...drinking alcohol in public places, with alcohol consumption in the home being mostly unregulated. Some countries also have different age limits for different types of alcoholic drinks. PRO Lowering Drinking Age 18 is the age of adulthood in the United States, and adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption. Turning 18 entails receiving the rights and responsibilities of adulthood to vote, smoke cigarettes, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, be prosecuted as adults, and join the military - which includes risking one's life. [5] [6] CON Lowering Drinking Age The right to drink should have a higher age of initiation because of the dangers posed by drinking. Many rights in the United States are conferred on citizens at age 21 or older. A person cannot legally purchase a handgun, gamble in a casino (in most states), or adopt a child until age 21, rent a car (for most companies) at age 25, or run for President until age 35. Drinking should be similarly restricted due to the responsibility required to self and others. [24] EUTHANASIA refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering.[1] PRO Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide CON Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide 1. Right to Die PRO: "The right of a competent, terminally ill person to avoid excruciating pain and embrace a timely and dignified death bears the sanction of history...
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...Same Sex Marriage Recently the discussion of same sex marriage has been a hot topic in both the political and religious arenas. This controversial issue has caused many citizens to take a solid stance on same sex marriages based on his or her morals, beliefs, and viewpoints. Popular reasons that citizens considered when deciding their stance are civil rights, religion, parenting, and financial matters. This paper will break down the pros and cons of each of the reasons listed and attempt to come to a conclusion of should same sex marriages be legalized in the state of Californians. Civil Rights The Constitution of the United States was written in 1776, which during that time there were no gender specifications noted pertaining to the recognition of a legal marriage. Same sex marriage debate is so large that in 1996, President Bill Clinton signed for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which clarified that marriage is between a man and woman. The main reason gay and lesbian couples are fighting hard to legalize same sex marriage is so those couples will be allowed to and benefit from the same government, financial, and legal stances as heterosexuals marriages. Several states allow partnerships or civil union for same sex couples, however, they are denied certain rights given to heterosexual couples (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2013). Because of the growing debate of same sex marriages, President Obama administration said that it would no longer defend...
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...Good afternoon judges, opponents, and audience members. We, as the affirmative side believe in the resolution as stated before: ‘Be it resolved that Genetically Modified Organisms should be banned”. Rebuttal: If I recall correctly, my opponent has stated that GMOs would reduce the use of herbicides. I argue that GMOs can pass their herbicide-resistant genes onto other species such as weeds. This would potentially result in “superweeds” that are becoming more immune to genetically modified crops which would result in farmers having to use more herbicides. To back this up, a study released by Food & Water Watch finds the quick adoption of genetically engineered crops by farmers has increased herbicide use over the past 9 years in the U.S. Summary: As my colleague Tianna has mentioned, GMO’s should be banned because there is a lack of research about the...
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...ABORTION Pros: Even though most pregnant mothers have a hard time choosing whether or not to get an abortion, it is generally safe and has been performed successfully before. She is the one who would be going through the actual labor of continuing pregnancy, delivering a baby, bringing it up, parenting it well, in addition to other obligations she has to do in her daily life. To get it done with little or no help from the partner and families needs a well-balanced body and mind. If no abortion is performed, it might cause serious mental problems and insecurity for the mother. When a mother has an unwanted baby, there is a more likely chance of an unhealthy relationship and that will be detrimental to the life of the child and the mother. The guilty feeling of abortion will not last as long as the struggle the mother has in her life for the next 18 years of her life. An attempt to restrict the abortions would rise not only the percentage of illegal and unsafe abortions but also the expenses of the procedure. A new law would be needed to tackle the illegal abortions and further legal hassles would have no ends. All in all, if you stop abortion, it will cause more problems than what people have started already today. Should Abortion Be Banned (Except in Special Circumstances Like Saving the Mother's Life)? YES -Abortion is a form of murder and demeans the value of human life. -Other birth control is readily available; thus, abortion shouldn't be a form...
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...Teenage Abortion and How Parental Involvement Affects Risk Kenneth F. Cyrus Over the past several decades, the issue of abortion has evoked controversy, hostility and even violence. The church, State and special interest organizations expound on the pros and cons of abortion rights. Often these abortion rights are fueled by moral, ethical, religious and legal arguments both in favor of Right to Life, as well as Pro-Choice. The issues become more complex where abortion involves a teenager, as the teenager's rights vs. parental involvement contributes to the hot debate on who has the legal right to choose. The woman has every right to decide whether she wants to carry the pregnancy to full term or to have an abortion. However, since unprotected sex results in unplanned pregnancy, parents should have a say in abortion decision. The physical health risk of abortion is very low when done in the early stages of pregnancy and in qualified abortion clinic. Ninety Seven percent of women who have abortion in their first trimester have no complications, and the risk for adolescents is low if done in the first trimester. (O'Keeffe & Jones.) The physical risks of abortion for teens is greater than that of their adult counterpart because teens have a longer approval process that increase the risk of the abortion been done in the second trimester. If the parents are a part of the decision then the approval process maybe shorter, eliminating the complications associated with late...
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...Adoption, International | Summary: Should couples be banned from adopting children overseas? | | With the ongoing media coverage of ill-treated of children in Chinese and Romanian orphanages and the increasing numbers of infertile couples in the developed world international adoption appears to solve two problems at once. However recently Romania has stopped all international adoptions amid claims of corruption and human trafficking. Similar stories have clouded adoptions from Guatemala. Despite these difficulties international adoptions by US citizens have tripled in the past 5 years and legislation has been passed to make it easier for these adopted children to obtain citizenship. While some children complain of a feeling of cultural dislocation, others are sent to Chinese-American summer camps and seem delighted with their new homes and dual identity. The long-term effects of such migrations are hard to predict but many opponents call for more efforts to be made to house children in their country of birth, with proper support for domestic orphanages and adoption schemes. | | Arguments | Pros | Cons | | | | International adoption removes children from the culture into which they were born. Often this causes a sense of dislocation as the child grows older because the do not feel fully a part of their adopted culture nor the culture of the country into which they were born. These feelings can be exacerbated by racial or ethnic distinctions. | | Whatever maybe...
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...America should be lowered from the age of 21 to the age 18. Americans today are mature enough at the age of 18 to drink responsibly. Lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 will have a positive outcome for American society. Lowering the legal drinking age affects the country as a whole, as well as many countries around the world. When considering the issue in a global perspective view, the United States is only one of four countries that have a drinking age as high as 21. In just about every other country around the world there is little or no social pressure to drink. In the countries where the legal drinking age set to 18 irresponsible behavior is never tolerated. Young people learn at home from their parents and from other adults how to handle alcohol in a responsible manner. Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development states that development occurs in stages. The second stage which is known as the conventional level appears in the teenage years. Kohlberg believes that in this stage young people lose some of their selfishness as they learn to define right and wrong in terms of what pleases parents and conforms to their cultural norms. (Macionis) The cultural norms in the United States should match those of most European countries when it comes to drinking alcohol. If the youths in America were taught the correct and responsible ways to drink alcohol there would be less alcohol related incidents in the future. Lowering the legal drinking age from 21...
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...Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma Part Two NRS-437V Ethical Decision Making in Health Care Grand Canyon University Today’s world is filled with endless controversial arguments, ethical debates, and a constant clashing of varying perspectives and outlooks. This is especially relevant to posthumous reproduction, which has sparked many disputes in the global world. Even in our own social circles, the viewpoints on posthumous reproduction tend to be varied. Additionally, posthumous production raises many moral, legal, and ethical concerns. Currently, hospitals do not have a strong ethical stand on posthumous reproduction, but recently they have been forced to develop policies regarding consent, and other legal practices. The following are four interviews done by the writers’ involved four different individuals, a hospital administrator, spiritual leader, healthcare colleague, and a friend. The writers also came to a resolution of dilemma based on research. The information presented is based on the ethical dilemma of a child dying, the parents desire to harvest the child’s eggs for the opportunity to conceive another child or treat any potential genetic anomalies. One of the researchers interviewed the hospital administer where she works. Regarding "posthumous reproduction", the administrator stated that the hospital offers this advanced technology to spouses of patients who meet criteria. The administrator agreed...
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... Proteomics is when, “scientists model gene specific proteins involved in biological aging and disease. “(Berk 44) However, much more research is needed in genetic treatments before a cure is found to treat more complicated diseases. The third option to prevent different malformations is through adoption. Most adults, who are infertile or unable to have children of their own, have a high likelihood of passing on a genetic disease, or who are older but still want a family are using adoption as a viable option. Sometimes kids who have been adopted will struggle with learning and with emotion, as times goes on they tend to adjust. Also parents also have to have the discussion with their children about not actually being their biological parents and that there child may never meet their actual mom or dad. Despite these issues, some families still end up very successful in adopting, I found this chapter very fascinating because it was interesting to learn how far scientists have come in solving genetic abnormalities. I was very fascinated to learn that there is a possible way to correct some of the most dangerous genetic diseases. Finally, it was interesting to see the pros and cons behind adopting. Chapter 3 (09/07/16) ...
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...Abstract This paper discusses homosexuality in our society, particularly in granting homosexual couples a right to marry. The pros and the cons throw out a ton of arguments supporting their position. This issue, whether or not the same-sex marriage should be allowed, is extremely controversial and the debates never end. In this paper, I take the pro side by providing strong both qualitative and quantitative data, how the homosexual marriage can benefit society, how far they have fought for their rights, etc. Marriage is commonly construed as a legal relationship between a man and a woman or between a husband and a wife to build a new family. According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, a family is “the basic unit in society having as its nucleus two or more adults living together and cooperating in the care and rearing of their own or adopted children.” In spite of this neutral definition of family, it is called neutral because the dictionary never mentions the gender of the adults; many people in our society do not picture lesbian or gay couple when they think about a family. In America, gay or lesbian couples cannot just legally marry as normal couples do in any state, except in Massachusetts; where same-sex marriage is allowed. Same-sex couples have to be ready to receive all the negative consequences because they cannot legally marry; for example, higher estate tax and insurance, difficulties in making end-of-life health care decisions for their partners, etc. But...
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...The Effects of Teenage Relationships Different relationships affect teenagers in various ways. Friends impact teenagers almost the same amount as their parents. Teenagers go to their friends for help or to ask questions that they could not ask their parents about. Most of the time their friends give them good advice but then there is the down side when they put pressure on their friends to do something like to smoke, drink, and do drugs. In most cases they tell their friends how to dress and act when around certain people. Love relationships just make it even harder for a teenager to get a good education. Some start to fail in school because they are hanging out with their boyfriend or girlfriend instead of doing their work. Throughout adolescence, teenagers are positively and negatively impacted by several relationships such as friends, family, and love relationships. Friends have a big influence on teenagers because they can say and do many of things to teenagers who think they were friends. They also start rumors and take their friends girlfriend or boyfriend and have them cheat on their friend. Some go out to drink, smoke, or to do drugs just to have fun but some think of driving home and most teenagers do not even make it to their driveways. Some teenagers who are so depressed about their social problems even think about committing suicide. Most start to hurt others turn into “goth’s” by dressing in all black. Many of depressed people show how they feel by dressing differently...
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...Saint Leo University PSY325 Developmental Psychology Course Description: A survey of the major areas in human development with an equal emphasis placed on child, adolescent, and adult development. The course examines developmental changes over the entire life-span and the processes underlying these changes. All major areas are reviewed including biological, cognitive, language, personality, emotional, moral, social, and career development. This course is an upper level elective course in the major. It is a course that is highly desirable for students in Social Work, Education, Human Services, Pre-Med, and Pre-Nursing. The sub-discipline of Developmental Psychology also draws heavily upon almost every other field in psychology. Prerequisite: PSY121 Textbooks: Berk, L. E. (2014). Exploring lifespan development (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0-205-95738-5 Course Objectives: Developmental Psychology is perhaps the most interdisciplinary field within psychology. It encompasses genetics, learning, physiological psychology, perception, cognitive psychology, intelligence, personality, gender issues, social influences, and psychological disorders. It uses a similar methodology as other fields but also utilizes some innovations specific to human development research. This course is a lifespan development course. That is, it will examine in detail how we develop physically, mentally, morally, and socially from the moment of conception through adulthood and old age...
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...Courtney Bradford Matt Jones Sociology 101 December 1, 2009 Teen Pregnancy You sit there tense, your face is turning cherry red, your eyes are fixed on the little white machine, and you feel like the suspense is killing you, two minutes seem like forever. All of a sudden you see a “+.” You’re fifteen and pregnant. What are you going to do now? Teen pregnancy is one of the most difficult experiences a young person might ever face when it interrupts school or other plans. It can create an emotional crisis resulting in feeling ashamed and scared, and it may appear that you will crumble under pressure in your environment. Education, abstinence, and parental involvement are vital in reducing the rate of teen pregnancy. The best way to prevent teenage pregnancy, which is 100 percent effective, is abstinence. Most teenagers have their whole life ahead of them and having a child will cause a lot of complications in their goals. It’s not impossible for teenage mothers to complete high school, or try to reach their goals in life, but having a child could very well interfere with those goals. Abstinence is when you give up something you desire or of pleasure to you. Abstaining from sexual activities is a great way to prevent teen pregnancy, and the risk of getting a disease. In the past years less sex and more condoms use has meant lower rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. Abstinence is not a crime, as most teenagers and their peers...
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...Gay Marriage Tina M. Keena SOC 120: Introductions to Ethics & Social Responsibility Instructor: Daniel Beteta August 31, 2012 Gay Marriage “The protection of fundamental human rights was a foundation stone in the establishment of the United States over 200 years ago. Since then, a central goal of U.S. foreign policy has been the promotion of respect for human rights, as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United States understands that the existence of human rights helps secure the peace, deter aggression, promote the rule of law, combat crime and corruption, strengthen democracies, and prevent humanitarian crises” (Bureau of Public Affairs). With this said and published why is there so much debate and argument over the rights of those in the Gay and Lesbian community being allowed to marry each other? The Bible does indicate that marriage is between a man and a woman, but the Bible was written by man as an interpretation of God’s word. This Country with many others has overcome so many obstacles within the times. Banishment of slavery, equal rights to women, and acceptance of interracial marriages has become respected and acceptable. If all of this can come full circle to where it is acceptable, the rights of those who are gay should also be accepted. Equal rights to all human beings regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation should be recognized. In 1967 there was much controversy over the interracial marriage of...
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...“ Since she was two, Alexis Barries has bounced from foster home to group home to finally a place of her own. She has dreams of becoming an attorney.” Alexis has had difficulty going through the process of ‘becoming an adult’ and going to college. “Eight years and five community colleges later, the californian is still a freshman, working her way through school at an exceedingly slow pace, punctuated by a frustrating series of stops and starts, from financial aid snafus to housing mix ups. Without an adult to help her figure things out, she says, the obstacles she encountered took on Kafkaesque proportions.” In my eyes, Alexis has had been ‘dealt’ some difficult cards in life, yet she is still trying her best to go to college and get her degree as an attorney. She tells us, “I wasn’t prepared for college, I didn’t have parents to look up to, or help me with my college experience.” With that being said, I think if Alexis’s case worker or social worker helped her she would have been exercising her degree in a courtroom much sooner than it had...
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