The reported piece of opinion journalism I chose to share is a recent New York Times piece that discusses the scary road in abortion rights – or lackthereof – we are headed down. The piece mainly frames itself around an ex-husband suing his pregnant ex-wife for wrongful death – presumably to trap her in their marriage – alongside her two friends that supported and helped her to obtain an abortion. Through this lens, the piece examines Texas abortion laws and the reality Marcus Silva’s ex-wife could be facing in terms of a conviction.
I felt that this piece was a good example of the type of reported opinion journalism discussed in class because of the way it used quotes to support author Michelle Goldberg’s argument especially when covering the legality of the situation, but left plenty of room to hear Goldberg’s disapproval. She interviews people such as Melissa Murray, a law Professor at New York University to discuss the differences in cases involving abortion, fetal personhood, and homocide and how this could impact the way the case plays out. She also interviews law professor Joanna Grossman to add her perspective of the lawsuit as well. Meanwhile, Goldberg inserts her opinion through her experiences as a woman herself and knowledge of the ways in which abortion rights have changed over the past few years.
I think it pulls together nicely and becomes abundantly clear where she stands in her concluding paragraph when paralleling this situation to Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tail which she notes is becoming scaringly realistic.
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