The Issue of Abortion in America: An Exploration of a Social Controversy on CD-ROM

Cavalier, Robert; Covey, Preston; Style, Liz; Thompson, Andrew All At

ISBN 10: 0415184495 ISBN 13: 9780415184496

Publisher: Routledge, 1998

The Issue of Abortion in America is an interactive multi-media CD-ROM created by the award winning Carnegie Mellon team that brought us A Right to Die?: The Dax Cowart Case.
In this ground breaking CD-ROM, The Issue of Abortion in America gives users an opportunity to see and hear women and couples speak of the emotional struggles and moral dilemmas they face in their consideration of continuing or terminating a pregnancy. It also places the issue of abortion in the larger social context of medical, legal, philosophical, and religious considerations.
The information on the CD is presented in three student friendly sections:
* Introduction: offers an introduction to the project as well as an overview of the program.
*Case Histories: a set of interactive multimedia modules present situations in which women and couples describe their decisions to continue or terminate a pregnancy.
*Resources: Reviews the background context that informs the discussion of the issue of abortion in America along with a summary section of the case histories

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Robert Cavalier, Preston Covey, Liz Style, and Andrew Thompson are all affiliated with the Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics, Carnegie Mellon University. Robert Cavalier and Preston Covey developed the ground-breaking CD-ROM, A Right to Die? The Dax Cowart Case(Routledge, 1996).

Review

Reviewers have praised the CD as a 'technology for teaching that works,' 'a superb resource,' and as a 'useful and powerful tool' for training.
–Syllabus, 9/98

This is a superb resource. It provides students access to rich, finely textured narratives, a wealth of background materials, and encourages them to develop their own position as they go along. It places all of these elements within the larger context of a search for common ground, an admirable and often neglected element in the abortion discussion in America. I expect this will be a regular feature of my ethics courses in the future.
–Lawrence M. Hinman, University of San Diego

Despite the longevity of the abortion conflict, too many Americans really do not understand, or are prepared to ignore, the important concerns that fuel the passion about this issue. While I do not assume that activists on the two sides will agree with everyone or everything contained in this CD, I see real value in The Issue of Abortion in America as a vehicle for its users, primarily students, to become more intelligent about abortion, less captive to stereotypes and assumptions, less dismissive of other views and experiences, and more prepared to grapple honestly with the issues that it raises. The CD also shows the breadth of shared values and concerns that can coexist with strong disagreement about abortion.
–Mary Jacksteit, Director and Co-founder of the Common Ground Network for Life and Choice

I have trained more than 2,000 professionals working in family planning, sex education, and abortion over the past 25 years and wish I could have had a tool as useful and as powerful as this for my work. The interactive nature of the CD makes the pursuit of the content exciting and dynamic and the use of stories provides a unique focus for examining ethical and policy issues.
–Terry Beresford, author of Short Term Relationship Counseling and Short Term Counseling of Sexual Concerns and trainer of professionals in family planning

Teaching abortion is tough because classroom fireworks start early and never seem to abate. People have strong opinions, which is fine. But The Issue of Abortion in Americahelps to show the human side of abortion choices, and lets students think and deliberate. Finally a computer technology for teaching that works!.
–Glenn McGee, Associate Director, Center for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania & Director of the Bioethics Internet Project