1. 4/15

2. Agenda: Counterargument and Rebuttal Do some research (start with procon.org if you don’t have a better resource) to find out the reasoning that people on “the other side” of the argument use to support their point-of-view. Identify the best/ most convincing reasoning that you found. Add your research existing counter- argument paragraph.

3. Example (partial paragraph): The most logical argument against abortion is that, because birth control is so cheap and widely available, abortions should not be necessary except perhaps in very unusual circumstances. Citing a study by Steven Levitt, Ph.D., Procon.org says, “After abortion was legalized, conceptions rose by 30 percent, but births actually fell by 6 percent, indicating that many women were using abortion as a method of birth control” (“Con Legal Abortion”).

4. Rebuttal The rebuttal is the part of the argument where you challenge the logic or ethics of a specific counterargument. The rebuttal should not be a “rehash” of your pro argument(s). In order to avoid this problem, make sure you choose a counter argument that presents the opportunity for you to bring forth new information or unfold new reasoning. Your rebuttal should not use research. It is your own reasoning.

5. Example: Although it is true that birth control is cheap and widely available, it is equally true that not everyone can use it. Many women have adverse reactions to oral contraceptives, which affect hormone levels. Birth control methods newer to the market have been used with unpredictable and sometimes harmful results. For example, IUDs can actually puncture the uterus and render a woman sterile. As social conservatives point out, abstinence is the only truly fool-proof method, but let’s face it: for many, many people, abstinence before marriage is not a realistic option, if only because people are marrying at older ages than ever before.

6. Make sure to… Keep track of your sources; I recommend to build your works cited page as you use sources. – Procon actually has a “cite” tab. If you click it, you will get exact information about how to cite the source. Use attribution tags like “according to” in order to signal to your reader that you are using information or ideas from a source. Put quotation marks around any information, ideas, or wording you get from a source. Purdue OWL is the best reference for citing sources correctly both in-text and on the works cited page. – https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/