http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=SnWU29o2xwA&feature=related
http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=2hDljXa2s-I&feature=related
http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=cj3_uToLLB8
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Reference of Presentation
From: poetry.suite101.com/article.cfm/robert_frost_s_tricky_poem
Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” has been one of the most analyzed, quoted, anthologized poems in American poetry. A wide-spread interpretation claims that the speaker in the poem is promoting individualism and non-conformity.
A Tricky Poem
Frost claims that he wrote this poem about his friend Edward Thomas, with whom he had walked many times in the woods near London. Frost has said that while walking they would come to different paths and after choosing one, Thomas would always fret wondering what they might have missed by not taking the other path.
About the poem, Frost asserted, "You have to be careful of that one; it's a tricky poem - very tricky." And he is, of course, correct. The poem has been and continues to be used as an inspirational poem, one that to the undiscerning eye seems to be encouraging self-reliance, not following where others have led.
But a close reading of the poem proves otherwise. It does not moralize about choice, it simply says that choice is inevitable but you never know what your choice will mean until you have lived it.
First Stanza – Describes Situation
The poem consists of four stanzas. In the first stanza, the speaker describes his position. He has been out walking the woods and comes to two roads, and he stands looking as far down each one as he can see. He would like to try out both, but doubts he could to that, so therefore he continues to look down the roads for a long time trying to make his decision about which road to take.
Second Stanza – Decides to Take Less-Traveled Road
He had looked down the first one “to where it bent in the undergrowth,” and in the second stanza, he reports that he decided to take the other path, because it seemed to have less traffic than the first. But then he goes on to say that they actually were very similarly worn. The second one that he took seems less traveled, but as he thinks about it, he realizes that they were “really about the same.” Not exactly that same but only “about the same.”
Third Stanza – Continue Description of Roads
The third stanza continues with the cogitation about the possible differences between the two roads. He had noticed that the leaves were both fresh fallen on them both and had not been walked on, but then again claims that maybe he would come back and also walk the first one sometime, but he doubted he would be able to, because in life one thing leads to another and time is short.
Fourth Stanza – Two Tricky Words
The fourth stanza holds the key to the trickiness of the poem:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Those who interpret this poem as suggesting non-conformity take the word “difference” to be a positive difference. But there is nothing in the poem that suggests that this difference signals a positive outcome. The speaker could not offer such information, because he has not lived the “difference” yet.
The other word that leads non-discerning readers astray is the word “sigh.” By taking “difference” to mean a positive difference, they think that the sigh is one of nostalgic relief; however, a sigh can also mean regret. There is the “oh, dear” kind of sigh, but also the “what a relief” kind of sigh. Which one is it? We do not know. If it is the relief sigh, then the difference means the speaker is glad he took the road he did; if it is the regret sigh, then the difference would not be good, and the speaker would be sighing in regret. But the plain fact is we do not know what that sigh is. Again, the speaker of the poem does not even know the nature of that sigh, because that sigh and his evaluation of the difference his choice will make are still in the future. It is a truism that any choice we make is going to make “all the difference” in how our future turns out.
Careful Readers Won’t Be Tricked
So Frost was absolutely correct; his poem is tricky—very tricky. But only if we are not careful readers. If we read into poems claims that are not there. And in this poem, it is important to be careful with the time frame. When the speaker says he will be reporting sometime in the future how his road choice turned out, we have to realize that we cannot assign meaning to “sigh” and “difference,” because the speaker himself cannot know how his choice will affect his future, until after he has lived it.
The copyright of the article Robert Frost's Tricky Poem in American Poetry is owned by Linda Sue Grimes. Permission to republish Robert Frost's Tricky Poem in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Form
"The Road Not Taken" consists of four stanzas of five lines. The rhyme scheme is ABAAB; the rhymes are strict and masculine, with the notable exception of the last line (we do not usually stress the -ence of difference). There are four stressed syllables per line, varying on an iambic tetrameter base.
Robert Frost published "The Road Not Taken" in 1916. It is his most popular poem. It consists of four stanzas of five lines each, and each line has between eight and ten syllables in a roughly iambic rhythm. The lines in each stanza rhyme in an abaab pattern. The speaker must choose between diverging paths in the woods, and he sees that choice as a metaphor for different directions in life. In 1961, Robert Frost commented that "The Road Not Taken" is "a tricky poem, very tricky."
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The poem is written in first person, and raises question as to whether or not the speaker is the poet or a persona. According to the Lawrence Thompson biography, Robert Frost: The Years of Triumph (1971), Frost introduced the poem in readings by saying that the speaker was his Welsh friend Edward Thomas. According to Frost, Thomas was "a person who, whichever road he went, would be sorry he didn't go the other."
Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” has been one of the most analyzed, quoted, anthologized poems in American poetry. A wide-spread interpretation claims that the speaker in the poem is promoting individualism and non-conformity.
A Tricky Poem
Frost claims that he wrote this poem about his friend Edward Thomas, with whom he had walked many times in the woods near London. Frost has said that while walking they would come to different paths and after choosing one, Thomas would always fret wondering what they might have missed by not taking the other path.
About the poem, Frost asserted, "You have to be careful of that one; it's a tricky poem - very tricky." And he is, of course, correct. The poem has been and continues to be used as an inspirational poem, one that to the undiscerning eye seems to be encouraging self-reliance, not following where others have led.
But a close reading of the poem proves otherwise. It does not moralize about choice, it simply says that choice is inevitable but you never know what your choice will mean until you have lived it.
First Stanza – Describes Situation
The poem consists of four stanzas. In the first stanza, the speaker describes his position. He has been out walking the woods and comes to two roads, and he stands looking as far down each one as he can see. He would like to try out both, but doubts he could to that, so therefore he continues to look down the roads for a long time trying to make his decision about which road to take.
Second Stanza – Decides to Take Less-Traveled Road
He had looked down the first one “to where it bent in the undergrowth,” and in the second stanza, he reports that he decided to take the other path, because it seemed to have less traffic than the first. But then he goes on to say that they actually were very similarly worn. The second one that he took seems less traveled, but as he thinks about it, he realizes that they were “really about the same.” Not exactly that same but only “about the same.”
Third Stanza – Continue Description of Roads
The third stanza continues with the cogitation about the possible differences between the two roads. He had noticed that the leaves were both fresh fallen on them both and had not been walked on, but then again claims that maybe he would come back and also walk the first one sometime, but he doubted he would be able to, because in life one thing leads to another and time is short.
Fourth Stanza – Two Tricky Words
The fourth stanza holds the key to the trickiness of the poem:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Those who interpret this poem as suggesting non-conformity take the word “difference” to be a positive difference. But there is nothing in the poem that suggests that this difference signals a positive outcome. The speaker could not offer such information, because he has not lived the “difference” yet.
The other word that leads non-discerning readers astray is the word “sigh.” By taking “difference” to mean a positive difference, they think that the sigh is one of nostalgic relief; however, a sigh can also mean regret. There is the “oh, dear” kind of sigh, but also the “what a relief” kind of sigh. Which one is it? We do not know. If it is the relief sigh, then the difference means the speaker is glad he took the road he did; if it is the regret sigh, then the difference would not be good, and the speaker would be sighing in regret. But the plain fact is we do not know what that sigh is. Again, the speaker of the poem does not even know the nature of that sigh, because that sigh and his evaluation of the difference his choice will make are still in the future. It is a truism that any choice we make is going to make “all the difference” in how our future turns out.
Careful Readers Won’t Be Tricked
So Frost was absolutely correct; his poem is tricky—very tricky. But only if we are not careful readers. If we read into poems claims that are not there. And in this poem, it is important to be careful with the time frame. When the speaker says he will be reporting sometime in the future how his road choice turned out, we have to realize that we cannot assign meaning to “sigh” and “difference,” because the speaker himself cannot know how his choice will affect his future, until after he has lived it.
The copyright of the article Robert Frost's Tricky Poem in American Poetry is owned by Linda Sue Grimes. Permission to republish Robert Frost's Tricky Poem in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Form
"The Road Not Taken" consists of four stanzas of five lines. The rhyme scheme is ABAAB; the rhymes are strict and masculine, with the notable exception of the last line (we do not usually stress the -ence of difference). There are four stressed syllables per line, varying on an iambic tetrameter base.
Robert Frost published "The Road Not Taken" in 1916. It is his most popular poem. It consists of four stanzas of five lines each, and each line has between eight and ten syllables in a roughly iambic rhythm. The lines in each stanza rhyme in an abaab pattern. The speaker must choose between diverging paths in the woods, and he sees that choice as a metaphor for different directions in life. In 1961, Robert Frost commented that "The Road Not Taken" is "a tricky poem, very tricky."
adparams.getadspec('c_billboard1');
The poem is written in first person, and raises question as to whether or not the speaker is the poet or a persona. According to the Lawrence Thompson biography, Robert Frost: The Years of Triumph (1971), Frost introduced the poem in readings by saying that the speaker was his Welsh friend Edward Thomas. According to Frost, Thomas was "a person who, whichever road he went, would be sorry he didn't go the other."
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Abortion and psychology
Originally published 10:07 p.m., May 17, 2007, updated 12:00 a.m., May 18, 2007
The Supreme Court's recent decision banning partial-birth abortion has renewed public interest in abortion politics and policy. Despite the infrequency of late-term abortions, the ban is significant because it strikes at one rationale for the general availability of abortion: the potential negative mental-health consequences for women who carry a child to term. Many late-terms abortions are performed for such reasons. For instance, in 1999, mental-health concerns were cited by the abortion provider in all 182 partial-birth procedures in Kansas.
Thus, both pro-choice and pro-life camps are gearing up for more debate over the mental-health consequences of abortion. In a fight, political or otherwise, it is good to have influential allies. In the abortion debate, pro-choice advocates historically have counted on the support of the powerful American Psychological Association.
Abortion and the APA have a relationship that predates Roe v. Wade. Rewinding to 1969, the APA became an early player in the public debate with the following resolution:
WHEREAS, termination of unwanted pregnancies is clearly a mental health and child welfare issue, and a legitimate concern of APA; be it resolved, that termination of pregnancy be considered a civil right of the pregnant woman, to be handled as other medical and surgical procedures in consultation with her physician...
Fast forward to 2007; the APA recently convened a task force called the Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion. According to APA spokeswoman Rhea Farberman, the committee will conduct an updated review of the published scientific literature on the potential impact of abortion on women's mental health. The committee has met once and is slated to report its findings in 2008.
Does the appointment of this committee signal a possible change in APA policy toward abortion? Very likely, the answer is no.
Periodically, pro-life psychologists have urged the APA to examine claims that abortion may lead to negative mental health consequences for some women. In 1989, the APA convened a task force to review research on the topic and found little risk of psychological harm. However, just over a year ago, a New Zealand based pro-choice researcher, David Fergusson, released a study that re-ignited the debate over the mental-health effects of abortion.
In a well-designed longitudinal study, Dr. Fergusson found abortion was associated with depression and other negative mental-health outcomes. Dr. Fergusson's team criticized the APA's position statement on abortion consequences, which stated, "Well-designed studies of psychological responses following abortion have consistently shown that risk of psychological harm is low. Some women experience psychological dysfunction following abortion, but post-abortion rates of distress and dysfunction are lower than pre-abortion rates."
Dr. Fergusson believed the APA position ignored results of studies such as his which found contradictory results.
For a 2006 article, I interviewed Dr. Nancy Russo, long-time APA luminary and defender of abortion rights, about Dr. Fergusson's criticism of the APA position. Dr. Russo first asserted the evidence on mental-health outcomes was of clinical interest but had no bearing on abortion as a civil right. In other words, no matter what the consequences, abortion should be legal.
In addition, she said the APA statement was accurate but that the APA's Internet page on the subject should be updated. Within days, that Web site was removed and remains unavailable.
So it is not surprising that the APA appointed a task force. However, the circumstances surrounding it have raised questions. One APA psychologist who is concerned about the objectivity of the task force is Dr. Rachel MacNair, author of "Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress: The psychological consequences of killing." Dr. MacNair says she is a "pro-life feminist" who "sees all violence as connected and wrong, with abortion being one kind of violence."
Why is she concerned? "Although the APA included two experts on the trauma of domestic violence and an expert on methodology, three members have clearly stated ideological commitments to the 'pro-choice' perspective. The voice of the woman who believes that she has problems caused by her abortion is absent."
Speaking about the APA's current stance, Dr. MacNair says, "Women who wish their therapists would take their abortions seriously as a possible cause of traumatization have faced being told that the APA has decided otherwise."
Dr. MacNair believes the committee's credibility would have been strengthened by including members with opposing perspectives. She observes, "Only if the report comes out with conclusions opposite to what one would expect with the ideological commitment of half of its members would it have credibility; if it comes out as would be predicted, the absence of balance on the task force will be a problem for its scientific credibility."
In fairness, Dr. MacNair doesn't assume the APA will disregard all research that associates some type of harm with abortion. She explains, "I have been told that the report of the task force will be going through a vigorous review process before being accepted. If that happens, then perhaps the voices that are absent now can still be heard."
No matter what results are reported, Dr. MacNair raises provocative questions about the role of political philosophy in constructing professional policies. The historical position of the APA on abortion, the method of the current task force's formation, and the ideological leanings of half of the members, all create legitimate concerns about the APA's ability to objectively review the evidence on abortion and mental health. On this committee, or indeed on any task force regarding issues of social controversy, scholars with contrasting professional, religious and cultural perspectives should be appointed. Only in this way will the APA's statements on socially divisive issues be taken seriously across the political spectrum.
Warren Throckmorton is associate professor of psychology and fellow for psychology and public policy at Pennsylvania's Grove City College. He maintains an active blog at www.wthrockmorton.com.
The Supreme Court's recent decision banning partial-birth abortion has renewed public interest in abortion politics and policy. Despite the infrequency of late-term abortions, the ban is significant because it strikes at one rationale for the general availability of abortion: the potential negative mental-health consequences for women who carry a child to term. Many late-terms abortions are performed for such reasons. For instance, in 1999, mental-health concerns were cited by the abortion provider in all 182 partial-birth procedures in Kansas.
Thus, both pro-choice and pro-life camps are gearing up for more debate over the mental-health consequences of abortion. In a fight, political or otherwise, it is good to have influential allies. In the abortion debate, pro-choice advocates historically have counted on the support of the powerful American Psychological Association.
Abortion and the APA have a relationship that predates Roe v. Wade. Rewinding to 1969, the APA became an early player in the public debate with the following resolution:
WHEREAS, termination of unwanted pregnancies is clearly a mental health and child welfare issue, and a legitimate concern of APA; be it resolved, that termination of pregnancy be considered a civil right of the pregnant woman, to be handled as other medical and surgical procedures in consultation with her physician...
Fast forward to 2007; the APA recently convened a task force called the Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion. According to APA spokeswoman Rhea Farberman, the committee will conduct an updated review of the published scientific literature on the potential impact of abortion on women's mental health. The committee has met once and is slated to report its findings in 2008.
Does the appointment of this committee signal a possible change in APA policy toward abortion? Very likely, the answer is no.
Periodically, pro-life psychologists have urged the APA to examine claims that abortion may lead to negative mental health consequences for some women. In 1989, the APA convened a task force to review research on the topic and found little risk of psychological harm. However, just over a year ago, a New Zealand based pro-choice researcher, David Fergusson, released a study that re-ignited the debate over the mental-health effects of abortion.
In a well-designed longitudinal study, Dr. Fergusson found abortion was associated with depression and other negative mental-health outcomes. Dr. Fergusson's team criticized the APA's position statement on abortion consequences, which stated, "Well-designed studies of psychological responses following abortion have consistently shown that risk of psychological harm is low. Some women experience psychological dysfunction following abortion, but post-abortion rates of distress and dysfunction are lower than pre-abortion rates."
Dr. Fergusson believed the APA position ignored results of studies such as his which found contradictory results.
For a 2006 article, I interviewed Dr. Nancy Russo, long-time APA luminary and defender of abortion rights, about Dr. Fergusson's criticism of the APA position. Dr. Russo first asserted the evidence on mental-health outcomes was of clinical interest but had no bearing on abortion as a civil right. In other words, no matter what the consequences, abortion should be legal.
In addition, she said the APA statement was accurate but that the APA's Internet page on the subject should be updated. Within days, that Web site was removed and remains unavailable.
So it is not surprising that the APA appointed a task force. However, the circumstances surrounding it have raised questions. One APA psychologist who is concerned about the objectivity of the task force is Dr. Rachel MacNair, author of "Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress: The psychological consequences of killing." Dr. MacNair says she is a "pro-life feminist" who "sees all violence as connected and wrong, with abortion being one kind of violence."
Why is she concerned? "Although the APA included two experts on the trauma of domestic violence and an expert on methodology, three members have clearly stated ideological commitments to the 'pro-choice' perspective. The voice of the woman who believes that she has problems caused by her abortion is absent."
Speaking about the APA's current stance, Dr. MacNair says, "Women who wish their therapists would take their abortions seriously as a possible cause of traumatization have faced being told that the APA has decided otherwise."
Dr. MacNair believes the committee's credibility would have been strengthened by including members with opposing perspectives. She observes, "Only if the report comes out with conclusions opposite to what one would expect with the ideological commitment of half of its members would it have credibility; if it comes out as would be predicted, the absence of balance on the task force will be a problem for its scientific credibility."
In fairness, Dr. MacNair doesn't assume the APA will disregard all research that associates some type of harm with abortion. She explains, "I have been told that the report of the task force will be going through a vigorous review process before being accepted. If that happens, then perhaps the voices that are absent now can still be heard."
No matter what results are reported, Dr. MacNair raises provocative questions about the role of political philosophy in constructing professional policies. The historical position of the APA on abortion, the method of the current task force's formation, and the ideological leanings of half of the members, all create legitimate concerns about the APA's ability to objectively review the evidence on abortion and mental health. On this committee, or indeed on any task force regarding issues of social controversy, scholars with contrasting professional, religious and cultural perspectives should be appointed. Only in this way will the APA's statements on socially divisive issues be taken seriously across the political spectrum.
Warren Throckmorton is associate professor of psychology and fellow for psychology and public policy at Pennsylvania's Grove City College. He maintains an active blog at www.wthrockmorton.com.
Abortion 'leaves mental legacy'
An abortion can cause five years of mental anguish, anxiety, guilt and even shame, a BMC Medicine study suggests.
University of Oslo researchers compared 40 women who had had a miscarriage with 80 who chose to have an abortion.
Miscarriage was associated with more mental distress in the six months after the loss of a baby - but abortion had a much longer lasting negative effect.
Pro-choice campaigners said there was no evidence abortion directly caused psychological trauma.
The researchers said their work underlined the importance of giving women information about the psychological effects of losing a baby - either through miscarriage or abortion.
The Oslo team found that, after 10 days, 47.5% of women who had miscarried suffered from some degree of mental distress compared with 30% of the abortion group.
The proportion of women who had a miscarriage suffering distress decreased during the study period, to 22.5% at six months and to just 2.6% at two years and five years.
But among the abortion group 25.7% were still experiencing distress after six months, and 20% at five years.
The researchers also said that women who had an abortion had to make an effort to avoid thinking about the event.
Complex response
The researchers, led by Anne Nordal Broen, said the responses of the women in the miscarriage group were similar to those expected after a traumatic life event.
However, the abortion group had more complex responses.
Richard Warren, from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "It has always been considered, and this study also shows, that the decision to terminate may bring with it long-standing feelings of anxiety and guilt.
"While most women are able to manage and cope with these feelings, when necessary, the need for ongoing support and counselling should be recognised and appropriate help given."
Anna Pringle, from the anti-abortion charity Life, said: "This confirms years of experience with women who come to us for counselling after abortion.
"The emotional suffering can be massive."
Thoughtful decision
However, a spokeswoman for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service - the UK's leading provider of abortion services - said most women weighed up the consequences fully before opting for an abortion.
"We don't see that many women for post-abortion counselling.
"We offer that service but women very rarely come back because they are able to cope with it by themselves."
A spokeswoman for the Family Planning Association, said: "There is no evidence to suggest that abortion directly causes psychological trauma.
"Women can experience mixed feelings after an abortion such as relief or sadness.
"These are natural reactions and few women experience long-term problems."
University of Oslo researchers compared 40 women who had had a miscarriage with 80 who chose to have an abortion.
Miscarriage was associated with more mental distress in the six months after the loss of a baby - but abortion had a much longer lasting negative effect.
Pro-choice campaigners said there was no evidence abortion directly caused psychological trauma.
The researchers said their work underlined the importance of giving women information about the psychological effects of losing a baby - either through miscarriage or abortion.
The Oslo team found that, after 10 days, 47.5% of women who had miscarried suffered from some degree of mental distress compared with 30% of the abortion group.
The proportion of women who had a miscarriage suffering distress decreased during the study period, to 22.5% at six months and to just 2.6% at two years and five years.
But among the abortion group 25.7% were still experiencing distress after six months, and 20% at five years.
The researchers also said that women who had an abortion had to make an effort to avoid thinking about the event.
Complex response
The researchers, led by Anne Nordal Broen, said the responses of the women in the miscarriage group were similar to those expected after a traumatic life event.
However, the abortion group had more complex responses.
Richard Warren, from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "It has always been considered, and this study also shows, that the decision to terminate may bring with it long-standing feelings of anxiety and guilt.
"While most women are able to manage and cope with these feelings, when necessary, the need for ongoing support and counselling should be recognised and appropriate help given."
Anna Pringle, from the anti-abortion charity Life, said: "This confirms years of experience with women who come to us for counselling after abortion.
"The emotional suffering can be massive."
Thoughtful decision
However, a spokeswoman for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service - the UK's leading provider of abortion services - said most women weighed up the consequences fully before opting for an abortion.
"We don't see that many women for post-abortion counselling.
"We offer that service but women very rarely come back because they are able to cope with it by themselves."
A spokeswoman for the Family Planning Association, said: "There is no evidence to suggest that abortion directly causes psychological trauma.
"Women can experience mixed feelings after an abortion such as relief or sadness.
"These are natural reactions and few women experience long-term problems."
The effects of abortion
Contrary to popular belief, women who have abortions may experience little orno long-term psychological trauma. In a study meant to examine how such factors as race and ethnicity influence the psychological after-effects of abortions, psychologists Nancy Felipe Russo Ph.D.. of Arizona State University, and Amy Dabul, Ph.D., of Phoenix College, found that the best clue to a woman's mental well-being after an abortion is her state of mind before the pregnancy--in particular her level of self-esteem. In other words, those who found the procedure traumatic were generally troubled long before they showed up at an abortion clinic. In fact, Dabul and Russo contend that much of the stress experienced by women who get abortions may stem not from the procedure itself but from the simple fact that the pregnancy is unwanted.
In addition, the researchers found that women's religious affiliation had no effect on whether they had abortions; devout Catholics were just as likely to abort as women belonging to religions more tolerant of the procedure. Nor did religion affect women's long-term well-being after abortion, once education level, income, and initial self-esteem were taken into account.
Russo and Dabul offer one caveat to their findings: They conducted their research be. fore abortion clinic harassment had fully bloomed. No one is sure how the added stress of Operation Rescue activism and recent attacks on clinics and doctors will affect women who choose to abort.
Psychology Today, Jul/Aug 97
In addition, the researchers found that women's religious affiliation had no effect on whether they had abortions; devout Catholics were just as likely to abort as women belonging to religions more tolerant of the procedure. Nor did religion affect women's long-term well-being after abortion, once education level, income, and initial self-esteem were taken into account.
Russo and Dabul offer one caveat to their findings: They conducted their research be. fore abortion clinic harassment had fully bloomed. No one is sure how the added stress of Operation Rescue activism and recent attacks on clinics and doctors will affect women who choose to abort.
Psychology Today, Jul/Aug 97
Abortion? Why abortion?[Real final paper]
吳靜涵961002026
Professor Emma Liang
Composition II
Jan, 6, 2009
Professor Emma Liang
Composition II
Jan, 6, 2009
Abortion? Why abortion?
People over politics, religion, and academic research are apt to arouse the argument about abortion in recent era. Abortion, in the definition, is called” the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death.” With stronger feminism since 19th century, abortion seems to involve more than one issue and evoke debate.
Abortion debate has been argued between “pro-choice” and “pro-life” groups. Pro-choice and pro-life are contraries. Pro-choice group agrees abortion. They describe that a woman should have complete control over her fertility and the choice to continue or terminate a pregnancy; meanwhile, pro-life group disagree abortion. They describe the political and ethical view which maintains that fetuses and embryos are human beings, and therefore have a right to live. (Wiki)
It’s obvious that the boundary of women and babies rights is the point which pro-choice and pro-life dispute about. Is the embryo an object or a life? Based Bible contents, it tells us God is involved in our creation from the womb-“Did not He who made me in the womb make him. And the same one fashion us in the womb? (Job 31:15)” Besides, Jesus demonstrated the love of God for children often during his ministry.
The main reason to abortion children are the results of property, being raped, endangers the mothers’ lives. However, the abortion is not the wise choice. It can solve the problem right now, but not solves it completely. As the number of abortion percentage rises higher recently, we can see the most women who go to abortion do not just solve the essentials of real problem. If the abortion helps women solve the problem, then why the women who go abortion still have problems later in their lives. Besides, Pope Benedict XVI said “Abortion is a crime of aggression not only against the unborn, but also against society.” He also mentioned “Legalized abortion has laid the groundwork for acceptance of the destruction of embryos in scientific research.” Children also have their rights. If women think abortion is in the rule morality, then why abortion is easily connected to suicides. A 1987 study of women who suffered from post-abortion trauma found that 60 percent had experienced suicidal ideation, 28 percent had attempted suicide, and 18 percent had attempted suicide more than once, often several years after the event.
What is the side effect for women to have abortion? In “The effects of abortion”, the author compares two groups: one is the miscarriage and the other is the abortion group. Besides the physical side effect- the tendency to have breast cancer, sleeping disorders, and alcohol abuse, there are another psychology trauma. In previous early period after abortion or miscarriage, most of the miscarriage women suffer more than the abortion ones. However, our surprise, the percentage between miscarriage and abortion groups change tremendously in six months to five year. The abortion group still suffers mental distress even after quite long time. Based on the statistics, the researchers advise women who had an abortion have to avoid thinking about the event. The main reason to let women suffer mental illness is that women are easy to associate the two unhappy events together, one is the unwanted pregnancy maybe to be rapped and the other is the period when women are undertook abortion surgeon. One of the researchers says: "It has always been considered, and this study also shows, that the decision to terminate may bring with it long-standing feelings of anxiety and guilt.” Also, According to University of Oslo researchers, the side effect of abortion is not only the physical damage but psychology trauma; women after abortion would have some symptom.
Other sources also support the idea-"In the majority of these cases, the pregnant victim’s problems stem more from the trauma of rape than from the pregnancy itself." (Mahkorn & Dolan, "Sexual Assault & Pregnancy." In New Perspectives on Human Abortion, University Publishers of Amer., 1981, pp. 182-199 239) they all explain the mental help is more necessary for being raped women. Further, "We found this experience is forgotten, replaced by remembering the abortion, because it is what they did." (M. Uchtman, Director, Suiciders Anonymous, Report to Cincinnati City Council, Sept. 1, 1981) Abortion help these victims? Probably not, it makes the thing worse. And there is other very surprising analysis- In one study of 37 rape pregnancies, 28 carried to term. S. Makhorn, (Psychological Aspects of Abortion, Mall & Watts, Univ. Pub. 1979, Pg. 58) almost more than half women choose not to abortion their unborn kids. Namely, it could be solved without abortion. The most excellent cure is how others treated her. If she can be treated in generous love, then she could be supported and encouraged to have the baby. Although the half genes come from the “his”, there is half of baby is hers. So it’s the top priority for government to have complete society workers to counsel these women.
Since we mention about the side effect of abortion, then how the surgeon is undertaken to cause such serious side effect? The video called “Eclipse of Reason” can lead us to the actual scenes of abortion; we can see how the 5 months embryo is destroyed in the abortion surgeon. It documents the abortion of a five-month-old baby boy as seen through a fetoscope - a camera placed inside the pregnant uterus. Riveting images of a late abortion are then shown with a camera both inside and outside the uterus. The progress of it horrifies lots of people and exposes the truths of abortion, particularly Partial Birth infanticide. In Taiwan, several schools use the video as the material of sex education. Several teen girls watch the video and announce they would never go to abortion in rest of their life. In America, the most common surgeon is the abortion. The number of abortion is about 150 million a year. Consistently verifiable statistics emphasize that this horror surgeon takes place 400 times a day in the US alone. In addition, there are deeply moving interviews with the other victims of abortion, women who have been irreparably injured by abortion, physically and psychologically. From World Health Organization (WHO), abortion accounts for 13 percent of women’s deaths during pregnancy and childbirth, and there are 31 abortions for every 100 live births globally in 2007. Nevertheless, according to the Guttmacher Institute's 2005 survey of abortion providers, the abortion rate in USA recently fall down, 30-year trends in abortion rates finds that fewer and fewer U.S. women go to abortion. But, the U.S. abortion rates are disproportionately high- American still has one of the highest teen-pregnancy rates in the developed world. In the way, sex education and contraception is essential to keep pregnancy away. So the school should take the responsibly on educating the teens. And in Taiwan, there are about 30’000 to 40’000 women go to abortion per year. Likewise Taiwan has similar situation as USA- Taiwan government statistics showed knowledge about sex education among teenager is falling down recent years, while the birth rate of teen is the highest in Asia. It’s estimated that about 6100 abortion among teen girls annually. So sex education is the urgent for Taiwan. It’s the root of avoiding abortion.
The first time I saw the video was in my junior high school time. I never thought the abortion is so dreadful before. When I saw the baby was taken out the mother by force, I was deeply shocked. The doctor was rational to using the tools to cause the uterus to contract and expel the tissue. The uterus is nearly human like. Even the documentary showed the breath and heartbeat of the uterus. In the end of abortion, the dead uterus was put in a bucket and then it was filled with scarlet blood. The blood is hard to be distinguished whose blood is- the mother or the uterus. The bucket was settled in the hospital; what’s surprising- there are other “buckets” in the hospital. They were like a dead specimen waited to be “handled”.
Everyday there are about 3500 abortion procedures. In other words, 2 to 3 fetuses are terminated by such procedure. Abortion does harm not only the babies but also the mothers. If the opposite argues that the choice to abortion is the women’s right, then the unborn babies should have rights, too. It’s particularly strange that there is a law that human embryos can’t be undertaken any experiment. Because the government still regards the embryo as a life. However the government gradually endures the human embryo experiment in recent years. In January, 2008, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) made the decision to approve the experiment on human embryos. But the human experiment is regulated as illegal. This explains that “human” in law would be an “object”. It can be destroyed for the specific purposes, just like abortion. So in order to prevent such events happen, we should not let the human fetuses abort, for they are just the developing period of human.
From “Abortion and psychology”, both sides in abortion topic fight against each other by using scientific research. The whole article mentions about the women’s right and it “seems” to be the primary part to legalize the abortion. In the beginning of the article, it says that The Supreme Court's decision to ban partial-birth abortion. In other words, it strikes the general availability of abortion. Women rights are repeating over again and again. But, how about the unborn babies? Since the women and embryos rights are conflicting in the abortion, should they have equal rights with women? Then why not try to prevent abortion? The real emphasis for people concern is that abortions happen because of a lack of contraception. So Taiwan should reinforce the sex education to let our teen abortion rate fall. Tony Abbott, who is Federal Health Minister used to comment that "the rate of abortion is a national tragedy and society has too lax an attitude towards sexual promiscuity among teenagers" If they are not still careful to be pregnant, I think social workers and parents should help them out, especially parents.
The second reason why women go to abortion is the property. Contraception also can solve the problem. Government should pay more attention in abortion topic; it can cause impact in society. Besides rooting some basic sex concepts since the kids in primary school, avoiding abortion in advanced is more essential than “encourage” them to abortion because the pressure from society. Most women who go to abortion are that they can’t afford to raise these children. In 1977, the federal government of the U.S. paid for 295,000 welfare abortions. Under such circumstances, only 14.7% of pregnancies of non-welfare mothers were aborted. This clearly suggests coercion when we realize that the minority classes who make up a large share of the welfare people are more against abortion than are the while middle and upper classes. However, the welfare was abolished by large majority of citizens who want to pay for welfare abortions. So in general, it’s not the women want to destroy their children. Sometimes, its reality forces them to abortion. Besides, Black abortion rates are approximately 2.6 times higher than the white, since the white have much more socioeconomic prestige than the black. We find is a callous cost-benefit analysis of solving poverty by killing the unborn children of the poor. The problem should be handled by the government. Authority concerned must work out the law to incline abortion rate. The welfare is the better way to see the improvement of falling rate, but in the long term, the government should teach the right concepts to people. If the government ignore the problem, then the quality and quantity of population would be worse.
The final reason to abortion is because the fetuses endanger the mothers’ lives. From one of Spanish Studies, there is no maternal death between women with lupus during pregnancy. 8 patients who had "therapeutic" abortions, six of them requested the abortions themselves, and two had abortions performed because their medical treatment were presumed to harm the embryos. The measure to abort isn’t for s a live-preserving mother. And the sample of the fetuses endanger mothers’ lives and go to abortion is very few. Only 151 abortions have been carried out to save the mother's life between 1967 and 1990, a figure amounting to 0.004% of all abortions in UK. Further more, in 1992, a group of Ireland's top gynaecologists wrote: "We affirm that there are no medical circumstances justifying direct abortion, that is, no circumstances in which the life of a mother may only be saved by directly terminating the life of her unborn child." When Dublin's National Maternity Hospital (where 10% of all births in Ireland occurred) investigated the 21 deaths of pregnant women there between 1970 to1979, they found that not a single one of those deaths could have been avoided by abortion. In the conclusion, seldom women can take this reason to abort their children. Further, thanks to the development of medical science, the doctors will always find a way to let both mothers and children alive. For example, even if the woman had uterine cancer, requiring a hysterectomy, doctors would deliver the baby live first if he or she was viable. And for the breast cancer, the doctor would use another therapy treatment to these pregnancy women. So they don’t use the abortion- another killing the fetuses to solve the difficulties.
As the whole article conclusion, abortion is the most immoral to these fetuses. Unlike us, they are silent to announce their rights. Since the period of being in mothers’ wombs is part of our lives. Human can’t be killed, and so do the fetuses. They share the same living right with us. These reasons to abortion could be solved possibly. It depends on the government policy and concern; the rulers must care the crisis which would evolve a serious big social problem in the future. Several social problems combine together would cause the countries the unstable. So the authority concerned should establish a complete system to keep abortion away.
Reference:
Lisa Tolin. (Jul/Aug 97) The effects of abortion .Journal of Psychology Today. Retrieved November 11, 2008, from : http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19970701-000009.html
Abortion and psychology. (May 17, 2007) Retrieved November 14, 2008, from Washington Time Website: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/may/17/20070517-100743-6250r/
Eclipse of Reason. Bernard N. Nathanson. Jan, 1985.
Abortion 'leaves mental legacy'.(Monday12 December 2005)BBC News<>
AbortionFacts.com.2006<>
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