Research Source Log for Online Source

“Specific Page Title or Article Title”	Abortion: Science
Primary Contributor to the Website (if given) (author, editor, producer, etc)	Gregg Cunningham (Executive Director)
Title of the Entire Website (not www.)	CBR- The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform
Publisher or Sponsoring Organization of the website (if given)	CBR
Date Page was Last Revised	2006?
Date You Read It	January 31, 2012
<URL address> (ALL of it)	http://abortionno.org/AbortionNO/abortion_fl.html

FIVE FACTS FROM THE SOURCE (Embedded):

This article begins by defining when a life “begins”, using Professor Micheline Matthews-Roth’s statement that “’It is scientifically correct to say that an individual human life begins at conception’” (Matthews-Roth, CBR). Many people believe that a fetus is not a life until it has developed thoroughly. Professor Micheline attended Harvard University Medical School.

They further prove their point by citing Doctor Jerome LeJuene, professor of genetics at the University of Descartes, he claims that once “’fertilization has taken place a new human being has come into being” and that “it is no longer a matter of taste or opinion… it is plain experimental evidence’” (LeJuene, CBR).

The site explains that fertilization is, “the exact moment when a new human being comes into existence.” It supports this by explaining that this new life has still “inherited 23 chromosomes from each parent” which “contains the entire genetic code for every detail of individual human development” (CBR).

Even the Senate agreed on when a life begins based off of scientific research, saying that “’scientists agree that conception marks the beginning of the life of a human being – a being that is alive and is a member of the human species’” (Senate Report, CBR).

It has been written in a book by doctors E.L. Potter and J.M. Craig that “’Every time a sperm cell and ovum unite a new being is created which is alive and will continue to live unless its death is brought about by some specific condition’” (Pathology of the Fetus and the Infant, CBR).

Summary of Source (Three-Four Sentences of the Who, What, Where, Why, and How in your own words. NO OPINION): 

CBR uses multiple quotes from prestigious medical experts, experienced in numerous fields (biology, genetics, physiology, etc.) to justify their opposition towards abortions. Although the website appeals mostly to emotion, they begin by defining what a human life is and when it begins so that they can establish facts before they argue based on morality. Then they offer a scientific timeline about the stages of pregnancy and how developed the fetus is during these stages.

Credibility of Source: 
Author or Site: Who is the author? What training have they had? If there is no author, examine the site. What is the purpose of the site? Who funds the site? 

I expect that numerous people have helped create all of the web pages. I’m sure they are mostly written or at least revised by Gregg Cunningham since he is the executive director. It does not state who the actual author is though. The site attempts to convince people to fight abortion and take a stand against it. The site is funded by donations; it does not show indication of any other funding.

Attachment: Does the author or site have anything to gain from writing this, or is it simply informative? For example, is it a cigarette business posting an article about the benefit of cigarettes, or is it a scientific community unaffiliated with the cigarette business? 

Yes, the website simply wants to save lives. It is informative as well but their dilemma concerns the morality of abortion.

Bias: Do you detect a bias (a favoring of either side) in the author's writing? 

Oh yes, there is bias without discretion. The website clearly takes a pro-life stance. The whole purpose of the website is to stop abortion and help those who are considering an abortion or have stress after having one.

References: Does the author cite references in the writing? If so, do these add or take away from the credibility? 

Yes, many. It adds to the credibility, the website uses quotes from a professor for Harvard Medical School, a Professor of genetics at the University of Descartes, a quote from the official Senate report, and many more highly regarded books, documents and people.

Use of Source: How will you use this source in your project? 

I will use this source mostly for interviews and personal experiences. It will mostly be used for the emotional appeal of my project, it has graphic pictures and has good arguments that I can use to take a stance against abortions. Although it utilizes logos as well, it mostly appeals to pathos.

I believe

Mark Elia

Ms. Grandchamp

English 12A

6 December 2011

5 “I Believe” Statements

1.     I believe that child abortion is morally incorrect and goes against values that all people should have.

2.     I believe that we need to find a solution for immigration problems.

3.     I believe that baseball should not be considered a sport; it should not be glorified or advocated as an American pastime because it teaches bad habits for mental and physical health.

4.     I believe that animal cruelty should be stopped because animals do not deserve to be abused.

5.     I believe that the system should be fixed so that people cannot abuse it and receive money when they do not need it.

Senior Project Proposal

Proposed Topic in the form of an  Essential Question:

Rationale for Choice

What about this topic appeals to you? Why did you choose it?

I feel that abortion is taken lightly by many people for numerous reasons. I do not think that abortion is an action that can be taken without much thought. The process of getting somebody pregnant in the first place is complex and should not happen on accident so easily. More teens are becoming pregnant each year at a younger age, unprotected sex is promoted by the media and television on a daily basis and it is detrimental to teens.

What do you already know about this subject?

I know that abortion occurs frequently, I am sure that tens of thousands of abortions take place each day, many of them being illegal.

What are you hoping to learn about the subject?

I want to learn statistics. I want to understand how much the abortion rate has increased or decreased over the past 5 or 10 years. I want to be able to predict where the abortion rate will be in the next 5 or 10 years as well, according to the statistics that I research. I also want to determine whether or not making abortions illegal has affected the amount of abortions that occur, and how many unexpected pregnancies take place with unprotected and protected sex.

What are you most interested in regarding the topic?

What interests me the most is learning about how people can make the decision to abort a child.                                                                                                                                                

What potential risks or challenges do you foresee for your project?

Finding people that I am comfortable enough to interview and ask personal questions. Abortion can be a touchy subject and interviewing a child aborter may be a difficult task.