
adherence to the tenets of individual freedom.

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