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This is the last episode for the month of August – time for our monthly news roundup. In this episode, we’ll be talking about the number of women who have lost access to abortion, idolizing pets, and reading on paper vs. reading on screens.
STORY #1 – 1 in 3 American Women Have Already Lost Abortion Access. More Restrictive Laws Are Coming.
“Two months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, about 20.9 million women have lost access to nearly all elective abortions in their home states, and a slate of strict new trigger laws expected to take effect in the coming days will shut out even more.
“Texas, Tennessee and Idaho all have existing restrictions on abortion, but the laws slated to begin Thursday will either outlaw the procedure entirely or heighten penalties for doctors who perform an abortion, contributing to a seismic shift in who can access abortion in their home states.
“At least 11 other states have banned most abortions, prohibiting the procedure with narrow exceptions from the time of conception or after fetal cardiac activity is detected, at about six weeks of pregnancy, with legislation known as ‘heartbeat’ laws. Five more states have similar bans temporarily blocked by the courts. If those injunctions are lifted, abortion could soon be inaccessible for millions more — in total, 36 percent of U.S. women between the ages of 15 and 44 would be largely unable to obtain an elective abortion in the state where they live.” (Washington Post)
Related material:
STORY #2 – Stop Idolizing Pets
“What’s wrong with viewing pets as ‘fur babies?’ Why should Christians be cautious with how we view our dogs and cats?” (Focus Press)
Related material:
- Monthly News Roundup (January 2022) – notice the second story about the pope’s comments regarding those who choose pets over babies
STORY #3 – Reading on Paper Versus Screens: What’s the Difference?
“In 2016, Singer Trakhman examined undergraduates’ reading comprehension after they read digital and print versions of articles. Format didn’t affect their grasp of the main idea, but students missed details when reading on screens.
“Digital reading impairs comprehension, particularly for longer, more complex texts, says Mangen. This may be because of the shallowing hypothesis — constant exposure to fast-paced, digital media trains the brain to process information more rapidly and less thoroughly.
“‘There’s not much [neuroscientific research] on the reading of actual texts,’ Mangen says. However, existing research does offer some clues. In a 2009 study, the marketing research company Millward Brown found the brain processes physical and digital materials differently. Participants viewed advertisements on a screen and on a printed card while undergoing an fMRI scan. Print materials were more likely to activate the medial prefrontal cortex and cingulate cortex, both involved in processing emotions. Reading print also generated more activity in the parietal cortex, which processes visual and spatial cues.”
[…]
“In addition, the LED screens’ constant flickering glow creates more work for our eyes, causing visual and mental fatigue.
“However, e-readers, like Kindles, don’t require scrolling and reduce eyestrain with e-ink technology. Those are likely superior to other digital-text formats, Mangen says. But they lack an important aspect of the reading experience: turning the page.
“In one of Mangen’s studies, participants read a story either on a Kindle or in print and then underwent comprehension tests. The texts were identical, but Kindle readers pressed a button to progress through the book, while print readers turned pages. Print readers were more likely to accurately recall the story’s chronological order. Mangen says this may be because print provides sensorimotor cues that enhance cognitive processing. When holding a book, we receive reminders of how many pages we’ve read and how many remain. We can flip pages to reread text as needed. Some research suggests we process information more effectively when we recruit multiple senses, and multiple brain areas, during task learning — seeing the words, feeling the weight of the pages, and even smelling the paper.” (Brain Facts)
Related material:
- Chinese Government Removing Bible Apps (05.20.21) – podcast
- Studying the Bible
- Why It Is Important to Study the Bible
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