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For Deborah Kloeblen ’07 (Bayonne, N.J.), her honors thesis has been all about change.
Kloeblen, a history and government & law major, has completed research on the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, in which the Supreme Court ruled that a woman has a constitutional right to an abortion during the first six months of pregnancy. At the time of the ruling, Justice Harry Blackburn examined a life form’s point of viability, or the point at which a life form can live by itself outside the mother, which was deemed to be 24 weeks.
Kloeblen was originally going to focus on why the decision has not been overturned for the past 30 years and how the recent additions to the Court could allow Roe v. Wade to be overturned. Once she started researching, however, she found herself going down a slightly different path.
“While doing research last semester, I realized that there is much more to the abortion debate than what is on the surface,” says Kloeblen. “Most importantly, I came to the conclusion that while more conservative justices could overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, the major threats come from outside the Supreme Court. The major threats to Roe v. Wade come from advancements in medicine, science, law, and technology. My thesis proves that Roe v. Wade is outdated and needs to be either revamped to incorporate these changes or overturned to the states because of the complicated nature of the area.”
Kloeblen is examining new medical technologies in reproductive science and exploring their impact on the Roe v. Wade ruling. She worked on her thesis under the guidance of Bruce Allen Murphy, Fred Morgan Kirby Professor of Civil Rights.
“Debbie is taking the unique questions of how medical technology and the evolution of that technology since 1973 have changed the nature of the viability question and the nature of the rights of a potential life form,” says Murphy. “What I like about this project is that it is cutting-edge in two ways. The first is in the exploration of medical technology in this area. At times the material I read from Debbie seems like science-fiction, but it is accurate and current medical research. The second is Debbie’s ability to provide insight into and make some recommendations about what could and should be done by the Supreme Court in cases that are three, five, or 10 years down the road.”
While undertaking her complicated project, Kloeblen has been thrilled to work with Murphy.
“Professor Murphy is extremely qualified to advise my topic because his expertise is with the Supreme Court and its members,” she says. “Although my thesis has evolved and changed several times since the beginning, Professor Murphy has been patient and understanding. My topic is complicated and he has taken so much time helping me to understand what I need to portray in my writing and how I can improve it. I have taken classes with Professor Murphy since my freshman year at Lafayette. Over the past four years, I can honestly say that I learned the most from every one of his classes. While they require more work and time than some other classes, they are so beneficial and academically challenging.”
Kloeblen admits that when she started out, she knew very little about the subject of abortion. Although it is a controversial issue, she decided to examine abortion in relation to Supreme Court decisions, regardless of her own political or religious opinions.
“I decided I would keep my focus on how the advancements would threaten abortion in terms of Supreme Court decisions,” she says. “I am excited about this topic because it focuses on areas of abortion that are ignored by the media and in the abortion debate.”
Murphy has enjoyed working with Kloeblen on her project and watching the research develop.
“Deb’s ability to balance out both scholarly and personal commitments, meet all of her deadlines, and write such interesting and revealing draft chapters on this topic is a reminder to me of how much fun it is as a teacher to work with students at this stage in their careers,” says Murphy. “I think she will be a much stronger student and a more successful person because of her efforts to take on this very challenging project here at Lafayette.”
Kloeblen, who plans on attending law school after graduation, believes that Lafayette is the perfect place to undertake such a project.
“I think Lafayette is a positive environment for projects such as an honors thesis,” she says. “Aside from Professor Murphy, a number of professors have offered their help and guidance throughout my thesis project. They have offered beneficial and constructive advice to help further my topic. My research has been challenging; much of the information is biased because the majority of the information published on abortion comes from either a pro-life or pro-choice group. However, both the professors and the library staff have been extremely beneficial in helping me locate unbiased information sources.”
Kloeblen volunteers at the Easton Home and is a member of Delta Gamma sorority. During the spring semester of her junior year she studied abroad at the University of Queensland, Australia.
Honors theses are among several major programs that have made Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. The College sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year; 21 students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.