Abortion

So the issue that I chose was abortion. Basically abortion is the process of removing a fetus. Now this topic is very controversial. There are two different views on this issue, there are people that are pro-life or pro-choice. So for people that are pro-life they are against abortion and are for saving the fetus. Whereas for people that are pro-choice they are more for abortion and are for women being able to make their own personal choice on whether or not they want the baby. Now this doesn't mean that everyone has the same views if they're one or the other, I'm just talking in general terms. The liberal interest group that I chose was Planned Parenthood. They strive to protect women's rights for them to decide when and whether or not they want to get pregnant. They also challenge the government interfering in personal decisions and how that kind of thing should be left to the woman and her family. As for the conservative interest group, I chose the National Right to Life. They strive to protect the lives of every human being from the beginning of their life until the end.

So for the liberal interest group the artifact that I had chosen was an article. It was written by a woman named Courtney Tucker. In the article she is addressing a misconception that people may have about people that are pro-choice. She goes into the reasons why abortion is legal. She brings up points like how a fetus isn't legally a citizen and the Supreme Court case Roe. VS. Wade. In which it was decided upon the Supreme Court that it would be legal in 1973. Another point that she had made was that the right to make their own personal decisions in regards of their own bodies is their right to privacy. It's a constitutional right. She also had addressed the fact that for the people that are pro-life they are all for the birth of the baby although when its born people don't care anymore. I think that the reason why she wrote this article was to debunk this misconception that some people may have. I also think it was to shed light on the situation and to address her thoughts in regards of the topic.

As for the conservative interest group the artifact that I had chosen was an article. This article was written by a man by the name Trevor Atwood. He is addressing this misconception in regards to some that might think that being pro-life is just about being opposed to abortion. He is addressing this idea of why it is much more than that. He connects it to religion. He said that, "Being pro-life goes far beyond mobile sonogram clinics and Capitol Hill. It's about being pro-life and like God is pro-life." He talks about how pro-life ethic is more than just the life in the womb, It should also be about how you treat your family and friends. He also expresses this idea that the Lord puts the responsibility in your hands to protect and care for the weak. I think that the reason why he wrote this was to bring light to the situation and to show that being pro-life is more than just being opposed to abortion.

So between both interest groups, they definitely have very different point of views. Where liberals are more for women being able to make their own personal choices for their bodies. They protect a woman's rights to be able to determine whether or not she wants to be pregnant. Whereas the conservative interest group is more about the fact that they strive to protect and defend the lives of the these innocent fetuses. They strive to promote this idea of the fact that we should all respect worth and dignity of every individual being, whether that being unborn or born. I don’t really see any similarities between interest groups, they definitely have very different views in regards of this issue. As for the artifacts that I have chosen the similarities that I have noticed between them is that there is definitely bias to what they say as they do input their opinion on things. Another thing I’ve noticed is the fact that are debunking misconceptions that people might have. In regards of differences she uses facts to go into the reasons as to why abortion is legal. She also brings up relevant facts as well like the Roe. Vs Wade case. As for the man who is pro-life he is very dependent on using excerpts from the bible and talking about the Lord. He has a religious standpoint on the situation.

So addressing this question of, "How might interest groups influence an individual's political beliefs?"
I feel like a big part of is it their tone that they use in their writing, as well as their diction. It can be very persuading. Another thing is their use of pathos, logos, and ethos. For instance in the article from Courtney Tucker she brings up this idea that if the law that allows a woman to have an abortion were to be overturned then you're telling a woman who is well aware of the fact that financially she wouldn't be able to take care of a child. Yet she should just suck it up and work up to 3 jobs just to be able to take care of her and the baby. Or you're telling this college student that she should just drop out of college and take care of this baby. It's not like she was going to graduate soon and go on to apply for graduate school.

Links to the artifacts.
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/understand-pro-choice
https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/why-being-pro-life-is-about-more-than-opposing-abortion