I am proposing to research the discourses about immigration and reproductive health care in the United States because I want to find out what explains the extreme divisiveness within the US on these issues in order to help my reader understand the experiences of non-native women at the intersection of these discourses.
I propose to analyze various speeches given by politicians on both sides of the political spectrum on both immigration issues and reproductive health and abortion. To start on the immigration side, I will look at a speech given by President Trump on the campaign trail in Arizona, a speech given by President Obama on immigration reform, and Representative-elect Ilhan Omar’s victory speech. [1] As for the reproductive health care side, I will start with an analysis of a speech given by Hillary Clinton to Planned Parenthood Action Fund members and Senator Ted Cruz’s filibuster against the Affordable Care Act. [2]
I will also analyze documents from three court cases–Griswold v. Connecticut, Roe v. Wade, and Garza v. Hargan–as instances of these discourses entering the legal sphere. Garza v. Hargan represents the intersection of these two discourses as a young, undocumented immigrant was denied an abortion by the Trump administration. [3] Notably, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was one of three judges on the appeal panel and issued a decision that would have denied Jane Doe her abortion (the decision was eventually reversed by the full appeals court). [4] Another potential area of discourse to explore would be that surrounding Justice Kavanaugh’s controversial appointment.
There are numerous connections between the aforementioned texts. Trump’s immigration speech connects to the Garza v. Hargan case in that it rails against undocumented immigrants. [5] Cruz’s filibuster relates to Roe v. Wade because he refers to abortion as, “…the murder of innocent, unborn babies…” [6] Omar’s victory speech relates to the plight of Jane Doe in that they are both refugees, although they had extremely different experiences and are labeled very differently by American society. Clinton’s speech refers to both Roe v. Wade and Griswold v. Connecticut as pillars of women’s reproductive rights. [7]
There is a complicated web of terminology and sentiments in both the debate about immigration and the debate on reproductive health care and abortion. These all create various and sometimes conflicting identities for immigrants, women who seek reproductive health care, and refugees–identities or labels that change based on political ideology.
[1] “Transcript of Donald Trump’s Immigration Speech,” The New York Times Sept 1 2016. <https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/us/politics/transcript-trump-immigration-speech.html> (Accessed: Nov. 11, 2018); “Transcript: Obama’s immigration speech,” The Washington Post Nov 20 2014. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/transcript-obamas-immigration-speech/2014/11/20/14ba8042-7117-11e4-893f-86bd390a3340_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.579478104504> (Accessed Nov. 11, 2018); “Rep. Ilhan Omar gives victory speech after winning Congressional District 5,” Fox 9 News Nov 6 2018. <https://www.fox9.com/news/371190190-video> (Accessed: Nov. 11, 2018).
[2] Steffi Badanes. “Hillary Clinton Delivers Powerful Speech On Reproductive Justice to Planned Parenthood Action Fund Members,” Planned Parenthood Action Fund June 23 2016. <https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/blog/hillary-clintons-speech-planned-parenthood-action-fund-members> (Accessed: Nov. 11, 2018); “TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Ted Cruz’s marathon speech against Obamacare on Sept. 24,” The Washington Post Sept 25 2013. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2013/09/25/transcript-sen-ted-cruzs-filibuster-against-obamacare/?utm_term=.ab0976d5d9fb> (Accessed: Nov. 11, 2018).
[3] Brigitte Amiri. “Brett Kavanaugh’s One Abortion Case,” American Civil Liberties Union July 18 2018. <https://www.aclu.org/blog/reproductive-freedom/abortion/brett-kavanaughs-one-abortion-case> (Accessed: Nov. 11, 2018).
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Transcript of Donald Trump’s Immigration Speech.”
[6] “TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Ted Cruz’s marathon speech against Obamacare on Sept. 24.”
[7] Badanes, “Hillary Clinton Delivers Powerful Speech…”
Bibliography
Amiri, Brigitte. “Brett Kavanaugh’s One Abortion Case,” American Civil Liberties Union July 18 2018. <https://www.aclu.org/blog/reproductive-freedom/abortion/brett-kavanaughs-one-abortion-case> (Accessed: Nov. 11, 2018).
Badanes, Steffi. “Hillary Clinton Delivers Powerful Speech On Reproductive Justice to Planned Parenthood Action Fund Members,” Planned Parenthood Action Fund June 23 2016. <https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/blog/hillary-clintons-speech-planned-parenthood-action-fund-members> (Accessed: Nov. 11, 2018).
“Transcript: Obama’s immigration speech,” The Washington Post Nov 20 2014. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/transcript-obamas-immigration-speech/2014/11/20/14ba8042-7117-11e4-893f-86bd390a3340_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.579478104504> (Accessed Nov. 11, 2018).
“Transcript of Donald Trump’s Immigration Speech,” The New York Times Sept 1 2016. <https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/us/politics/transcript-trump-immigration-speech.html> (Accessed: Nov. 11, 2018).
“TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Ted Cruz’s marathon speech against Obamacare on Sept. 24,” The Washington Post Sept 25 2013. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2013/09/25/transcript-sen-ted-cruzs-filibuster-against-obamacare/?utm_term=.ab0976d5d9fb> (Accessed: Nov. 11, 2018).
“Rep. Ilhan Omar gives victory speech after winning Congressional District 5,” Fox 9 News Nov 6 2018. <https://www.fox9.com/news/371190190-video> (Accessed: Nov. 11, 2018).
November 12, 2018 at 11:45 pm
Hey Megan! It looks like you’re off to a great start and the sources you have chosen so far look like they have a lot of potential for deeper research. I do notice that your sources seem to focus on either reproductive issues *or* immigration issues, which are definitely important to include, but I wonder if you could find more sources that discuss the intersection of the issues as to try and stick closer to your proposed puzzle. I imagine there is not a great deal of discourse on this at the official level, but perhaps that is a good reason to consider shifting your focus to a popular level. Investigating what is really being said about reproductive rights of immigrants by people facing these issues daily may provide more insight as to why the official discourse is so lacking. Good luck with the rest of your research!
November 18, 2018 at 9:10 pm
You are off to a good start Megan, with the primary source documents that you discuss in this post. It will be important to focus in on more specific discourses/practices for analysis as you continue your work, though. Right now the middle part of your problem statement — “…because I want to find out what explains the extreme divisiveness within the US on these issues…” — is still quite vague. That part should be a precise statement about the meanings that you have found in specific primary sources that want to analyze. Compare, for example the way Carabine might have written her problem statement: “I am researching social policy and lone mothers in 1830s Britain because I want to find out why lone mothers were constructed as immoral individuals in order to help my reader understand why lone mothers were stigmatized, isolated, and even institutionalized in the 1800s (and beyond).” Notice how the middle part focuses precisely on the discourses/meanings that she has identified in the primary sources and that she proposes to analyze? Make sure to keep this in mind as you continue your reading and research!