Casebook

Stern, Ricki and Anne Sundberg, directors. Reversing Roe. Netflix, 13 Sept. 2018,

www.netflix.com/title/80192834.

Reversing Roe is a documentary on Netflix directed by Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg, that was
released in September of 2018. The basis of this documentary is to provide history of the
changing atmosphere surrounding abortion and to show multiple perspectives on the current
issues surrounding this topic. It begins with the 1950s-1960s, it explains that women had very
little options and access to abortion unless they were white and rich. It wasn’t until the 1970s that
an abortion clinic even opened in the United States as a result of the California Therapeutic
Abortion Act signed by Ronald Regan. This also set off the Catholic Church which gave rise to
“Right to Life”, a pro-life organization. In 1973, case the Roe v. Wade was argued. The point
was brought up that there is no legal standard to when a fetus becomes a human and should that
be a decision for the woman or the government. The case was won for women 7 to 2, which
legalized abortion and no state could make laws forbidding it. Then the documentary shifts focus
to present day. There are 7 states with only 1 abortion provider and Kentucky is at risk for losing
its only one. People have also been recently pushing to defund planned parenthood because they
thing it will end abortion, but in reality there is not federal money that goes into paying for
abortion. It then goes back to the 80s and 90s where there were more court cases and elections
that progressively has put more restrictions on abortion.
The purpose of this documentary is to provide people with information on what is going on in
this debate and the process that led us here. The audience is anyone who wants to know more. It
was made recently when the new legislation began to go into effect so its motivated to show
people where we have come from in this issue and to show where we are heading.
In order for this film to be made and put on Netflix, it has to have some sort of credibility. The
directors are both known documentary makers. For an hour and a half long film there was so
much information from a variety of interviews and sources.
I plan on using this information in a variety of ways. I can use a lot of it for background and
history. There is also about of interview moments from people with prolife and prochoice views
so I can use quotes from both side of the argument. Towards the end of the film it talks about the
newer legislation and changes that are being made and since that is the focus of my paper it will
be very helpful.
Peters, Jeremy W. “As Passions Flare in Abortion Debate, Many Americans Say 'It's

Complicated'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 June 2019,

www.nytimes.com/2019/06/15/us/politics/abortion-debate-

pennsylvania.html?searchResultPosition=1.

Jeremy Peters writes “As Passions Flare in Abortion Debate, Many Americans Say ‘It’s
Complicated” for the New York Times on June 15, 2019. This article discusses the complexities
of the ideals people have on both sides of the abortion debate. This issue touches on morals,
medicine, personal empowerment and the amount of government involved, but people have
gotten into an all or nothing mindset. Republicans are making a point that abortion rights will
just condone the murder of healthy babies by healthy mothers. Democrats are saying that
abortion rights are absolute and nonnegotiable. Peters suggests that this is a debate on morals.
People’s opinions are becoming more and more divided.
The purpose of this article is to explain the extreme views that people are adopting on both sides
of the debate, and that the middle ground is being looked over. The audience is the people who
are more concerned about the weight of peoples views and possibly to see other perspectives.
This is a very recent article so the views addressed are those surrounding the current atmosphere
around abortion.
This is an article posted on a well renowned news website, so it has enough credibility in that
sense. Jeremy Peters has also written numerous articles about politics and controversial topics so
I feel that he was well informed enough to write this article.
I will use the quotes from politicians that he uses to show how strongly these people feel about
this issue. Using this article to show the contrast between the two sides will add dynamic to my
paper.

Borchardt, Jackie. “Ohio's 'Heartbeat' Abortion Ban Challenged in Court.” Cincinnati Enquirer,

15 May 2019, www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/15/ohio-sued-over-

heartbeat-abortion-ban/3507095002/.

“Ohio's 'heartbeat' abortion ban challenged in court” is an article published in the Cincinnati
Enquirer on May 15, 2019 by Jackie Borchardt. It discusses the new law being put in effect in
Ohio that bans abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy and its effects. Ohio abortion clinics sued
the state of this new law. This is Senate Bill 23, Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act, it
bans abortion when heartbeat is detected and it has no exception for rape or incest. This law
essentially wipes out all abortion in Ohio. Six other states have passed similar bans. There is talk
about taking this to the Surpeme Court. There is also 3 other abortion restriction laws pending
lawsuits that concern 2nd trimester abortions, abortions after a down syndrome diagnosis, and
planned parenthood defunding.
The purpose of this article is to give a rundown of the new legislation. The audience is people in
Ohio, anyone who is concerned with what is going on. This article was written in May, after the
bill was proposed and signed into law.
Jackie B has written numerous articles for Cincinnati Enquirer on various hot topics. The
Cincinnati Enquirer is also a well-known newspaper. Both of things combined has given me
enough credibility to use this source.
I will use this source to introduce the heartbeat bill that I will go into more detail with. This
article has much simpler language explaining the bill which will be very helpful in my paper. It
also addresses some peoples thoughts on the situations which gives more perspectives.

Levenson, Eric. “Alabama's Anti-Abortion Law Isn't Alone. Here Are All the States Pushing to

Restrict Access.” CNN, Cable News Network, 30 May 2019,

www.cnn.com/2019/05/16/politics/states-abortion-laws/index.html.

Eric Levenson wrote “Abortion laws in the US: Here are the states pushing to restrict access” on
May 30, 2019 for CNN. This article describes all of the new abortion legislation being passed in
several states. It begins with explaining the new bill in Alabama, it bans abortion with exceptions
being to avoid serious health issues to the mother, is the fetus had a lethal disorder or it is an
ectopic pregnancy. The bill also states that the doctors who perform the procedure could face up to
99 years in prison. This is a very religiously motivated movement. Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia,
and Ohio have all signed heartbeat bills that ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected which is
approximately at six weeks (all with varying exceptions). Missouri signed a bill that bans it after
eight weeks. Arkansas bans abortion after 18 weeks. There are several other states who are making
attempts to pass similar legislation. On the flip side, New York, Vermont, Maine and Nevada are
passing legislation that are protecting a woman’s right to abortion and reforming the current laws.

The purpose of this article is to inform people of the reality of these bills and how wide spread they
are. The audience is anyone across the United States who might have any type of interest of what is
going on in their home state or just in general. This is a recent article that pulls together similar
legislation that is being passed around this time and surrounding this issue.

Eric Levenson is a writer for CNN who has a focus on breaking news and trials. The fight on these
abortion bills is something that he was well informed about and provided recent, accurate
information about.
I will use this article to show how wide spread these bills are becoming and how restrictive they
are. This will prove that women everywhere are losing their rights. No matter what someone might
believe, women’s rights are being taken away. This will introduce the discussion about why is this
happening and how?

"Abortion." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/PC3010999336/OVIC?u=dayt304

01&sid=OVIC&xid=542b57e4. Accessed 23 June 2019.

“Abortion” was published on Opposing Viewpoints in 2019. This article addresses the basics on
abortion, the procedures, legislation history, and the anti-abortion activism. Abortion is a medical
procedure that terminates a pregnancy before the fetus is born. Roe v. Wade protects a woman’s
right to abortion up to the first trimester, after that it is up to the states discretion. The most
common method of abortion is suction, which removes the tissue from the uterus through a tube.
There is also an “abortion pill” which is mifepristone and misoprostol, used together this will
cause the body to remove the embryo. The article then dives into the various court cases that
have regarded abortion and the journey the politics surrounding it have taken. It then goes into
detail about the anti-abortion movements like Operation Rescue and Army of God. These group
have also been linked to domestic terrorism because of their extreme ideals. The future of Roe v.
Wade is also mentioned.
The is article was written with the intent of informing people about what abortion is, the journey
the regulations has taken and peoples views on it. The audience is anyone who wants to know
more about abortion in general. This article does a very good job of providing the necessary
information. This is a recent article so it provides new information, it also provides past
information to make the new stuff more clear.

This is an article provided by a database so whoever wrote it did a well enough job for it to be
allowed on this platform. That means that this information has been reviewed and edited to be
the most accurate and understandable.

I plan on using this article to provide background on the history and facts about the procedures.
This article also provides an interesting perspective on the anti-abortion side which will be
interesting to incorporate into my paper.
Parenthood, Planned. “In-Clinic Abortion Procedure | Abortion Methods.” Planned Parenthood,

www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/abortion/in-clinic-abortion-procedures.

“In-Clinic Abortion” is an article provided by Planned Parenthood. This collection of webpages

is to give all the details and answer questions about the in-clinic abortions performed through
Planned Parenthood. It explains the two types, suction and dilation and evacuation. It then
explains exactly all of the steps for each procedure. It informs what to expect after and the safety
of an in-clinic abortion. Throughout these sections, it answers the most commonly asked
questions a woman might have before proceeding with this procedure.
The purpose of this page is to inform specifically women of everything they need to know about
an abortion. The audience is obviously women who might be considering an abortion or
someone who just is interested about what happens during these procedures. This is an article
provided by Planned Parenthood so it is absolutely necessary for this information to be
accessible to women especially.
Planned Parenthood is the most trusted reproductive health provider. Being around for over 100
years and with over 600 health centers, an article on their website should provide the most
accurate and relevant information a woman should need for their care. There is no doubt that the
information provided is reliable.
I plan on using this article for the information on the procedure. To explain what is actually
happening so there is no confusion or exaggeration would give a clear view on what is being
argued in my paper. I would also be open to using other pages on Planned Parenthood’s website
for information regarding the legalities and restrictions they might have within the organization.