Assignments
42
ISSUES
: Abortion
Assignments
Brainstorming
Ö
In small groups, discuss what you know about
abortion.
What is the law regarding abortion in the UK?
What are some of the reasons a woman might
decide to have an abortion?
What are the names of the two main arguments
regarding abortion rights?
Research
Ö
Research historical attitudes towards abortion in
England. Start with the 1800s and work your way
back to present day. Make some notes about your
findings then share with the rest of your class.
Ö
Research abortion law in a country other than
England. Write a short summary and then
feedback to your class.
Ö
Conduct an anonymous questionnaire to find out
whether people in your year group believe that
abortion should be legal or illegal. When you have
gathered your results create a graph or pie chart
to demonstrate the different percentages.
Ö
Research the ‘legal abortion until term’
dilemma. What would this involve? Would there
be restrictions? What do the Royal College of
Midwives think about the subject? Write a bullet
point list of what you find out.
Ö
Why has the Zika virus ‘pushed’ women in Brazil
to challenge its abortion laws? Start by reading
the article on page 24, then widen your research
using the Internet. Use your findings to write a
one-page article.
Design
Ö
Create a leaflet for young women who are
considering an abortion. It should give advice
about where they can go, who they can talk to,
the risks, the alternatives and the practicalities.
Ö
Choose one of the articles from this book and
create an illustration that highlights the key themes
of the piece.
Ö
Design a series of social media posts and short
video clips that could be used by a pro-choice
charity to spread their message.
Oral
Ö
In small groups, debate whether you think men
should be given a say in whether women have
abortions.
Ö
Create a PowerPoint presentation that explains
the alternatives to abortion.
Ö
In pairs, go through this book and discuss the
cartoons you come across. Think about what the
artists were trying to portray with each illustration.
Ö
The article on page 21 tells how two Catholic
midwives have lost the right to refuse supervising
terminations. As a class, debate whether you
think midwives should be required to supervise
abortions, no matter what their religious views
are.
Ö
Stage a debate in which half of your class argues
on the side of the pro-life argument and the other
argues for pro-choice. Think carefully about the
views of your allocated side and try to understand
why they believe what they do.
Reading/writing
Ö
Read the article
Why are feminist drones dropping
abortion pills on Poland?
on page 23 and write a
summary for your school newspaper.
Ö
Watch the film
Vera Drake
. Write a review explaining
whether you think the film is pro-abortion, pro-life
or pro-choice? What other messages do you think
the film portrays to its audience, and what does
the film say about the consequences of abortion?
Ö
Write an article which will explore the following
question: ‘Why is it important to educate students
about contraception, pregnancy and abortion?’
Ö
Write a blog post exposing the truth about abortion
law in Ireland. Use the articles in this book to help
you.
Ö
Imagine you are an agony aunt. You have received
a letter/e-mail from a man who’s girlfriend has
decided to terminate her pregnancy. The man is
very against this decision and wants her to keep
the child. What advice would you give?
