Effective health policy-Essay

As in Module 8, you will be required to read the two articles (“Yes, It Provides Protection For Children” by Steve and Gayle Francis and “No, It delays Access to Medical Care And Counseling” by Patricia Bellasaima) with opposing viewpoints on a very contentious matter (California State Proposition 4 in the 2008 general election).
1.    Print out and then quickly read each article to get an overall idea of each author’s argument.
2.    Next, thoroughly read each article, identifying purposes, conclusions, and premises and your own personal bias concerning the argument. .
3.    As you identify premises, take notes as to the possible fallacies or strengths each might have.
4.    Form your own conclusion. Base this upon the arguments presented by one or both of the authors as well as research of your own.
5.    Now you’re ready to write your final exam essay.
6.    Refer to the guide in Module 8 to steer you through the format of the essay.
?    Essay Guide Module 8:
?    Paragraph 1:
?    Introduction (articles’ titles and autors as well as brief background)
?    Paragraph 2 :
?    Briefly summarize the 1st article.
?    Paragraph 3:
?    Statement and analyze the premises of the 1st article
?    Paragraph 4:
?    Briefly Summarize the 2nd article
?    Paragraph 5:
?    Statement and analyze the premises of 2nd article
?    Paragraph 6:
?    Form your own opinion (conclusion) based upon the above analyses

You might also want to refer to your text as well as notes from previous lectures. Be sure to keep in mind:
•    Potential errors of truth (Module 2)
•    Ambiguity (Module 2)
•    Overgeneralization (Module 2)
•    Opinions stated as Facts (Module 2)
•    Stereotyping, Egocentrism, Ethnocentrism, Unwarranted Assumptions (Module 3)
•    Implications, Consequences, Non-literal Language (Module 5)
•    Inductive Arguments and Analogies (Module 7)

Uploaded additional materials:
no_it_delay_access_to_medical_care.docx

No: It delays access to medical care and counseling

By Patricia Bellasalma ?October 9, 2008
Once Californians know the facts about the intentionally deceptive language and misrepresentations of Proposition 4, the majority will vote No. California voters will recognize that Proposition 4 is dangerous for teens and is really part of the all-too-familiar strategy to decrease access to abortion for all women.
At a recent legislative hearing on Proposition 4 Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, wasn’t afraid to challenge Proposition 4’s proponents on the deceptive language, including exposing the real story behind “Sarah’s Law.” First, the girl’s name wasn’t Sarah. Second, she lived in Texas, not California. And lastly, though she was 15, she already had a child and was in a common-law marriage, which means she wouldn’t have been covered by the law Californians are being asked once again to consider. Under the guise of protecting teenage girls, Proposition 4 in reality endangers the lives and health of California teens.
The reality for teenage girls is the majority already involve their parents in decisions about unintended pregnancy. But there are many teens who just can’t notify a parent. In the real world she might be getting kicked out of her home, or she could face violence should she disclose to her family that she’s pregnant.
Proposition 4 would force those vulnerable teens, the ones who can’t talk to their parents, to delay medical care or to turn to self-induced or illegal back-alley abortions. Some may even consider suicide. Protecting the most vulnerable teens is every voter’s responsibility. These teens don’t need a judge; they need a caring counselor and safe, quality medical care, without delay.
Rather than ensure teenage girls have access to quality medical care, Proposition 4 includes a provision that effectively eliminates access and clearly shows that the proponents care very little if at all about the lives and health of teenage girls. Proposition 4 allows for prosecution and lawsuits against doctors who treat teenage girls with virtually no statute of limitations.
This one provision effectively eliminates access to doctors, which is the real intent of Proposition 4. The dire consequences to teenage girls’ lives and health seems to be acceptable collateral damage in their war against women’s reproductive freedom.
Proposition 4 does not even attempt to promote family involvement, which is the main reason voters initially responded favorably to parental notification initiatives. Proposition 4’s so-called family notification is a form letter sent to another relative who may not live in the same town, and the notification provisions contain no requirement for counseling or that the other adult help the teen when she is in crisis.
Studies also show that in states where parental notification laws have passed, teenage girls delay accessing medical care and counseling and some teens opt for dangerous alternatives such as illegal abortion, self-induced abortion or even worse suicide. California successfully decreased teen pregnancy rates over the past decade by more than 40 percent without a parental notification law. We should be working to help families create an atmosphere that assures daughters will go to their families, focus on prevention through comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education that includes abstinence and birth control, not new laws that put our teens at risk.
Californians have twice told these craven individuals no thanks, that we value the lives and health of our teenage girls too much to be fooled by your initiatives. Californians once again will need only to see that Proposition 4 puts teenage girls at greater risk and does nothing to prevent teen pregnancy or reduce abortions; the only way to make that happen is through education and effective contraception.
With this third try on the ballot, once armed with the facts voters will understand that Proposition 4 is dangerous and puts our teens at risk. Proposition 4 is deceitful and dangerous. The proponents and Proposition 4 must and will be defeated one more time in November.

Yes: It provides protection for children

By Steve and Gayle Francis ?October 9, 2008
On Election Day, California voters will have an opportunity to decide whether pregnant teenage girls should have family support and health protections when considering an abortion. Supporting a mainstream policy would safeguard the emotional and physical health of young girls in our state.
Proposition 4, also known as “Sarah’s Law,” is a statewide ballot initiative that seeks to provide common-sense parental notification prior to the termination of a minor’s pregnancy. While some of these young girls will talk with a parent before entering a clinic, too many do not. When making an adult decision such as choosing to have an abortion, pregnant teens should have the advice of a parent or another adult in their family. Adolescents are not equipped to make the right decisions on their own, and need the emotional support and counseling of a parent or family member who will care for them at a sensitive time in their lives.
Some teenage girls in California are also vulnerable to sexual predators and adult males who may encourage or coerce them to have an abortion. This threat is very real; a 2003 study from the Public Policy Institute of California found that a majority of partners of teen mothers are men 21 years and older.
Additionally, teenage pregnancies can result in tragedy. Statewide, journalists reported this summer that a 13-year-old girl from the San Francisco Bay Area was impregnated by a 39-year-old man and taken by the perpetrator to a nearby clinic to terminate the pregnancy. She was five months’ pregnant. This young girl was then transported to San Francisco General Hospital where a late-term abortion was performed. After missing two days of school, she returned home and was victim to seven more months of molestation and abuse before her mother discovered evidence of the secret abortion and called the police.
To allow a young girl to handle a pregnancy alone at 13, 14 or 15 years old is socially negligent. Our community recognizes that it has a moral responsibility to protect our most vulnerable members. That’s why state voters went to the ballot booth in 2006 and overwhelmingly approved Jessica’s Law, increasing penalties on sex offenders and keeping them away from living near schools and parks.
It’s also why a strong bipartisan consensus in the Legislature supported the enactment of Megan’s Law, providing young women, parents and all members of the public with a vital, searchable online database of registered sex offenders in their neighborhood. All California parents need to know if their children are in harm’s way, and that is the spirit of Proposition 4.
Teenage abortions remain a critical health issue for our state. This year an estimated 13,300 Californian teens under 18 years of age will terminate an unplanned pregnancy. Parents have a reasonable need to be informed if their daughter chooses to have this surgical procedure, especially as post-operative care is critical to looking for infections and health complications that may warrant additional medical attention.
Parental notification is a mainstream and effective health policy in our country. More than 30 states have some type of family involvement protection in cases of a minor’s decision to terminate a pregnancy. Contrary to the claims of critics, these measures are having a positive impact on the physical health of teens in America. Family involvement states, which are home to more than 60 percent of the U.S. population, have lower rates of teen pregnancies, abortions and sexually transmitted infections than states without these laws.
It’s important to note that Proposition 4 also safeguards teens from potential problems at home. In rare cases, some teens fear physical abuse and violence if they notify their mother or father about an abortion. If a girl reports this abuse to her physician, she may be permitted to notify another adult family member or obtain a judicial waiver. The intent is to make sure that no teenage girl will make this important life-changing decision alone. Other notification exceptions are allowed in cases of medical emergencies and emancipated minors.
Proposition 4 is a balanced measure that would keep teenage girls safe and healthy in a turbulent world. Our children deserve better, and need our support to help build a brighter future for them. This Election Day, California voters can make a positive difference in our community by saying Yes on Prop. 4.

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