Muilenburg, Samantha

Mr. Wisner

World History

T/R 2

October 7, 2016

Current Event Title

https://bitchmedia.org/article/radical-idea-providing-doulas-abortions

Key Vocabulary from the Article (Define at least 4).

o doula- a woman who is trained to assist another woman during childbirth
o abortion-the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy
o reproductive justice- the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, and economic
well-being of women and girls, based on the full achievement and protection of women's human
rights.
o bureaucracy- a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by
state officials rather than by elected representatives

Summary of the Event (at least 3 major points; each point will have its own paragraph)

A. Women getting abortions have to go through a lot of emotional hardship and their mental
health is not taken seriously. In the fight for physical rights to abortions, the mental and
emotional rights of women have been neglected. The doulas mission is to make sure that
women getting the procedure are safe in the hospital room and also in their own home after
going through the gruelling process of terminating a pregnancy.
B. There is a shortage of women wanting to be doulas because it is both a controversial
position and it is not paid. It is volunteer based and the doulas would need to be able to be
available at any time so there is not much diversity in the women helping. This is a problem
because some women may be more comfortable with someone their own race or gender (a
trans man wanting support from another trans man).
C. The doulas need more financial support even though their business has grown so much
since its beginning. People dont really know about the organization because it is such a
controversial and alternative project. The women are having difficulty finding outlets and
organizations to gain support from since there is such a not many large corporations willing to
fund such a project.

Your Opinion of the Event (at least 3 sentences).

I absolutely love the idea of getting doulas for abortions because it prioritizes both the physical
and mental health of women. The procedure can be traumatic and I feel that it is important to
have a support system during the entire process. Women relying on women for a painful and
emotionally draining procedure is something I think we need more of to destigmatize bot
abortions and how people seek support.

Relate your Event to a Historical Event (compare and contrast with current event).

Roe v. Wade changed the way that abortions would be handled and how the women who had
them would be taken care of. 40 years after abortions were legalized in the United States
women can now have safer abortions and have an exponentially higher chance of getting out of
the operating room harm free. The Radical Idea of Providing Doulas for Abortions is taking a
step further for womens health while getting abortions. The project relies on the idea that,
people having abortions should have continuous, nonjudgmental physical, emotional, and
educational support just like people giving birth. Women having abortions now have more
opportunities for adequate mental and physical health pre, during, and post abortion then in the
70s when it was first legalized. Both articles speak to the rate of change that the abortion
procedure has gone through but The Radical Idea of Providing Doulas for Abortions makes
more of a point towards mental health. Roe v. Wade and Beyond: Forty Years of Legal
Abortion in the United States examines the change and timeline post Roe v. Wade.
https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/roe-v-wade-and-beyond-forty-years-of-legal-abortion-in-
the-united-states

Relate your Event to the a Theme (at least 3 sentences). SEE BACK FOR THEMES

My event has to do with the theme Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies under Cultural
Interaction because not only are abortions part of philosophies and belief systems but so are
dulas. The whole basis of the article is dependent on belief systems because it is a very
personal experience where the people are dependent on their support system for emotional well
being. The theme of Cultural Interaction also related because it shows how we as a a society
have evolved to turn to more alternative methods.

QuestionsYou Have About the Event (4).

1) When would the organization get to a point where dulas could get paid and what would
be a good salary since they are technically in the medical profession?
2) Would dulas have to go through a screening process or have a psych background?
 3) If the organization got big enough, would pairings become impersonal and how could
they be able to tell if women were getting adequate care?
4) Would the women being cared for have to pay out of pocket or would dulas be paid for
by insurance/ government agencies?

THEMES:

1.Cultural Interaction 2.Political Structures

o Religions o State-building, expansion, and conflict

o Belief systems, o Empires

philosophies, and ideologies

o Science and o Nations and nationalism

technology

o The arts and o Revolts and revolutions

architecture

3.Economic Structures 4.Social Structures

o Agricultural and o Gender roles and relations

pastoral production

o Trade and commerce o Family and kinship

o Labor systems o Racial and ethnic constructions

o Industrialization o Social and economic classes

o Economic theories

5.Human-Environment
Interaction

o Disease

o Migration & patterns of

settlement

o Population growth
o Technology