Communication
Background research
Abortion has remained a controversial issue within the society despite passing on of respective Bills such as the Obama Health Bill. This is because abortion is ethically, religious and morally perceived as wrong. The double sides of this debate are the pro-choice and the pro-life movements, with the groups in support of the right of women to chose over their pregnancy status or in support the need for the embryo or the fetus to be born. Abortion is referred to as the termination of an unborn fetus or embryo while in the womb of a mother either by choice or due to health complications. Abortion is permitted in the States when conducted before the mother can experience fetal movements. This act was initially allowed for the sake of the women’s health and for legal practice of the doctors. With the widespread practice of illegal abortion, the government opted to legalize it to save the lives of many women who undergo the practice through unqualified hands. Abortion is therefore carried out legally on health, religious and personal choice grounds.
IV Questions
- According to you, what is abortion?
- What is your perception towards abortion?
- Why is the issue of abortion controversial?
- Which age group is mostly affected by abortion?
- If life of a close relation were in danger due to complications in pregnancy, would you advocate for abortion?
- What are the benefits and challenges of conducting an abortion?
- If contraceptives are widely accepted, then why is abortion controversial?
- Is the government playing its role by supporting abortion with the taxpayers’ money?
- A woman’s ability to control her body is part of the civil rights. Can the government force a woman to undergo sterilization or use contraception if it can force the same woman to continue with the pregnancy?
- Human life take place at conception, while fertilized eggs used for in vitro fertilization are human lives. The fertilized eggs redundant for in vitro fertilization are habitually disposed. According to you, is this action perceived as murder or not. How then abortion is considered murder?
Review of the Interview
Topic
I planned to interview an average citizen over the issue of abortion. Abortion is among the most controversial issues that affect both the young and the old since citizen’s tax is partly used in supporting abortion. It is a widely contested topic among the males and females, religious organizations, education institutions, and the society. Various social groups rose to support or to condemn the act due to their personal views over the issue. During the course of IV, the topic rarely changed as the debate went on revolving around the issue of saving lives or moral decadence of the society.
Planning
I conducted a primary research by interviewing a mechanic male citizen. Before the research, I had to conduct a secondary study to analyze collected findings over the issue. I drafted some questions I asked the interviewee and prepared a tape recorder with the aim of critically analyzing all the information. After finding the participant, I had to collect his written consent to ascertain his willingness to participate in the study. The chosen participant is a religious American citizen with adolescent children. He is mostly affected as a taxpayer, a father, and a husband. The issue of abortion may hinder or encourage his children to follow his religious roots. I did a pre-screening after randomly selecting five participants. I choose the man as he looked mature, willing to participate and directly affected by the health Bill. Previously, I had randomly approached a group of young men, who turned me down, from the nearby college, just near the garage in my neighborhood. Before I could approach another group, the mechanic willingly obliged to participate. This is after he had overheard me requesting the men. I partially did a pre-screening since most of the information I was to sort out from him had already been answered in his introduction. After the formal introduction, he set a date and time when he would reschedule his work and offer me some hearing.
Opening
Establishing a rapport is necessary for any formal interview. In this case, this was not necessary, as the interviewee had willingly opened up on the issue and over his personal details. I however had to inform the interviewee the significance of the study to the researcher and obtain a written consent on his willingness. I offered an orientation to the situation by introducing myself and giving basic information on abortion. I opened up the questions answer portion by asking the respondent over his understanding on abortion. He gave me his views and position concerning the same. The first two questions on the issue were:
- According to you, what is abortion?
- What is your perception towards abortion?
These two questions greatly enabled me to define the rest of the interview and some of the questions needed no questioning. The respondent freely offered me his view over the issue and hence, I had to do more of the listening and recording as the interviewee freely offered his position. From the discussion, I can categorize the EE a hospitable and a strong talker as he talked more than I did and required little guidance over the questions. I did not have to anything more to accommodate him other than listening.
Question Sequencing
I used a chronological sequencing to determine the kind of questions I asked. Chronological sequencing is essential in determining the kid of information the researcher acquires from study. The researcher is able to traverse from the known to the unknown and hence determine the level of public education citizens require over a topic. In this study, chronological sequencing was essential in leading the interviewee in the discussion. It was also essential as it offered me an opportunity to introduce the topic.
Questions
I initially had approximately 10 questions planned, but had to inquire in probe deeper to obtain relevant answers to the questions. However, I realized that they were sufficient since the interviewee was a strong talker. The questions were specific and just right, since they majored on the benefits and challenges of abortion. The best questions in this interview were:
- A woman’s ability to control her body is part of the civil rights. Can the government force a woman to undergo sterilization or use contraception if it can force the same woman to continue with the pregnancy?
- Human life take place at conception, while fertilized eggs used for in vitro fertilization are human lives. Those fertilized eggs not used for in vitro fertilization are routinely thrown away. Is this action considered murder or not? How then is abortion considered murder?
These questions were the best as they opened room for more discussion over the issue of choice and life as concerns abortion. The worst questions in the discussion were:
- Would you advice your daughter or wife to go for abortion?
- How would you perceive a close relation after going through abortion?
EE/ER Relationship
The relationship between the researcher and the interviewee was close and warm. This was attributed by the fact that he was hospital and a great talker. Factors that may have impeded clear and effective communication include gender, status, education levels, and age. The non-verbal communication was warm as the interviewee applied facial expressions to display his inner feelings and perceptions. After formal introductions, I encouraged the interviewee to open up by emphasizing his contribution to the study due to his age and social experience in the society.
Bibliography
Nieminen, Petteri et al. “Opinions on Conscientious Objection to Induced Abortion among Finnish Medical and Nursing Students and Professionals.” BMS Medical Ethics. 2015. 16(17)
The author seeks to find out why conscientious objection to contribute in induced abortion is present in European countries and absent in the Finnish Health Care System. Questionnaire was the adopted research method for collecting information. The study concluded that even though majority of the respondents were supporting CO, the perception was mostly highlighted for the medical staff rather than for the patient. The study concluded that views on CO were complicated and should be considered for legislation.
Harper, C. Cynthia. “Evidence-based IUD Practice: Family Physicians and Obstetrician-Gynecologists.” NCBI. 2012. 44(9):637-645
The authors assert that family physicians and obstetrician-gynecologists offer contraceptive care in the States and encompass a collective goal in averting accidental pregnancy among patients. This study was carried out to evaluate the competency of these medical staff in the provision of women contraceptives of higher efficacy levels. The study concluded that even though family physicians offered contraceptive care, the services were quite ineffective despite the fact that they updated their skills through training. Obstetrician-gynecologists were equipped with technical skills and required additional patient selection. This study is effective as it guides the research on whether absence of quality contraceptive services can lead to increased cases of abortion in the country.
Lee Ralston, et al. “Fetal pain: A Systematic Multidisciplinary Review of the Evidence.” NCBI. 2005. 294(8): 947-954
This study is essential as it offers evidence on the presence of pain on the fetus during abortion. Women and health staff when conducting abortion most often overlook this experience. Additionally, the public is made to believe that abortion is often for the greater benefit of the mother and fail to realize its effects on the fetus. From the study, it is clear that at 20 weeks after fertilization, fetus feels pain and hence, medical practitioners ought to administer anesthesia to the fetus when obliged to carry out the practice.
Hladky j. Katherine. “Women’s Knowledge about Intrauterine Contraception” NCBI. 2012. 117(1): 48-54
Contraception has been cited as a cause for abortion. The study examines whether the public is aware on the effects of contraceptives on their bodies are related to abortion. This study is significant in the present research as it confirms that women in the reproductive age have limited knowledge on the benefits and risks related to the use of IUC. Interventions that are more educational ought to be conducted to increase the knowledge of women on the effectiveness and benefits of IUC.