LGBT Anti-Discrimination Law Will Boost Ohio's Economy, Businesses Argue

A proposed law that would seek to stop discrimination for LGBTQ people in Ohio is seeing a new wave of support. Business groups say sexual orientation and gender identification should be considered protected classes under state law.

A coalition of hundreds of businesses, backed by Chambers of Commerce around the state, is calling on lawmakers to pass HB 160, also known as the “Ohio Fairness Act.”

Holly Gross with the Columbus Chamber says the bill would protect civil rights with an added bonus of bringing economic benefits, making Ohio more competitive at attracting businesses who see these laws as forward thinking.

“It’s also a tool for businesses large and small at attracting and retaining the best and brightest,” Gross says. “That’s what we heard over and over again, businesses have consistently told us that having a diverse and inclusive workforce has benefits to them, it helps their bottom line.”

Sandy Anderson with Equality Ohio says these laws are imperative for LGBTQ people. She uses the example of going to Washington in 2014 to marry her wife then returning to Ohio.

“What people find surprising in many states, including Ohio, that in Ohio we still don’t have legal protections for LGBTQ citizens in housing, employment and public accommodations,” Anderson says. “And what that means is that a person can be married, post their pictures on Facebook, as we did, come back to their home state and be fired from their job, be denied housing, be denied service in a restaurant or store, bakery what have you. And that’s just not right.”

The bill does face opposition. Citizens for Community Values, a conservative group, has come out against the bill, calling it a sweeping form of legislation that would create many unintended consequences. One of their main arguments, says Aaron Baer, is that Ohio doesn’t have a major problem with discrimination against sexual orientation or gender identity.

“The question is, ‘Do we need a government policy, an overreaching government policy, that has strict penalties, that’s vague in its nature, to deal with this?’” Baer says. “And I would say the answer is no, and I think really what shows that we don’t have a problem with discrimination is the fact that we have so many businesses stepping up and saying they don’t discriminate in their hiring practices. We have the Columbus Chamber here, we have the Ohio Chamber that has endorsed this bill, these are the most powerful institutions in our state that are stepping forward and saying we don’t discriminate.”

But Equality Ohio disagrees about the scope of the problem.

“The bottom line is, of course there is a problem to be solved, so here’s some information that might help,” Anderson says. “First of all, everyday – certainly every week – Equality Ohio, our staff, receive phone calls from people all around the state who are suffering discrimination because they are LGBTQ.”

Gross says this affects businesses as well.

“From a talent, attraction and retention standpoint, a business does have trouble attracting LBGTQ individuals, retaining and recruiting them, if they can have a job but they may be in danger of losing their home or in danger of being discriminated in public accommodations,” Gross says. “Businesses want employees to be able to live their best lives but that’s just not possible without these protections in place.”

Baer fears that there are business owners who would be denied freedom of religion and speech if their decisions affected a customer or employee in a way that contradicted these proposed anti-discrimination laws.

“To tell those few people that you’re going to lose your job if you speak out on these issues, if you share your opinion, that’s the opposite of pluralism,” Baer says. “That’s the opposite of us living together, that’s saying if you disagree, you’re going to be punished, and we see those things happening.”

Gross offers another perspective.

“I would say laws that were intended to shield religious liberties are now being used as a sword against anti-discrimination policies,” Gross responded.

The bill has had two hearings in the House, which included testimony from several business groups. That’s more attention than the proposal has received in a decade.

While it does seem to be picking up more support, it’s unlikely the bill will see a committee vote before the House leaves for summer break.

My Response:

I think that there is absolutely nothing wrong with LGBTQs working in any way either as a business owner or as an employee. Personally I don't see the why someone would rub against this idea of non-discrimination in businesses. In truth I feel like it could even be an economy boost, as the title of the article implies, because there will be a much larger a diverse people who jobs who may the qualifications that others lack.

Author Bias:

I think there may be a small author bias against the bill considering the constant quotes about the negativity of the bill and when looking at the final statement.

Audience:

Definitely anyone from Ohio, more specifically the working class or any employers and business owners. And possibly any government or businesses who are looking into similar matters as mentioned in the article.

Facebook says its free news feed is helping journalism

Company tells Australian regulator that news makes up just 5% of content shared, and downplays its collection and use of people’s data

Facebook has told the Australian competition regulator that news makes up just 5% of the content shared on the platform, and the social media giant is helping journalism by providing a free global distribution service for publishers.

In its submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry into the impact of digital platforms on media and advertising, Facebook also downplayed its collection and use of people’s data, saying many organisations, including newspapers, collected similar data.

“Facebook does not sell or provide data to advertisers,” the company said. “We provide them the ability to target their advertisements.”

In a 56-page document, the company said the Facebook news feed was less than 5% news, and was a “free platform for global content distribution and promotion” which allowed publishers to connect with readers and advertisers. Facebook offers tools and products to publishers which allows them to promote their content and reach new readers.

This week Google said in its submission it was not contributing to the death of journalism.

Facebook criticised some of the information in the ACCC’s issues paper as inaccurate in its portrayal of the digital ecosystem of Facebook, publishers, businesses and consumers. The inquiry is looking into the the impact of Facebook, Google and Apple on the level of choice in news content and its quality.

A graphic published by the ACCC “does not adequately convey the value that digital platforms provide to consumers”, Facebook said.

Facebook portrayed itself as just one platform among many in a rapidly changing environment which demanded constant innovation and was competing for advertising with Snapchat, Google, YouTube, Amazon and others.

The average person now used eight different services to connect with friends and businesses and Facebook was just one of them competing for the attention of consumers and advertisers, the company said. Facebook said it spent more than $6bn a year on research and development to keep up with its competitors in innovation.

“If we stop innovating someone else will innovate around us – making us obsolete,” the submission said. “We know if we cease to be useful people will leave.”

But it admitted its privacy settings and other tools had been too hard to find and information about data collection was not clear. It said it had recently improved those services, but users should understand that their information was key to providing a personalised service.

“Our core value to consumers comes from the highly personalised and relevant experience we provide,” the submission said. “Information that people provide about themselves allows us to provide this experience and is therefore integral to the Facebook experience.”

Earlier this month Australia’s privacy commissioner launched an investigation to determine whether Facebook had breached the Australian Privacy Act after it was revealed up to one in 50 local users may have had their personal information accessed by Cambridge Analytica.

Facebook said in its submission that combating the spread of fake news was a priority. It was now banning advertisers who spread false information and users would see less content from those who shared clickbait headlines – even though the chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, admitted it would “considerably impact our profitability”.

The submission emphasised the benefits to local businesses from advertising on Facebook. More than 200 million people around the world were connected to an Australian business and most of them were small players, it said. More than 350,000 local businesses spent less than $US100 on advertising on Facebook in 2017.

In a separate submission to the inquiry, the ABC said it worked with Facebook, Google and other digital platforms to distribute its content, to increase engagement and to ensure more people discovered ABC content.

In 2017, 49.9% of Australians between the ages of 18 and 75 accessed ABC news and current affairs content, and the ABC reached 18.8% of Australian adults each week through third-party digital platforms, the submission said.

“The challenge of monetising digital content in this disrupted and increasingly global media landscape has coincided with a decline in the level of trust the public places in traditional sources of news media,” the ABC said.

“Overall, audience trust in the Australian media as an institution is at an all-time low, and the level of trust in the mainstream media’s ability to tell full, accurate and fair news has decreased.

“Simultaneously, digital platforms have contributed to an increase in public concern about fake news and there is a growing demand for news and journalistic content that is explained and verified.

“In this environment, the ABC – an independent and trusted Australian media organisation – has an increasingly important role to play; 81% of Australian adults trust the information provided by the ABC.”

My Response:

This idea of social media organization infringing on user privacy is not a new thing, it has been a debate long in the process of, however now that it may be apparent that the information is being used to establish targets of advertisements has seen to aroused a whole other debate. Sure there are international and national laws that are there to keep this infringement of privacy, I feel like it happens either way and that users should just accept the fact and be aware of this. There are countless users that actually programs placed there to be your "friend" and learn about you for the very sake of advertisement targeting. The problem that arose for the ABC is the fact that they were statistics that showed how they were gaining from their potential privacy infringement that Facebook was leaking to them.

Author Bias:

I think that based on what majority of the text of the article was saying I would say that the author against the idea of privacy infringement by social media and by Facebook in particular.

Audience:

I think that the audience could be any social media user just as awareness and specifically Facebook users, but I also think this could refer to anyone who uses ABC in particular those who learnt about it from an advertisement on their Facebook.

Lassa fever: The killer disease with no vaccine

Since the beginning of the year, Nigeria has been gripped by an outbreak of a deadly disease. Lassa fever is one of a number of illnesses which can cause dangerous epidemics, but for which no vaccine currently exists.

Lassa fever is not a new disease, but the current outbreak is unprecedented, spreading faster and further than ever before.

Health workers are overstretched, and a number have themselves become infected and died.

The potentially fatal disease is a so-called "viral haemorrhagic fever", which can affect many organs, and damage the body's blood vessels.

But it is difficult to treat.

Most people who catch Lassa will have only mild symptoms such as fever, headache and general weakness. They may have none at all.

However, in severe cases, it can mimic another deadly haemorrhagic fever, Ebola, causing bleeding through the nose, mouth and other parts of the body.

Lassa fever normally has a fatality rate of about one per cent. But in the Nigerian outbreak it is thought to be more than 20% among confirmed and probable cases, according to the country's Centre for Disease Control.

About 90 people are thought to have died so far, but the true number may be much higher, because Lassa is so hard to diagnose.

Women who contract the disease late in pregnancy face an 80% chance of losing their child, or dying themselves.

In the early stages it's almost impossible to distinguish from other common diseases like malaria and dengue.

With no readily available test, the only way to confirm a diagnosis is to analyse a blood or tissue sample in one of small number of specialised laboratories.

The disease was first identified in the Nigerian town of Lassa in 1969, after an outbreak in a mission hospital.

It has since been seen in many West African countries including Ghana, Mali and Sierra Leone.

However, this outbreak is causing particular concern because the number of cases is unusually high for the time of year.

Health officials are working to understand why.

Outbreaks can be influenced by seasonal weather conditions, which affect the numbers of the virus's natural host - the multimammate rat.

These small mammals are common across West Africa, where they easily find their way into homes.

Another possibility is that the high number of cases reflects heightened public awareness.

Or it's possible that something about the virus has changed.

Most people catch Lassa fever from anything contaminated with rat urine, faeces, blood or saliva - through eating, drinking or simply handling contaminated objects in the home.

It can also pass from person to person through bodily fluids, meaning healthcare workers and people taking care of sick relatives without protective equipment are particularly at risk.

The incubation period for Lassa is up to three weeks. Researchers are trying to work out whether - like Ebola - Lassa can stay in the body and be passed on through sexual contact even after illness subsides.

Nigeria has a strong public health system, and is used to dealing with epidemics like this.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with Nigerian authorities to help coordinate the response and the UK government has deployed a team of experts from its Public Health Rapid Support Team.

Those living in affected areas are being advised to take basic precautions: blocking holes that may allow rats to enter their homes, disposing of rubbish in covered dustbins, and storing food and water in sealed containers.

People are advised to wear protective gloves when caring for anyone who may have Lassa fever, and to carry out safe burial practices.

Despite these measures, the fight against Lassa - and other infectious diseases - is hampered by a lack of effective medical tools like diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines.

It is likely that a vaccine could be found for Lassa - reducing the possibility of an outbreak becoming a global health emergency - but as with other epidemic diseases that mainly affect poorer countries, progress has stalled.

Vaccine development is a long, complex and costly process. This is especially true for emerging epidemic diseases, where a prototype vaccine can usually only be tested where there is an outbreak.

A new organisation called CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) - set up in 2017 with financial support from the Wellcome Trust, national governments and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - hopes to accelerate vaccine production.

Lassa is one of the diseases on its hit list and it's hoped one or more promising vaccines will be ready for large-scale testing in the next five years.

The WHO has drawn up a list of other serious, but often poorly understood diseases, with the potential for devastating outbreaks, including MERS, Nipah, Rift Valley Fever and, of course, Ebola.

It plans to highlight gaps in our knowledge of these diseases and to begin further research.

But research alone isn't enough.

Stronger health systems are needed in the countries where epidemics are most likely to arise.

This could mean building better healthcare facilities and training staff to recognise and respond to outbreaks.

It will also mean working with communities to understand how to identify outbreaks at an early stage and prevent their spread.

My Response:

When an emerging disease pops up in a dense, well populated area it can be quite a threat as the disease could spread very quickly, eventually making it's way abroad. The Lassa Fever seems to be becoming a growth threat as it's symptoms are similar to a variety of different disease like Ebola a very deadly and fatal disease. The fact that there is still to be a vaccine created also adds to the intensity of the fighting the disease.

Author Bias:

I don't think there is any particularly obvious bias. There may be some possible bias towards Nigeria's lack of sufficient healthcare for the amount of epidemic possible diseases, but that would only be very minuscule bias.

Audience:

Anyone living in Nigeria, or anyone who may have trade relations with Nigeria or may plan on going there themselves.

The teenage scientist tracking a sea of

Space junk26 February 2018
Every spacecraft or satellite launched has to contend with a vast belt of debris left in orbit. One teenage scientist has worked out a way to keep it out of harm’s way.
When Amber Yang watched the film Gravity – which features a cataclysmic collision which destroys the International Space Station – it gave her an idea.She knew that hundreds and thousands of miles above Earth, pieces of wreckage were whizzing around our planet – some of them big enough to cause billions of dollars worth of damage to precious satellites and spacecraft.So Yang, bored by her schoolwork, decided to try and find a way of tracking it, and ensuring cosmic debris doesn’t become a danger to the next generation of humans venturing into space.
My Response:I personally don't know all too much about space junk and the potential threat that he may hold. Besides that I think that it is quite interesting how this ordinary student thought about what should be done with space junk and it threat that it may hold in terms of destructive properties upon impact on the earth's surface and danger to any space operation. Just because of these things that crossed her mind from watching a movie she has been globally recognized on the news media.
Author bias:I don't necessarily think that there is any particular bias it doesn't shoot down Amber's efforts to deal with space junk, but it also doesn't "worship" her over it either.
Audience:I think this could be article for space junk awareness, but personally I think that it's main purpose is to inspire other young individuals to also do their "part" for coming up with innovative ideas to help the planet.

Jacob Zuma resigns as South Africa's president

Embattled South African president announces decision to step down before scheduled no-confidence vote against him

Durban, South Africa - Jacob Zuma, South Africa's embattled and controversial president, has announced his resignation in a televised address to the nation. 

"I have to come to a decision to resign with immediate effect," he said late on Wednesday in Pretoria.

Zuma's resignation followed weeks of intense public pressure to step down amid long-standing corruption allegations.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) formally asked Zuma, 75, to resign on Tuesday. He initially refused, saying he did not understand why he was being told to step down.

The party later announced plans to hold a vote of no confidence against him on Thursday in parliament.

"It is my party that placed me the representative of the people. It is my party that availed me," Zuma said in his speech from Union Buildings.

"Make no mistake, no leader should stay beyond the time the people they serve. No leader should seek an easy way out because they could face a life without the perks of political office."

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also the newly elected head of ANC, is expected to become acting president on Thursday.

A new president must be elected within 30 days but the cabinet and presidency continues.

Corruption allegations

Zuma, who served as the country's president since 2009, joined the ANC in 1958.

He is considered one of the party stalwarts, having served for 10 years on the Robben Island prison alongside freedom fighter Nelson Mandela and living in exile before returning to South Africa in 1990. 

Despite being known for being an astute political operator, Zuma's presidency was characterised by scandal and corruption allegations, making him the most controversial president since the end of apartheid.

South Africa will look back and wonder how we allowed a president so reprehensible to last so long in office.

SIZWE MPOFU-WALSH, AUTHOR

"South Africa will look back and wonder how we allowed a president so reprehensible to last so long in office," Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, author of Democracy and Delusion: 10 Myths in South African Politics, told Al Jazeera.

South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled last December that parliament had failed to hold Zuma accountable over the alleged use of state funds to upgrade his rural home in Nkandla.

That followed an earlier court decision in April 2016 that found Zuma had "failed to uphold, defend and respect the Constitution".

It resulted in an impeachment vote that same month, but the motion failed to pass when parliament, where the ANC holds a majority, voted 233 to 143 in Zuma's favour.

Zuma was also found to have given favour to an Indian immigrant family known as the Guptas, in what became known as the state capture scandal.

It was reported that the family wielded such influence over Zuma that they were able to decide who got appointed to the cabinet.

Zuma has always claimed his innocence and some South Africans still defend him, saying he was targeted unfairly in a system that is underpinned by corruption.

"When it comes to the allegations of state capture, the state was captured a long time ago. And here we are focusing only on Zuma. There is a broader perspective one needs to take when looking at state capture," Wandile Giwa, a 26-year-old student, told Al Jazeera.

Joyful response expected

But most South Africans are expected to be overjoyed by Zuma's resignation.

The call for Zuma to step down reached a crescendo in early February when the Nelson Mandela Foundation released a statement calling for him to go immediately. 

"President Zuma has abused the trust of South Africans. He must go, sooner rather than later. Time is of the essence," the foundation said. 

The court rulings heightened pressure on Ramaphosa, who was elected ANC leader in December 2017, to force Zuma to step down as the party looks to repair its reputation.

But Zuma had survived several no-confidence votes in parliament and until early February believed he would survive another.

The tide changed, however, and several of his allies abandoned him.

Ramaphosa has been clear that he had no intention of humiliating Zuma and the ANC itself reportedly wanted him to bow out on his own, rather than drag out the process.

Still, Zuma leaves the ANC deeply divided and analysts say the party faces a serious challenge to repair its reputation in his wake.

"Ramaphosa will have a hard time fixing a party that faces indecision and disagreement over its values at every level," said Ebrahim Fakir, an independent political analyst.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/jacob-zuma-resigns-south-africa-president-180209204724335.html

My Response:

Personally I was most definitely not apart of the Zuma fan club, and I was very pleased to find out about Jacob Zuma's resignation. My family who lives in South Africa are constantly telling our family here in Kenya how Zuma has slowly been causing South Africa to crumble. Therefore you could say that I am riding off of their bias against him, but from what I can see in the news I can agree with what they say, by how it holds up to what news agencies say.

Authors Bais:

Much of the article seems quite devoted to showing Zuma's flaws, corruption, and scandals that happened during is presidency, going so far so as to put this quote in the article  which he himself said, "South Africa will look back and wonder how we allowed a president so reprehensible to last so long in office."

Intended audience:

I think this article is most definitely directed at all South Africans, and possibly anyone outside South Africa that my be affected by Zuma's resignation.

Winter Olympics 2018: 32 Russians to appeal against Pyeongchang exclusion

Thirty-two Russian athletes have appealed against their exclusion from this month's Winter Olympics.

They include those who had their life bans lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) last week.

A hearing is set to take place on Wednesday, two days before the Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has invited 169 Russians to compete as independent athletes in Pyeongchang after their country was banned over the Sochi doping scandal.

Forty-three Russians were banned for life from the Olympics following the conclusion of an IOC investigation into evidence of state-sponsored Russian doping at their home Games in 2014.

On Thursday, Cas overturned the suspensions of 28 of those, and partially upheld 11 other appeals.

The IOC then turned down a request for 13 of the 28 - and two coaches - to compete.

A special IOC panel "agreed the decision of the Cas had not lifted the suspicion of doping".

IOC president Thomas Bach said: "The absence of sanctions by Cas does not mean that you are entitled to receive an invitation from the IOC because receiving this invitation is a privilege of clean Russian athletes."

However, 32 athletes are taking issue with that stance.

Among them are multiple Olympic champion speed skater Viktor Ahn and biathlon gold medallist Anton Shipulin. Neither athlete has previously served a doping ban.

IOC criticised over Russia

IOC member Dick Pound - the former head of the World Anti-Doping Agency - has criticised the IOC over its handling of Russian doping.

At a meeting in Pyeongchang on Tuesday, Pound said: "The IOC has not only failed to protect clean athletes but has made it possible for cheating athletes to prevail against the clean athletes. We talk more than we walk.

"The athletes and the public at large in my view no longer have confidence that their interests are being protected. Our commitment to both is in serious doubt.

"More attention has been paid to getting Russian athletes into the Pyeongchang Games than dealing with the Russian conduct."

However, Pound's view was not shared by the other IOC delegates at the meeting.

Only Pound and British IOC member Adam Pengilly - who last week called the decision to overturn Russian bans "craven and spineless"- abstained from an otherwise unanimous vote of confidence in how the the IOC has handled the Russian doping issue.

My Response:

Although there was a doping scandal by some Russian athletes in the past, I personally don't think that is fair that just because of those couple of athletes, all of the rest who have never been involved in such acts have lost their privilege to compete in the Olympic Games and represent their country.

Author's bias:

I would say that this article definitely brings out the more negative side of the issue, where it is not allowing the other clean Russian athletes to compete, and I think that is what the author is trying to get through to the reader.

Audience:

I think the audience could be anyone who may be involved or watches the Olympics, specifically Russians, who wish to see their athletes compete in the games

Irish abortion referendum: Vote to be held in May

The Irish government has agreed to hold a referendum at the end of May on whether to reform the country's near-total ban on abortion.

The vote will decide whether to repeal a constitutional amendment that effectively bans terminations.

Currently abortion is only when a woman's life is at risk, but not in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality.

Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said that he will campaign for reform.

The ballot will not be on specific terms of any new law, but on whether to retain or repeal article 40.3.3 of the constitution, known as the Eighth Amendment.

The amendment, which was approved by a 1983 referendum, "acknowledges the right to life of the unborn" - meaning the life of the woman and her unborn child are seen as equal.

Before the vote, the country's health minister will draft legislation proposing unrestricted abortion access be made available to women up to 12 weeks, and in exceptional circumstances after.

An exact date for the referendum will be decided after it is debated in the Irish parliament.

'Not black and white'

Campaigners have long called for the laws to be changed, and last year a special cross-party parliamentary committee and citizens assembly both recommended repealing the amendment.

"I know this will be a difficult decision for the Irish people to make," Mr Varadkar said.

• Abortion in Ireland: The fight for choice
• Varadkar will campaign for change
• "Repeal the 8th" mural unveiled in Dublin

"I know it is a very personal and private issue and for most of us it is not a black-and-white issue, it is one that is grey - the balance between the rights of a pregnant woman and the foetus or unborn."

Mr Varadkar, the country's former health minister, acknowledged that thousands of women in the country travelled every year for terminations or took pills ordered online at home.

In recent weeks many people, mainly men, have spoken about the personal journeys they have been on. We should remember the saddest & loneliest journey is made by Irish women who travel to other countries in their 1000s to end their pregnancies. These journeys don’t have to happen

— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) January 29, 2018

He said the current law meant that abortions in Ireland were "unsafe, unregulated and illegal".

"These journeys do not have to happen, and that can change, and that's now in our hands," he said.

In 2016, 3,265 women and girls gave Republic of Ireland addresses when accessing abortion services at clinics in England and Wales, according to UK Department of Health statistics.

The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) welcomed Monday's announcement.

"Every pregnancy is different, every decision is deeply personal. Women and girls in Ireland deserve their dignity. They deserve the right to privacy, family and home," said the group's director Orla O'Connor.

Abortion in the Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland currently has a near total ban on abortion.

Terminations are not permitted in cases of rape or incest, or when there is a foetal abnormality and thousands of women travel abroad for a termination every year.

The eighth amendment to the Republic's constitution, introduced in 1983, "acknowledges the right to life of the unborn".

However, there have been significant challenges and changes to the law in recent years.

A campaign to liberalise abortion gathered momentum in 2012, after Indian woman Savita Halappanavar died in a Galway hospital after she was refused an abortion during a miscarriage.

The following year, legislation was passed to legalise abortion when doctors deem that a woman's life is at risk due to medical complications, or at risk of taking her life.

Twenty years before Mrs Halappanavar's death, a 14-year-old rape victim was initially prevented from travelling to England to terminate her pregnancy.

It became known as the X Case, as the girl could not be named to protect her right to anonymity.

The 1992 ban on travel was later overturned by the Irish Supreme Court.

A referendum approved a further update to the constitution, stating that the eighth amendment did not restrict the freedom to travel to another state.

My Response + Bias:

Although the entirety of this article are just quotes and factual evidence it may make you feel more enticed to allow the Irish women their "rights or freedom" to abortion because of the specific cases mentioned in the article which lead to the dead of some woman because they were denied an abortion.

Audience:

The audience is most likely to the Irish people specifically the women as the decision in court will mean the difference in the lives of the Irish female population.