Political Cartoon

1. How might the illustrator feel about GOP debates?

2. What does the "Energizer Bunny" represent?

3. Why did the cartoonist show this in a person's home?

Pennsylvania's 2008 Presidential Election Returns

Facts:

1. Obama won and received 54.7% of counted voting casts, whereas McCain only won 44.3% of the votes.
2. Obama's victory made this the 5th straight presidential election where Democrats won over Pennsylvania.
3. As Joe Biden attempted to win over votes of conservatives in Scranton, northern PA, Obama said many small-town Pennsylvanians "cling to guns or religion" because they are bitter about their economic plight (PA has almost 1 million licensed hunters).
4. McCain spent about three times as many days campaigning in Pennsylvania as Obama.
5. Election overseer groups reported various problems at polls around the state, such as malfunctioning machines, understaffed polling places, and poorly trained election workers.

Pennsylvania's Congressional Districts

Facts:

1. The 1st Congressional District primarily consists of central and South Philadelphia, the city of Chester, Philly's International Airport, and small sections of Delaware County.
2. PA's 3rd Congressional District is 94.4% White, 3.5% Black, 0,5% Asian, 1.3% Hispanic, 0.1% Native American, and .1% other.
3. The 4th Congressional district has a slight Democratic registration edge, though it was voted for Republicans in several elections over the past decade, including for President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.
4. The 7th Congressional District is 98.56% urban and 1.44% rural.
5. PA's 8th Congressional District is represented by Republican Mike Fitzpatrick, since this year (2011).
6. Republican Lou Barletta has represented the 11th Congressional District since 2011, the first Republican to do so in almost 30 years.
7. The 13th district has been represented by Democrat Allyson Schwartz since 2005; it has been heavily Republican in the past, but is now more Democratic because of demographic changes and redistricting.
8. The 16th Congressional District is one that has been accused of being the result of gerrymandering; it's predominantly suburban and rural, facing issues of suburban sprawl and economic development vs. the need to preserve farmland.
9. The 17th Congressional District is located in the central part of PA and has been represented by Democrat Tim Holden since 2003.
10. The 18th Congressional District consists mainly of southern suburbs of Pittsburgh and is predominantly white and a wealthy area, though it has a diverse range of suburbs.

The Death Penalty

1. When was the death penalty first instated and who was the first victim?
The death penalty can be traced as far back as to the Ancient laws of China, used as a punishment for crimes and the death penalty coded in the Roman Law of the Twelve Tablets in the 5th Century BC. As Britain influenced colonies around Europe and Asia, colonists that broke away from the British may have brought this with them. The first recorded execution in "America" was of George Kendall of Virginia in 1608 (some sources said 1607). He was accused of plotting to betray the British to the Spanish. The first legal execution was in 1622 of Daniel Frank for the crime of theft. Throughout history, death penalty laws and offenses have continuously changed, with various levels of strictness. Each state has their own rules against or for the death penalty, even today.

2. Is it more expensive to imprison someone or punish them with the death penalty?
Before any research on this question, easily, I thought it was much less expensive to use the death penalty than imprisoning them for life. However, I found I was completely incorrect. Though many states vary in costs for the death penalty, the death penalty is generally more expensive than life imprisonment. This is mainly because selecting members of the jury is a much longer process than other trials (because it takes months to be questioned on if he/she is for or against the death penalty), whereas a general murder trial may be completed in a couple of days. Death penalty cases are also longer because defendants have the opportunity to present additional information those of a murder trial cannot. With longer trials come more money, necessary to pay all members involved. Thus, it might actually be easier to imprison a criminal for life than to sentence them to death.

3. What other countries have the death penalty?
Countries across the world have various rules for the death penalty. The map below is a simpler way to show which countries may still use the death penalty. Countries in red have the death penalty, those in green use it under rare "special circumstances," those in orange have, but have not used it in at least 10 years, and countries in blue do not have this capital punishment. From this information, I wonder if people may consider this factor when deciding where they may want to live? Also, what may one conclude or infer about countries with or without the death penalty?

Sources: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/execution/readings/history.html
http://deathpenaltyinfo.org/costs-death-penalty
http://deathpenaltyblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/08/what-makes-the-death-penalty-s.html
http://ourtimes.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/executions-in-2008/
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/07/map-which-countries-use-the-death-penalty/241490/

"The Power Game-How Washington Works"

Facts/Details:

1. In the summer of 1979, President Carter described Washington as an island "isolated from the mainstream of our nation's life."
2. Many people believe Washington is disconnected from the country.
3. In Washington, Congress works from Monday afternoon to Friday morning, to give them more time with constituents and hold their connections with their voters.
4. In midterm elections, one or two dozen new congressmen and senators publicize new messages from the country for the old hands.
5. Taking a job in Washington may affect one's lifestyle in buying homes, raising children, worrying about parking places, and street crime.
6. Newcomers expand their fame and political power by making alliances, joining groups, getting appointed to committees, making contacts with the press, and having friends in the administration.
7. Politicians seem to make very few deep friendships because almost every relationship is tainted by gaining power.
8. Elliott Richardson, a Republican from Boston, held four cabinet positions in the Nixon and Ford administrations, but failed when he attempted to be in the U.S. Senate.
9. Many politicians, lobbyists, lawyers, experts, consultants, and journalists are all attracted to having a career in Washington.
10. Politicians see New York State Congressman Jack Kemp as less influential than Trent Lott of Mississippi, the House Republican whip.

Questions: 

1. Who is the author referring to when he says "old hands"? (page 90/ fact 4 above)
2.  How would you define "jargon"?
3. Why is it that people see politicians as corrupt, even though they are trying to, for the most part, improve our society?
4. Do other countries differ in methods of making themselves well-known in the world of politics?
5. How might politicians be "less corrupt" if this problem is caused by money, and money is always related to politics?
6. How many college students decide they want to become a politician and work in Washington?
7. How does Washington attract so many people? What makes it so appealing to others?
8. At what age do politicians usually start working in Washington? Retire?
9. Is working in Washington more or less stressful than other careers?
10. How much influence do politicians really have on citizens of our country?

Terry Gross Interview- "How Birth Control and Abortion Became Politicized"

Facts:

1. Opponents argued granting rights of person-hood to a fertilized egg would make abortion a crime and outlaw certain forms of birth control.
2. Margaret Sanger operated the first birth control clinic in the U.S.
3. The first birth control clinic opened in 1916.
4. Sanger came from an Irish, Catholic family; she was one of 11 children
5. Sanger helped deliver baby when she was 8 years old; her mother died of tuberculosis.
6. During her time, it was illegal to distribute information, mail, or write about contraception.
7. Sanger expected to get arrested when she opened her clinic because she was going to give out information about birth control, even though it was illegal.
8. 41% of women who received care never used contraceptives; out of these women,an average had at least 1 abortion.
9. Sanger was accused of being eugenic.
10. Madison Grant and Paul Popenoe were eugenics; they believed the population can improve by only letting the biologically "fit" to reproduce.

Questions:

1. Have there been more or less abortions after the Roe vs. Wade case, making abortion legal (protected by the Constitution)?
2. Were there more women that agreed with Sanger,opposing abortion, or did more women disagree?
3. Why was Sanger not allowed to give out information about contraception, even if women wanted it?
4. How do other countries handle the issue of abortion?
5. What are risks of having an abortion? Any risks of use of contraceptives?
6. Is it expensive to have an abortion?

Representatives' Committees

Robert Andrews' Committees:

• member of House Committee on Armed Services
• member of House Committee on Education and the Workforce (subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions)

Bob Casey, Jr.'s Committees (is part of more than listed below):

• In the Senate committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Casey is chairman of the subcommittee Production, Income Protection and Price Support; member of subcommittee Hunger, Nutrition, and Family Farms; member of Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry, and Credit
• Is a member of the subcommittee on European Affairs
• Is a member of the subcommittee on Children and Families and Retirement and Aging

Facts:

1. Chairman of the Armed Services Committee is Bob McKeon.
2. McKeon completely banned earmarks within legislation of the committee.
3. McKeon has also forced every legislative proposal offered by a member to stand on national security merits in order to be adopted.
4. Chairman of the subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions is Phil Roe of Tennessee. 
5. This subcommittee has jurisdiction over all matters dealing with relationships between employers and employees, retirement security, employee benefits, and equal employment opportunities and civil rights in employment.
6. Andrews is a minority member of this subcommittee.
7. Debbie Stabenow is the Chairwoman of the committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
8. Casey is one of 11 majority members; there are 10 minority members.
9. In 1825, Senator Findlay argued agriculture was one of "three great branches of domestic industry" along with commerce and manufacturing. 
10. This committee focuses on commodity prices and income supports, trade, research, food safety, nutrition, and conservation.

"Lost in Detention"

Facts:

1. About 400,000 immigrants were detained/deported this year.
2. Under Obama's presidency, there has been a significant increase in finding illegal immigrants compared to presidency under Bush.
3. Federal, state, and local governments work together to find illegal immigrants, especially since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
4. In the previous year, 195,000 people were removed from the U.S. because of crimes they committed.
5. ICE is the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
6. ICE has offices in all 50 states and 47 other countries.
7. ICE's goal is to get 400,000 illegal immigrants every year.
8. People believe the government should reform the law because families are torn apart when American-born children lose their parents, when they are deported for being in the U.S. illegally.
9. 36% of undocumented people that live in the U.S. have a family and lived in the U.S. for 11+ years.
10. Three million immigrants have been detained in detentions, where they are kept until they are sent back to their originating country.

Questions:

1. Why has there been an increase of illegal immigrants just recently/the past couple years?
2. How could the government change the laws to protect children with deported parents?
3. How are harmless illegal immigrants found when they generally blend with U.S. citizens?
4. How do other countries deal with illegal immigrants within their nation?
5. What may cause ICE to find more or less illegal immigrants in our country?

West Wing: The Stackhouse Filibuster

Connections:

1. Once the filibuster is over, the Senate votes, called a cloture vote, ending the filibuster.
2. Rules of a filibuster are you cannot eat or drink anything, use the restrooms, sit down, or lean on anything.
3. In a filibuster, you are allowed to stall as long as you want, as long as you're able to and don't violate any rules.
4. The Special Needs Adoption Awareness program is a national campaign that provides information to the public, informing them about the adoption of special needs children.
5. The Family Wellness Act is a health bill that focuses on diseases that mostly affect children.
6. The filibuster has been a parliamentary strategy in the U.S. for over 150 years.
7. The word "filibuster" comes from a Dutch word, " ury geiter," literally meaning "freebooter," which they meant as "buccaneer."
8. The senator speaking in the filibuster may pause if someone asks a question.

Questions:

1. Is asking a question during a filibuster also considered a filibuster if it is stalling the bill even more, as it gives the original filibustering senator a break?
2. What other methods are used in the Senate to stall a bill, besides a filibuster?
3. What types of bills/situations would senators usually want to use a filibuster for?
4. Is it possible to stall the voting process in the House? If so, how?
5. Does the House or President have any say or action in the filibuster?

PA's System for Electoral College Votes

Facts:

1. In September 2011, Governor Tom Corbett and Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi suggested a plan to change the way PA awards it electoral votes of the winner-takes-all system.
2. The new system would include one electoral vote to be given to each state's Congressional district, and the winner of the popular vote would receive two more.
3. I PA had gotten rid of the winner-take-all system in 2008, President Obama would have bare beaten John McCain in a 11-10 vote, instead of taking all 21 electoral votes.
4. Democrats have won PA in the last five presidential elections, yet it still remains competitive. 
5. Giving two electoral votes to the state winner won't motivate candidates to campaign, as they should, to win the votes.
6. Changing the system would not create a significant improvement for society, and may even make matters worse for existing problems of the electoral college.
7. Republicans worried that Democrats would spend more money for resources in swing congressional districts that were won by them because it's possible to change the state's political standing.
8. The concept of awarding electoral votes by congressional district was introduced and followed by since the 1950s, when a republican senator and GOP Rep. wanted to fight the liberal push for direct popular election of President.
9. A secretive, nonprofit group called All Votes Matter has been pushing the electoral vote scheme since May in PA.
10. Between April and June, this group spent $77,700 to get support from legislation to actually implement this scheme.

Questions:

1. How is the Electoral College "broken"?
2. How could Congress improve the electoral college system on a national level?
3. Does Pileggi think his plan is more beneficial or useless for PA and why?
4. Would this plan change the political standing of several states or have no effect (if a state is democrat or republican)?
5. How might elections affect the economy?

John Boehner, Speaker of the House

Facts:

1. Boehner failed to cut a multi-trilliondollar deficit-reduction deal with President Obama.
2. He threatened defiant Republicans by taking away committee assignments, which lawmakers laughed at.
3. He believes it's important to discuss spending less money, not more.
4. Boehner and other Republicans use their power over Congress to cut about $1 trillion from the budget over the next decade.
5. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was once a rising rival.
6. No one characterizes House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy as a threat to Boehner
7. Representative of Arizona, Jeff Flake, believes Boehner attempts to have a more open process and open rules.
8. Boehner doesn't always seem too successful but is able to come back out from political defeats because of his consistency on the floor.

Questions:

1. How much power does Boehner (or the Speaker of the House in general) have over the House?
2. How might he demonstrate he is able to work towards making laws with Obama and Reid?
3. What could Boehner do to be more successful in passing laws and bringing more agreements in the House?
4. How does the Senate and President view Boehner?
5. Does Boehner have any major accomplishments as Speaker of the House?

Is the U.S. House too small?

Facts from article:

1. The House has consisted of 435 members since 1911.
2. Since 1911, the average population of U.S. Congressional districts has more than tripled, going from 200,000 to 640,000 citizens.
3. If the House were to increase in size, there would be 650 seats (taking the cube root of the U.S.'s population.
4. A poll showed about 20% of the public believes in increasing the size of the House, about 60% believe it should be kept as it is, and 20% thinks there should be less members.
5. Research finds members of larger districts may have a more difficult time connecting with and representing their constituents.

Questions:

1. Are illegal immigrants counted in the U.S. census? (Do they count in the U.S. population?) If yes, how might this affect the number of seats in the House?
2. What restrictions or rules may be added (or removed) if the number if seats in the House increases or decreases?
3. How did they determine there would be 435 from only 65 (in 1789) members of the House before?
4. Are there more advantages or disadvantages in having a larger House?
5. Does the size of the House have a significant effect on the economy(their pay, assets, etc.)?

I believe there should not be more seats in the House. Sure the population has significantly increased, however, most citizens only vote in the presidential elections. Having a larger House would make things more difficult in agreeing on things and passing anything in general. Increasing the number of seats in the House may also call for more restrictions, rules, and regulations within the House because there'd be so many members to control and consider in the voting process. The House would seem to be much more crowded and chaotic than it already is 435 seats, so having 650 may just make things more hectic. 

Illegal Immigration

Jason P.- How many total illegal immigrants are in the United States? 
Using the latest government and private sources, research, and analysis of data, immigrationcounters.com provides an increasing number and costs of illegal immigrants. Though this continues to change (generally increasing) there are currently about 24,000,000 illegal immigrants in our country. In previous years, ICE has deported over 400,000 immigrants (which is there goal every year).

Rachael D.- Are there any advantages to the economy when hiring illegal immigrants? Or is it all disadvantages?
Some advantages of illegal immigrants are they help and contribute in the work of certain industries. Like all employers, the work these immigrants do help the company maintain their business. These business are mainly in construction, agriculture, hospitality, and tourism. Sure these people may be taking away jobs from the unemployed in our country, however, they most likely wouldn't want these jobs to begin with. Taxpayers may be unaware, but illegal immigrants pay taxes too. Many work illegally, but pay their tax returns and have identification cards assigned to them by the government.

Abby M.-Under what circumstances, if any, can the legal immigrants in our country be deported? 
Legal immigrants can be deported through many wrongful actions. A person may be deported if he/she violates the Immigration and Nationality Act or any U.S. law. If they were a non-immigrant and violated conditions of entering the U.S., he/she may be deported. If a person's conditional permanent residence is terminated, he/she may be deported. If one encourages or helps others in coming into the U.S. illegally, he/she may be deported. One may also be deported for failing to register or falsifying documents while entering the U.S., convicting criminal offenses, engaging in unlawful voting, or participating in any activity which may endanger public safety or risk national security.

Sources:
http://immigrationcounters.com/
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/jul/23/costs-benefits-illegal-immigration-unequal/
http://www.fundamentalfinance.com/blogs/illigal-immigration.php

http://immigration.findlaw.com/immigration/immigration-deportation/immigration-deportation-overview.html

Representatives' Personal Finances

Bob Casey's net worth ranges from $160,020 to $578,000. He is ranked 84th in the Senate and has 14 assets totaling between $160,020 to $578,000. He's had three transactions, totaling $45,003 to $150,000.

Robert Andrews's net worth ranges from $66,005 to $206,000. Andrews is only ranked 346th in the House. He has five assets totaling in the range of $81,005 to $216,000. He's also had one liability totaling $10,000 to $15,000.

I completely agree with the author of this website. I believe it is important to know, or at least be aware of, congressional members' finances. Out of the one percent of millionaires in America, about 40 to 50 percent of them are members of Congress! Because of this, I wonder if they pay higher taxes too, if they are increased? These members generally don't worry about and aren't affected by the economy like other citizens are. From the information given, it seems like the congressmen would be able to get away with things (if any suspicion exists) because their reports are only filed once a year and it doesn't include all aspects of their financial disclosures.

Due Process Program- "Last Resort"

Facts/Details:

1. The U.S. has 55 innocence projects, funded by the government and based in law schools, within our country and seven international projects, including in the United Kingdom, China, and Australia.
2. According to Jim McCloskey, member of Centurion Ministries, there are thousands of innocent prisoners in America convicted for very serious crimes; to help, he has solved and freed 44 innocent prisoners in the last 31 years.
3. This group looks for people serving a long period of time in prison (i.e. for life), usually involved in murder and rape crimes.
4. The majority of their cases deal with non-DNA evidence cases, relying on information about claims of witnesses.
5. Most innocent people are convicted because of false confessions, lying of witnesses, and eyewitness false identification.
6. They often work for cases for 10-15 years.
7. There are many factors taken into consideration for identification such as DNA, fingerprints, eyewitness evidence, and other forensic science assets.
8. Texas has more exonerations than any other state.
9. It takes 25 years from the time of a death sentence to an execution.
10. It costs about $187 million more to keep someone on death row than in the general population, and costs an additional $400 million to build a new death row.

Questions:

1. Does the law now require real evidence before convicting a suspect for a crime?
2. In what ways could we prevent innocent people from being convicted?
3. Would people consider this issue to be under the states' or government's responsibility to act, if there are changes to be done?
4. Though people have may been proved to be innocent and are free from prison, do they find the actual criminals that committed the crime?
5. What happens if they exonerated a person they thought were innocent, but were really guilty of the crime?

Justice Stevens' Rasul v. Bush Case

Facts:

1. The American military has a base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
2. During the United States' War on Terror, four British and Australian citizens were captured in Pakistan or Afghanistan and transported to this base in Cuba.
3. The government argued that the federal courts had no jurisdiction to hear this case because the prisoners were not American citizens and were being held in territory that the U.S. did not have power over.
4. This court was dismissed after it was confirmed by the district court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia we did not have jurisdiction over this case.
5. It was ruled in a 6 to 3 vote that U.S. courts have jurisdiction to consider legal appeals filed to foreign citizens held by the U.S. military in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.
6. Stevens wrote that the right to habeus corpus is not dependent on citizenship status, so the prisoners were allowed to challenge their suit claiming it was unconstitutional.

Questions:

1. Why were the prisoners in the Middle East sent to a base in Cuba?
2. How many military bases does the United States around the world?
3. Was there a reasonable cause for actually capturing these prisoners, or was it just because it was during the War on Terror?
4. Would this case be dealt with in a different manner if the prisoners were taken to the U.S. or a different country?

http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2003/2003_03_334

Current Justices of the Supreme Court

Facts/Questions:

1. John G. Roberts Jr., Chief Justice, was Special Assistant to the Attorney General, U.S.  Department of Justice from 1981-1982, Associate Counsel to President Reagan, White House Counsel's Office from 1982-1986 and Principal Deputy Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice from 199-1993.
2. Antonin Scalia was appointed Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1982.
3. Anthony M. Kennedy was nominated as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and took seat on February 18, 1988.
4. Clarence Thomas served as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, and as Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 1982-1990.
5. President Obama appointed both Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
6. On average, what age do Justices normally decide to retire?
7. What do Justices do on a daily basis if they are not dealing with a court case?
8. Are candidates for justices suggested by the President's cabinet or the legislature if the president doesn't have someone in mind?
9. What qualities does the President look for while thinking about who to appoint as a new Supreme Court Justice?
10. How long does the process of appointing and confirming a new Justice take?

Court Cases

1) Brown v. Pro Football Inc.- 1995
The NFL Players Association, a labor union, negotiated a plan with the NFL. The NFL proposed a plan that would give the same pay to substitute players: $1000 weekly salary. The union disagreed and players were brought into an antitrust suit. This interested me because I don't normally think of football as a case that'd is necessary to be dealt with in court, especially one that reaches the Supreme Court. This case resulted in an 8 to 1 vote saying several employers are immune from a union anti-trust suit when the employers unilaterally impose terms on the union, as they bargain together.

2) BMW v. Gore- 1995
Ira Gore, Jr. purchased a new vehicle from Alabama's BMW dealership, discovering the new vehicle had been repainted. Gore sued BMW for committing fraud and not informing him the car had been repainted. The Alabama Circuit Court awarded Gore with $4000 for the damages and $2 million in punitive damage. However, Alabama's Supreme Court ruled the punitive damages were "grossly excessive" and violated BMW's Fourteenth Amendment right to due process. Results were 5 to 4 vote for BMW. I found this case interesting because I agreed with the court that the man received a "grossly excessive" of $2 million! The Fourteenth Amendment's due process protected BMW because they were not aware of the severe punishment they'd be facing.

3) AT&T v. Iowa Utilities Board-1998
Throughout history, monopolies have been broken in anti-trust suits to stop one company from dominating and taking over other corporations and small businesses. An example is the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and local exchange carriers (LECs), which regulate competitive business practices. In this case, AT&T challenged their constitutionality, along with other phone service providers. The case resulted in a 7 to 1 vote (1 undecided?) declaring the FCC has the authority to implement competition-inducing guidelines set out in the 1996 Telecommunications Act. This caught my attention because it didn't seem like a typical case, as it involved AT&T. At first I thought it'd be a major case involving a serious suit, but it was not. However, it may still be significant because it affects the economy and other businesses.

Roe vs. Wade

Facts/Details Learned:

1. A pregnant woman's privacy differs from others because she is carrying another life within her.
2. Texas believes life begins at conception and is shown through pregnancy, so a woman should be protected during and after conception.
3. A physician or scientist may determine when a fetus is viable, able to live outside the mother's womb; this is often seven months (28 weeks), or even at 24 weeks, through the pregnancy.
4. States believe in preserving and protecting the health of a pregnant woman,  whether she be resident or nonresident of that state, to protect potential human life.
5. After the end of the first trimester, the morality of abortion may be less than morality in normal childbirth.
6. A state may regulate the abortion procedure to the extent of preserving and protecting maternal health.
7. The "compelling point" is at the end of the first trimester; also at viability.
8. Article 1196 of the Texas Penal Code restricts legal abortions to those "procured or attempted by medical advice for the purpose of saving the life of the mother."
9. The statute is very broad and makes no distinction between abortion performed early in the pregnancy versus those performed later.
10. The majority of federal and state courts resulted in state laws being unconstitutional because of the vagueness or overbroadness of rights.

Questions:

1. How was the issue of abortion handled before this case?
2. How do physicians or scientists determine whether or not, and when, a fetus is viable?
3. If federal and state court laws are often said to be unconstitutional, shouldn't they change them? (Possibly make them more specific or fitting for modern interpretations)
4. How exactly do states "preserve and protect" the health of pregnant women?
5. Was it more common to have an abortion in the past, with risky medical procedures, or today, with modern medical techniques that are more safe?