Discussion – Abortion Rights in the United States
Summary of the Article
The article, here’s where abortion will be on the ballot in 2024, by Chantelle Lee focuses on the ongoing debate about abortion rights in the United States. The article highlights how several States are preparing to vote on abortion rights in the 2024 elections. The author argues that although Democrats have supported abortion rights, the rights are strongly opposed by conservatives who want to pass stricter laws to prevent abortion through ballot initiatives.
The Current Event Described in the Article
The current event described in the article is the political environment surrounding abortion rights in the United States following the decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. The article highlights the rising need for ballot initiatives as a strategy to support abortion rights. This is evident in the statement, “The disconnect between what the majority of Americans want and the laws on their books in those states have sent people to ballot initiatives.”
Central Question
The central question in the article is whether voting for abortion rights will effectively safeguard access to abortion services in States where abortion rights are not supported. The proponents of the use of the ballot to safeguard abortion rights argue that voting for abortion rights will empower people to protect their reproductive freedoms. They believe that “the people of America are ready, willing, and able to organize to advance reproductive freedom and access to abortion care in red and blue states alike.” Those against using ballot initiatives to vote for and against abortion laws argue that voting for abortion rights may not be sufficient in counteracting the legislative efforts made to restrict access to abortion.
Methodology
The methodology I would apply to determine the effectiveness of ballot measures in protecting abortion rights is hypothesis testing. I would gather data from people from different States who have used the ballot measures to vote on abortion rights and those who have not to test my hypotheses. The data collected from the research participants would include the number of clinics that offer abortion services and the specific services provided, voter turnout during the voting for and against abortion rights, and the legislative changes on abortion laws before and after the ballot measures. The null hypothesis would be:
- Voting for and against abortion rights on the ballot does not impact access to abortion services in States.
The alternative hypothesis will be:
- Voting for and against abortion rights on the ballot affects access to abortion services.
The results from this methodology will answer the question I described above by highlighting the impact of voting for or against abortion rights on the ballot, thus offering clarification on whether ballot voting is effective in protecting access to abortion services.
References
Lee, C. (2024, September 6). Here’s where abortion will be on the ballot in the 2024 election. TIME. https://time.com/7018665/abortion-ballot-measures-2024/
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Question
Discussion Overview
In this discussion, you will explore how you can apply descriptive statistics, probability calculations, normal distribution calculations, hypothesis testing, regression, and forecasting to current events.
Discussion – Abortion Rights in the United States
Research an article on a current event that centers on a controversial issue where the two sides are claiming opposing views. Then, describe how you would analyze the situation to settle the issue if you were involved in this event. For example, if the article was about whether a proposed new law about gun control will reduce deaths, you may describe how you would use hypothesis testing to compare data from states where such laws exist. Or, if the article was about actions to take to reduce gas prices, you could talk about how you would use regression to figure out which factors affected prices at the pump the most. General discussions like “should marijuana be legal” or “do vaccines cause autism” are not appropriate. Pick a current and specific debate.
Please note that this discussion should be limited to how statistical analysis can be applied to current issues. This is not the place to champion a particular position on the issue you are discussing or get into an argument about the various sides of an issue. Remember, you are here to analyze, not proselytize.
Also note that the article you are citing must be discussing the opposing views on the issue. Do not introduce your own perspective on what is being disputed. For example if the article is about the new budget being passed but does not discuss any conflicts of opinion, it does not qualify.
Please use the template below in your answers so everyone can easily follow your answers to all the questions (copy and paste to your post).
Use this template for your Unit 10 Discussion.
Summary of the article
Briefly describe the current event described in the article.
Central question
What does the article say about the issue being disputed? What are the conflicting points of view according to the article? Use direct quotes from the article to summarize the dispute and the opposing sides.
There has to be some specific issue in dispute at the center (do tax breaks increase spending, what impacts health care costs the most, etc.), and the sides have to be defending a particular position.
Do not use examples where the issue is based on opinions or morality. For example, “Should abortion be legal?” is largely a morality question and is not suitable for statistical analysis. Conducting a survey to ask people about their opinions is not the same as analyzing data and making conclusions- you still only have opinions.
Methodology
Explain which methodology you will apply. Provide the relevant details. Where will your data come from? How will the results from this methodology answer the question you described above?
If you are going to use forecasting, explain how you will do that (which methodology and why) and how you will measure your accuracy. How will the forecast settle the issue?
If you do a regression analysis, explain what the dependent and independent variables will be.
If you will do hypothesis testing, what will the null and alternative hypothesis be?