On Friday, June 24, 2022, American women lost their rights. Re-read that date again. Not 1822, but 2022. On this day, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, allowing states to determine if abortion shall be legal. Women lost their supposed “right to privacy,” right to basic human regards and decency, and right to morally and ethically-run healthcare. In a society that claims to be activist and liberal, we have the most conservative Supreme Court in over 90 years. The nine people who determine if our laws and rights are Constitutional, basically the people who determine how we live, are making the least-progressive decisions possible. Abortion has always been a substantial topic of discussion in politics, but since Roe vs. Wade was overturned, it has risen to be one of the most controversial and determinate subjects of American political decisions.
In the advertisement “Whose Choice” presented by the political action committee (PAC) Mothers against Greg Abbott, the topic of abortion is questioned morally, as well as the intentions of the current Texas governor, Greg Abbott. The termination of pregnancy has become a topic to walk around, as it is extremely polar and partisan. This commercial represented the foundations to provide the audience with a humorous, yet resentful dramatization of the issue and how it affects people, all while prioritizing the emotional draw within the story presented. I thought that this advertisement was extremely effective in its argumentative story regarding women’s right to abortion. It highlighted the emotional aspects of abortion and further accentuated its effectiveness with its parallels regarding social equity and consciousness.
We see in this advertisement that the couple is very emotional when they learn that their fetus will not make it. The doctor goes into far greater detail about the suffering the child will go through if it is born, and how it will live a short life. He describes that their daughter “if she is to survive, will live only a matter of hours after birth,” in which she will “experience a multitude of seizures and ultimately aspirate on her own bodily fluids”. The doctor states clearly what will happen to this baby, with as much sympathy as physically possible in the extent of this terrible news. The emotional outtake of the audience is wretched and desolate. I can imagine wanting to reach out and give this woman a hug– the news that was just thrown at her like day-old garbage is unbearable.
In quite a switch of manner, the tone in the advertisement switches from melancholy after the parents are informed of the declining health of their baby, to humorous as the doctor lit up a picture of the governor and called him, asking him if termination of pregnancy was allowed. The moment the artifact’s mood switches from horrifying to almost unbelievable humorous, consciousness is interrupted. Consciousness, the ability to self-actualize and make one’s own decisions, is yanked from this couple as soon as the doctor mentions the name Greg.
While the couple was ruminating in their dejection and heartbreak, the doctor claps his hands, revealing a picture of an older white gentleman, dressed in his Sunday best. The framed picture on the wall is illuminated and bright, which is certainly a juxtaposition from the anatomical posters that seem as if they were crafted when the main form of communication was hieroglyphics. The music switches to a playful, charismatic tone as the doctor discusses “he has a pregnancy here” that in his professional opinion, should be terminated. The doctor is cut off by Greg, the person on the other end of the line, and simply told that abortion is a no. The doctor then turns his attention back to the couple, says “that’s gonna be a no. Best of luck to you,” claps his hand to turn off the spotlight on Abbott’s face, and walks out of the office with an obvious lack of atonement.
Obviously, the emotions portrayed here are in very high contrast. I believe this would have a significant impact on the viewers, causing them to be empathetic towards the couple and igniting a fire for change in the aspect of women’s rights. The overall theme of the advertisement makes the audience feel remorse for the couple and the fact that they are not able to make a decision regarding the life of their own daughter. A stranger is making a decision on if their child will live or die. A stranger. Consciousness is completely eliminated from the equation, so aren’t their basic American rights also being stripped away?
The couple presented that was losing their daughter was not the average white and well-off pair. Both the husband and the wife were Hispanic, which added another level of emotional empathy to the foundations of the advertisement. The couple represents a regular married couple living in America, and should be provided with the freedoms and liberties that come with such. The wife is seen fidgeting with her wedding ring, and their love for each other is clearly evident. Both the wife and the husband are pictured to be part of the Hispanic community, and since they live in Texas, this has a large outcome on the message portrayed here. Three of every five voters in Texas is Hispanic, so the Hispanic community arguably has the largest control and contribution to the democracy of the state’s legislature.
The authors of this artifact intentionally chose to make the couple members of the Hispanic community, as it would have a much larger impact on the beliefs of the viewers. Historically, Texan Hispanics have had significantly low voter turnout, and are often more conservative than most choose to speculate, especially regarding the economy. With the artifact’s focus on a Hispanic couple, it calls Latinx citizens of Texas to put themselves in this couples shoes and to pause and reflect on what options they consider are basic human rights. The Mothers against Greg Abbott political action committee is a collective group of “Democrats, Moderate Republicans, and Independents,” so this advertisement is trying to expand its’ reach to people who may not typically fit in that demographic. Focusing on social equity, minority groups are typically the most affected by health care decisions, and this only increases the audiences’ feelings towards the couple and their current situation.
However, the doctor was your stereotypical white male in a white coat. Doctors as a collective figure provide a sense of credibility and assurance that everything will work out and everyone will end up healthy. Even so, the doctor also lost his ability to be a conscious human being. He was not able to have any input in the decision regarding the termination of this couple’s baby. He knew it was the right decision, and even tried to explain this to Greg Abbott, but there was just no hope.
Mothers Against Greg Abbott Logo
On the topic of social and racial cues presented in the advertisement that heightened its effectiveness, let’s take a moment to discuss the logo of the political action committee that aired this video. Mothers against Greg Abbott has the star of the official Texas flag– even being red, white, and blue– yet it has a mother and a baby inside of the star. Even being an actively pro-Choice organization, they still are able to communicate that they value human life. Pro-Choice does not mean pro-Abortion, and it does not mean anti-Life It should be noted that this organization is attempting to fight the Republican thought that abortion is murder, and this advertisement speaks volumes to their argument.
This artifact, “Whose Choice,” was a commendable example of a successful argument through emotional appeals, social equity, and consciousness. In this context, I would say the advertisement is the most appealing to Texas residents because the person this advertisement is targeting is the current governor of that state. However, with that said, since abortion and women’s rights have become a nationwide topic, I think this advertisement can be viewed by those who are in favor of women’s rights, and even a “call-to-reality” for those who oppose it. With that being said, I believe that the initial purpose of this advertisement is to target Greg Abbott, the current governor of Texas, for his Republican and pro-Life demeanor. However, I think the intent of this branches out to a wider spectrum of addressing a very prevalent issue in the foundations of American politics and government at this point.
Abortion is one of the determinate factors in the polar political world of the United States, and it has become even more of a fight since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade. This advertisement addresses the problem of the overall lack of women’s rights. This is shown in the commercial when the governor, Greg Abbott, is the “one person” who is able to decide whether or not the woman’s pregnancy can be terminated. One singular person, most often a white, rich, and racist man, can make decisions for large populations without a single regard for those who are affected by such. The husband in this example states “Who the f*** is Greg?” when they are told they are not the ones making the termination decision.
There are many others in this situation– not just in Texas, but all across the United States. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, at least 13 other states have followed suit and banned abortion, and many more are expected to pass bills into legislation after the upcoming state governor elections. In nine other states, abortion is still legal, but it has its limitations. American women are losing their rights left and right, and there is nothing we can do about it except vote to change our representatives. Reproductive rights are basic human rights. The artifact provided a sense of community that not one person is alone in the fight for autonomy with bodily decisions, and also served as a “call to action” for those who are interested in fighting for such. The political action committee (PAC) Mothers against Greg Abbott did a fantastic job in their commercial against the Texas governor Greg Abbott.
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