Rhetorical Analysis of Abortion Article
Running head: ABORTION
The Abortion Debate No One Wants to Have
Michael McManus
Baker College
There are many people with permanent disability’s that contribute to our society in very useful ways. In most cases, these people are viewed as being courageous. This kind of a reaction is typical but not always honest. There are a lot of people are uncomfortable around those that are considered “less than normal”. In her article The Abortion Debate No One Wants to Have, Patricia Bauer writes about Down’s syndrome and abortion. Bauer is a former reporter and bureau chief for the Washington Post. Bauer writes about some of those in our society who have an indifferent attitude about the relation between abortion and those with disabilities. As the mother of a daughter with Down syndrome, she writes about the love for a child and the hurt she feels when a less than thought out comment or question about Margaret (her daughter) is directed at her. She talks about the achievements that Margaret has attained and the joy that she brings to rest of their family. Bauer is proud to inform the reader that Margaret is a high school graduate and is attending a community college. Bauer also relates that her daughter behaves like any other teenager. “She’s consumed with more important things, like the performance of the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs and the dance she is going to this weekend” (Bauer, 2005). She wants to let anyone who will listen know that Margaret’s life is not a useless one. Bauer brings up incidents and encounters that she and Margaret experience and the affect that it has on her. The fact that Bauer’s daughter Margaret has Down syndrome makes her argument credible and persuasive. Bauer grabs the attention of the reader in the first paragraph of the article by bringing up a comment made by politician William Bennett. The comment that Bauer is referring to was made on Bennett’s radio show in which he stated “You can abort every black baby in
The Abortion Debate No One Wants to Have
Michael McManus
Baker College
There are many people with permanent disability’s that contribute to our society in very useful ways. In most cases, these people are viewed as being courageous. This kind of a reaction is typical but not always honest. There are a lot of people are uncomfortable around those that are considered “less than normal”. In her article The Abortion Debate No One Wants to Have, Patricia Bauer writes about Down’s syndrome and abortion. Bauer is a former reporter and bureau chief for the Washington Post. Bauer writes about some of those in our society who have an indifferent attitude about the relation between abortion and those with disabilities. As the mother of a daughter with Down syndrome, she writes about the love for a child and the hurt she feels when a less than thought out comment or question about Margaret (her daughter) is directed at her. She talks about the achievements that Margaret has attained and the joy that she brings to rest of their family. Bauer is proud to inform the reader that Margaret is a high school graduate and is attending a community college. Bauer also relates that her daughter behaves like any other teenager. “She’s consumed with more important things, like the performance of the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs and the dance she is going to this weekend” (Bauer, 2005). She wants to let anyone who will listen know that Margaret’s life is not a useless one. Bauer brings up incidents and encounters that she and Margaret experience and the affect that it has on her. The fact that Bauer’s daughter Margaret has Down syndrome makes her argument credible and persuasive. Bauer grabs the attention of the reader in the first paragraph of the article by bringing up a comment made by politician William Bennett. The comment that Bauer is referring to was made on Bennett’s radio show in which he stated “You can abort every black baby in
References: Bauer, P (2005, October 18). The Abortion Debate No One Wants to Have The Washington Post News and commentary about disability issues (2010, February 23rd) retrieved from http://www.patricaebauer.com/ Bauer, Patricia E. (2007, October 22nd) retrieved from http://patriciaebauer.blogspot.com Down Syndrome Fact Sheet (n.d.) National Down Syndrome Society retrieved from http://www.ndss.org/ Harmon, A (2007, May 9) Times retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/ Starr, P (2008, October 13) ‘Eugenic Abortion’: With Pre-Natal Testing, 9 in 10 Down Syndrome Babies Aborted CNSNEWS.COM Retrieved from http://www.cnsnews.com/ Strode, T (2003, October 17) More abortions for Down syndrome may result from new tests The