Why Teens Choose Abortion

There are so many sources that could be used to gain knowledge about why teens choose to get abortions, but there are only several reliable sources about that topic. It is very important to rely on credible sources. The use of good sources can lead to information that is credible and accurate. If using non-reliable sources about finding information about a specific topic you could be getting all the information wrong because of the non-credible sources that are being used. Because I used reliable sources I was able to come up with the conclusion that the number one reason why teens choose to get abortion is because when they feel pressured they tend to find an escape to the problem, in this case, abortion.
A source is more credible if written by someone with a degree or other credentials in the subject of interest. If no author or organization is named, the source will not be viewed as very credible. An example of a good source about the reasons why teens choose abortion is the article “Why Teens Choose Abortion” by Linda Lowent. This article proves to be a reliable source in so many ways. One way is by giving us a publication date. The publication date is not only important but the fact that is recent, April 15, 2011, makes it a more reliable source. Also, the website where this article was published at is known web page which makes it a credible article. The most important evidence that makes this article a credible one is the author. The name of this article’s author is Linda Lowent. Before you decide whether an article is reliable or not, a research on the author should always be made to find out their motives and experiences about the topic. In this case a research on Linda was made and found out that the author has had experience in the topic, “Linda is a 2009 recipient of the Exceptional Merit in Media Award from the National Women's Political Caucus for her article on gender biased media coverage of 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. She was also honored twice by Women in Communications with the Clarion Award for Best Women's Issues Programming”(1-2). This shows the knowledge Linda has about the topic and the credibility of her article.
Another good source for finding the reasons of why teens get abortion is the article “Abortion and Teens” by the iVillage Health Staff. The publication date for this article is April 1st of 2011. This shows that this article is a recent one, and therefore the information is up-to-date. Up-to-date information helps with the accuracy of the information given about the topic. For example, if you were given information from an article now that was published years ago, that information could be now irrelevant due to the antiquity of the article. Also the information that this article provides shows the articles credibility. What really caught my attention in this article was when the author stated, “There are a lot of teen girls giving birth in bathroom stalls because they feel they can't go to their parents,” this really helps with the credibility of this article because it is nothing new, it’s been something that has been happening all over the country (1). A source that gives as much information as this one can definitely be considered a reliable source because it gives us credibility. There is no doubt that the message that this article tries to get across is fitting to what my topic is about. The purpose is to inform readers about the main reasons of teenagers choosing abortion.
The article “How Often Do Teens Choose Abortion?” is not an exception to the list of reliable sources. The author of this article is Casper Caring, and the research made on him showed that he is a credible author. Not only does this particular article give a whole lot of information about the topic, but it also shows credibility. It provides us with an author, date of publication, and information about our specific topic. This author states that “Teenagers tend to get abortion because of their concerns about how having a baby would change their lives, inability to afford a baby now and feeling insufficiently mature to raise a child”(1). What also gives this article credibility is the publication date because it is very recent, May 7th of 2011. When a publication date is recent it means that the information in the articles is the latest that it is out there, it means it is up-to-date on the information given. The purpose for this article is basically to make us readers aware of what is it that urges a teenager to have an abortion. This purpose fits perfectly the topic because that’s what we’re looking for, reasons of why pregnant teen pick to have abortions.
Not only are articles a good choice for a source, but also web sites can be very reliable sources. In order for a web site to be a good reliable source it needs to have some sort of credentials. Also websites with extensions like .org, .edu, and .gov are a big hit for reliable sources. Web sites with the extension .org are web sites of noncommercial organizations on the Internet which can help narrow your choices of sources and make better chances of getting a credible source. Higher educations like colleges and universities are the ones who run .edu extensions. Their web sites are based on credible and reliable researches from professors and or students as well. And .gov is the domain from U.S. Federal Government, meaning that the information from those extensions is definitely reliable. An example of a reliable web site for this topic is teenbreaks.com, this is a website that talks mostly about teenagers who get abortions and their reasons for getting abortions. This web site is absolutely a good source to use for this topic because it has credentials; the sponsor for this web site is the Rosetta Foundation. Also, what makes this web site so credible is the fact that not only does it talk about what pushes a teenager into getting an abortion, but it also gives testimonies of girls who have been through that stage and give their stories of what pushed them to making that decision.” Everyone says I'll never finish school unless I have an abortion,” this is a testimony from a girl that decided to share her story on this web site (pushing to abort). The testimonies really help gain credibility for the web site.
On the other hand, non-reliable sources can be very frustrating. Bad sources don’t give the right information and tend to lack on publication date, and even the authors information. Most non reliable sources are based on opinions and conclusions and they’re also created by authors who are not credible. An example of a non-reliable source for why teenagers get abortions is the article “Common Reasons People Choose Abortion,” by an unknown author. Because this article lacks on an author, it shows no credibility whatsoever. Not only does this article lacks on an author’s name, but it also lack on a publication date. If you don’t know the publication date of the article, it can be really hard to believe that the information given is accurate. Also, the name of the web site where this article is found is called “Adoption,” which has nothing to do with the topic that we’re trying to find information on. This article also shows that the information that is given is way off topic, “More than half of all the women who have an abortion are pregnant because of failed contraception”(1). The web site shows no credibility as well, it does not show any credentials or name for the web site.
Another example of a bad source for this topic is the book “Teenage Pregnancy: A Global View.” This book is an example of a bad source because it doesn’t really focus on the topic that we’re searching for. Also, reviews on this book are mostly negative and when reviewed on a book is always important when looking for a good source. This is a bad source because since it doesn’t talk specifically about the topic it can really give accurate information about it. This book is mostly intended to inform about the pregnancies that have been going on around the world, and the reasons why teens have been getting pregnant, therefore, it does not fit the topic at all. Although this book does have a lot of information like publication date, an author and editors, it still does not meet the needs for the topic of why do teenagers choose to have abortions.
As mentioned before, the use of credible and reliable sources is very important. You can mess up a whole project if using non-reliable sources. The use of reliable sources is very vital, just watch out for credible authors, credentials, extensions, and always asks yourself if the source seems credible.

Works Cited
"Abortion & Teens - IVillage." IVillage.com: Health, Beauty, Pregnancy, Entertainment, Women's Community and More - IVillage. Ed. IVillage Health Staff. 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 7 May 2011. <http://www.ivillage.com/abortion-teens/4-a-108274>.
Caring, Casper. "How Often Do Teens Choose Abortion." All Blog Entries. 12 Mar. 2011. Web. 7 May 2011. <http://blog.carenetpartner.com/index.php?option=com_myblog>.
Cherry, Andrew L., Mary E. Dillon, and Douglas Rugh. Teenage Pregnancy: a Global View. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2001. Print.
"Common Reasons People Choose Abortion." Pregnancy, Pregnant? Now What? Options. Symptoms, Signs, Help, Support. Pregnancy. Pregnant. Web. 7 May 2011. <http://pregnancy.adoption.com/pregnant/common-reasons-people-choose-abortion.html>.
Lowen, Linda. "Why Teens Choose Abortion - Reasons Why Teens Have an Abortion." Women's Issues - All About Women's Issues. 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 7 May 2011. <http://womensissues.about.com/od/teenpregnancy/a/TeenAbortReasons.htm?r=et>.
Lowent, Linda. "Linda Lowen - Your Women's Issues Guide." Women's Issues - All About Women's Issues. Web. 7 May 2011. <http://womensissues.about.com/bio/Linda-Lowen-29944.htm>.
"Stop Pushing Me to Abort - Teen Breaks." Teen Abortion & Pregnancy | Teen Breaks | Abortion Stories & Teen Pregnancy Symptoms. Web. 7 May 2011. <http://www.teenbreaks.com/abortion/pushingtoabort.cfm>.