English

ESSAY TWO: The Overturning of Roe V. Wade

In the opinion which accompanies the overturning of Roe V. Wade, Justice Alito posits that “[t]he Constitution makes no express reference to a right to obtain an abortion, and therefore those who claim that it protects such a right must show that the right is somehow implicit in the constitutional text.”

PROMPT

While I am aware that you are not a Constitutional scholar, and it is certain that there will be gaps in your knowledge and understanding of the historical texts that you will not be able to reconcile over the next few weeks, in an essay, use your interpretation of the Constitution, knowledge of precedent setting cases, and understanding of the Framers of the Constitution’s intentions to determine if the Constitution supports abortion.

Note: I am NOT asking if abortion should be legal. I am not asking if you are pro-life or pro-choice. That is of no consequence. I am asking you to do a close reading of the constitution and to interpret the language an intent as best you can to determine if the document itself can be interpreted to imply a right to abortion. Again, the word “right” as we will use it for this essay doesn’t not mean “personal choice” or “autonomy;” it means, a protection and liberty guaranteed to United States citizens by the U. S. Constitution. Leave your feelings behind, and depend on textual evidence to form your position.

Your essay MUST:

- display an understanding of the prompt

- maintain a close focus on directly responding to the prompt throughout the essay.

- use the Constitution as the basis of your argument.

- display a basic understanding of the Constitution.

- display a strong attempt at analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating the specific language of Constitution.

- be logical

- be devoid of personal feelings on the matter of abortion – this is an analysis of language and intention, not of personal beliefs.

- include fair, accurate, and unbiased references (meaning more than one) to opposing positions where appropriate.

- be a minimum of 1250 words

- Double-spaced, 12pt Font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins

-display competence in essay structure

-display college-level mastery of grammar, syntax, mechanics, and academic tone.