The texts that I will compare for the “Past and Present” prompt are:
• Engelhardt, Tristram. "The Disease of Masturbation: Values and the Concept of Disease." Sickness and Health in America. N. page. Print.
• Pappas, Stephanie. “America & Abortion: Will Controversy Ever Die?” LiveScience. Tech Media Network, 10 Nov 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.
In the first article, it says that masturbation was considered a disease at one point because of society’s negative outlook on performing masturbation and the solution was to deem it a disease (obviously a negative connotation). The argument here is that those who did perform masturbation felt “ill” in some way through feeling guilty, which stemmed from society’s pressures not to perform such an “immoral” act. In the second article, it describes how Americans are split between the legal circumstances that constitute a legal abortion. But more inexplicitly, the article reflects how Pro-Life advocates place a negative view on abortion because of their own personal values; on the other hand, Pro-Choice advocates don’t share the negative outlook on abortion and believe legislation should not place harsher limits on the legalities of performing abortions. This controversy stems from two different beliefs on the topic of abortion. The connection between the two is that society’s moral values obviously still play a large role in the medical field and medical operations: either defining a medical disease or if an abortion should be legal.
My argument is that society’s morals play a large role in the medical field and even in diagnosing “illnesses.” I will need evidence that shows how moral values are influencing policy when concerning health issues, such as the debate between politicians and religious Americans since politicians are favoring legislation based on their voters’ values. I will need to include evidence that supports that America has a historical trend of influencing health-related procedures and diagnosis through the expression of moral values and beliefs.
Rhetoric of Health: A blog created and maintained by students at the University of Texas.
I think you have found an interesting connection between two historical moments and the uses of health and "illness" in arguments. However, you might have to refine your argument slightly. The first example (masturbation) is a case of values determining an illness and a diagnosis; the second case (abortion) is a case of values determining a law. How does the second example relate to health?
ReplyDeleteSince your argument is a careful comparison, your research will consist in closely reading the past arguments on masturbation and current arguments on abortion carefully, and researching the contexts in which those arguments were/are made.
So I am going to change the article in light of my new research.
ReplyDelete“Post-abortion Syndrome.” National Abortion Federation. Prochoice.org. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/myths/post_abortion_syndrome.html
This article talks about how since the early 1980's anti-abortion groups have tried to document the existence of what is known as "post-abortion syndrome." This article cites research disproving these claims, yet it is still controversial among abortion debaters. The article is proof that there exists a problem with attempting to make a diagnosis to relieve a "condition" that is looked upon negatively because it goes against certain peoples' values.