MEDIA PORTRAYAL ON WHETHER ABORTION IS
FAIR OR UNFAIR
NAME: UNSA SHAHBAZ – 20-10848
ENG 103 SEC-H
NAME OF INSTRUCTOR: FATIMA SYEDA
DATE: 11-5- 17.
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MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF ABORTION…
RESEARCH TOPIC: “MEDIA PORTRAYAL ON WHETHER ABORTION IS FAIR OR
UNFAIR”
RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the agenda behind the propagation of abortion rights in
media as fair and legal?
ABSTRACT: The un-wantedness of pregnancy is first of all a question of motivation to pro-
creation. With respect to this question, very little is known yet. It is not very clear why people
want to have children or don’t want them. Well some factors common to those who do not want
to have children are, people do not know what they really want and they have problems about
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Moreover, the structure of hospitals are responsible for problems and the
abortion rate is expected to increase in near future.
KEYWORDS: pro-creation, sexual impulses, discursive associations, social practices, class
differences.
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MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF ABORTION…
LITERATURE REVIEW
Abortion is by far one of the most controversial topics in our society. Needless to say, there are
people on both ends of the spectrum, when it comes to question of whether or no abortion
constitutes of murder. According to simple definition it is a medical procedure used to end the
pregnancy and causes the death of a fetus. As fetus is created by God, it is therefore a living part
of a mother’s body. Hence, the answer to the question says, yes! Abortion is a murder.
On the contrary, a comprehensive times study finds that the press often favors the abortion rights
in its coverage. Major newspaper supports abortion rights on their editorial pages and two major
media studies have shown that 80% to 90% of US journalists personally favor it. To portray
issues fairly and accurately, media must broaden their spectrum of sources. Otherwise, they serve
merely as megaphones for those in
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Few articles framed abortion as a positive and legitimate choice. Negative
media representations of abortion contribute to the stigmatization of the procedure and of women
who have it, and reflect a discrediting of women's reproductive decision making.
Abortion is a subject which is continually contested in the worldwide media. The cases of
women who challenged Ireland's restrictive abortion laws in the European Court of Human
Rights in 2010; and the death in 2012 of Savita Halappanavar (from septicaemia after being
denied an abortion) have maintained the presence of abortion rights in the Republic of Ireland in
news reporting. The case of ‘Beatriz’, a Salvadoran woman denied an abortion despite an
unviable pregnancy and significant risk to her life, garnered international media attention; as
have increasing restrictions on access to abortion in the USA. Whilst high profile cases make the
headlines, it is worth noting that restricted access in many countries means there are an estimated
21.6 million unsafe abortions and 47,000 abortion-related deaths worldwide each year (World
Health Organization 2011).
So, what is the agenda and the role of media in the propagation of abortion as fair and legal?