This week looks at the developing issue of abortion through the lens of the Trump administration’s recent defunding of it. In a day and age when the majority of Americans believe abortion to be acceptable, how has the media covered it? This week also looks at how the U.S. deals with other countries who perform abortions and how LGBTQ communities view the man spearheading the Trump Administration’s plans.
Instructors, click on the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt, a debate question, as well as other assessment questions.
Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for Morality, Minorities, and Mass Media
Video
“A better way to talk about abortion”
“Irish Abortion referendum: ‘We made history’”
Articles
- Trump Administration Blocks Funds for Planned Parenthood and Others Over Abortion Referrals
- America’s deep divisions on display in abortion debate
- How the global gag rule undermines Ivanka Trump’s plan to empower women
- Meet the rabidly anti-gay HHS official behind Trump’s plan to defund Planned Parenthood
Assessment
Writing: How have media outlets connected funding for reproductive care to the issue of human rights?
Debate: Is the discussion of reproductive rights in politics a moral issue? If so, why? If not, is it then a private issue?
Poll: Do voters’ personal views of morality affect larger policies on healthcare?
- Yes
- No
- Unsure
Short Answer: How does the media coverage of reproductive healthcare contribute to the polarization of the political bases?
Current Events Quiz
According to the new policies on reproductive health, abortion clinics can no longer _______.
- Pass out condoms
- Remain in business
- Tell patients where they can get an abortion
- Provide birth control pills, implants, or IUDs
Sixty-five percent of Americans believe abortion should be ______.
- Performed at home by a private physician
- Illegal in the second trimester
- Legal until the third trimester
- Completely illegal, except in life-threatening circumstances
Because of the Global Gag Rule, organizations abroad cannot _____.
- Talk about women’s rights
- Testify against the president
- Discuss abortions
- Talk to the press
The Trump administration’s DHHS official was associated with a group that argued _____, _____, and _____ are all the same issue.
- Abortion, homosexuality, and Islam
- Women, refugees, and Mexicans
- Immigrants, Russians, and abortions
- Feminism, abortion, and Democrats
The funding from clinics providing abortions will now be diverted to _____.
- Support of Evangelical groups
- Comprehensive sex education
- Other forms of birth control
- Postnatal care for unwanted pregnancies
Photo credit: The All-Nite Images