On January 23rd, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end funding overseas abortions, for better or for worse. Regardless of personal opinion, both sides of responses to this decision use persuasive strategies to attempt to get neutral parties on their side. The responders who support abortion believe that this was a bad decision, but the responders on the other side believe this is a good decision. Pro-choice supporters generally lean on the left side, and pro-life supporters typically lean on the right side. Although the topic is very personal, both sides of the argument attempt to persuade the moderate audience using persuasive strategies.
Buzzfeed, a popular left wing website, released an article about the situation. The first strategy used in this article is the strong use of pathos in regards to women. The writer of this article focuses on the idea that abortion should be a universal option for all women of the world. Additionally, the article uses ethos through stating that public health experts believe this decision is dangerous for women of other countries. Another strategy used by this side of the argument is testimony, such as when they quote representatives of various organizations who support abortion. Logos was used in this article and is usually used on this side of the argument through various projected statistics and percentages. Overall, this side of the argument uses many persuasive strategies with a strong focus on pathos in order to get their audience to sympathize and to stir their emotions.
On the contrary, a popular right wing website, Right Wing News, also released an article about this situation. This article focuses on the idea that this decision will improve where and how America is spending its money. Pathos is used through the article discussing how it is not Americans’ duty to pay for other countries’ abortions. This is effective because many who are on this side of the argument care a lot about America and how it is spending its money, but more importantly, where their money is going. This article also includes logos because it discusses some facts about previous presidencies and how they relate to abortion related matters. Throughout the entire article the author focuses on the benefits of defunding Planned Parenthood and how this decision is going to be good for Americans.
Both sides of this argument use persuasive strategies to win over neutral parties. While the left side focuses on tugging on the heart strings of others, the right side focuses on money and benefits for Americans. In addition, this entire situation is very personal for people on both sides because it is a matter of life and death. Pro-life supporters either believe that abortion is completely wrong and out of the question or that it is completely wrong after the baby has developed past a certain point. Some of these supporters are focused on the religious aspect of this or simply believe that it is wrong from a moral standpoint. On the other side, Pro-choice supporters focus more on the mother and her decision no matter what the situation is. Some of these supporters may believe that abortion is only right if the mother is in danger or strongly does not want a child, such as if she is a college student or a high school student.
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