This paper explores the legal and moral issues of the stem cell research debate. It also explores the uses of adult stem cells as an alternative to embryonic stem cells.
Abstract The paper first briefly defines stem cell research in all its forms (embryonic, adult, umbilical). It next explores whether the young fetus should actually be considered a 'life-form'. The political portion of the paper revolves around President Bush's policies and California's Proposition 71. Finally, the argument is made that alternatives to embryonic stem cells represent the only moral choice, especially at this early stage of research.
From the Paper "There are too many unanswered questions and unknowns when it comes to stem cell research, embryonic or not. There is promising research being made on adult stem cells and umbilical cells as we speak. Shouldn"t these avenues be completely explored before we even discuss destroying another embryo in the name of science" I would think so. The greatness of humankind can be measured by its accomplishments, but accomplishments made without regard to morals can destroy us. This is the course we must avoid. We must not sacrifice life with blind hopes of scientific advancement. We must not sacrifice one life to cure another."
An argument presenting both sides of the global warming issue, focusing on whether it is a real issue or merely a hypothesis concocted by scientists to prevent environmental pollution.
Abstract The following paper examines both sides of the global warming issue. The writer discusses the first issue, by making reference to ecological perspectives that claim that certain human activity such as population growth, deforestation, and fossil fuel burning, have lead to increasing solar radiation or heat in the earth's atmosphere, thus increasing the natural temperature of the earth. The paper also deals with the reverse argument which questions whether humans are really increasing the earth's temperature at a alarming rate, or whether humanity is just a ripple in the earth's pool of history, and warmth is simply nature taking its course.
From the Paper "Global warming is a very important environmental issue concerning the world today and the future of humanity. The issue with global warming is certain human activity such as population growth, deforestation, and fossil fuel burning, have lead some scientists to hypothesize that humans are increasing solar radiation or heat in the earth's atmosphere, thus increasing the natural temperature of the earth. Some greenhouse gases are naturally produced in the Earth's atmosphere from water vapor, and carbon dioxide. The earth's history also shows how the overall temperature of the earth's surface has fluctuated throughout its existence. A problem that arises with the global warming debate is weather patterns have only been traced back to about one hundred and fifty years; therefore it is hard to predict the outcome of the future with such a short past. Another argument surrounding global warming is, are humans really increasing the earth's temperature at a alarming rate, or is humanity just a ripple in the earth's pool of history, and this warmth is nature taking its course? The answers to these questions depend on who you ask, or your view of nature's role on earth."
Abstract This paper deals with the issue of affirmative action policies, looking at how these policies were installed within the social system and discussing their pros and cons.
From the Paper "Affirmative Action policies are used in the United States to increase opportunities for minorities by favoring them in hiring, promotion, contracting and school admissions. Minorities are defined by race, ethnicity, or gender. Affirmative action has been accepted by governments, businesses, and educational institutions to remedy the effects of past discrimination against a group. It has been widely criticized for creating reverse discrimination in the workplace and at schools."
Abstract This is a paper about the history of Gun Control and how it evolved over time. The author examines the type of laws introduced for gun control and the moral and ethical issues around the subject with focus on effects on children. Includes the specific gun laws of Ohio.
From the Paper "Our nation's first major gun law was the Gun Control Act of 1968. The 1968 Gun Control Act established categories of prohibited purchasers and possessors including convicted felons, fugitives from justice, minors, individuals with a history of mental illness, anyone dishonorably discharged from the military, expatriates, and illegal aliens. The law also banned the mail-order sales of all firearms and ammunition, such as the rifle used by Lee Harvey Oswald to shoot President John F. Kennedy. The law also set standards for gun dealers and age guidelines for gun purchasers and prohibited the sale and manufacture of new fully automatic civilian machine guns."
Tags: 2nd, amendment, arms, bear, brady, law, right, second
Abstract This paper looks at the three major arguments of gun-control advocates and disproves them one by one. The major arguments are - more guns, more crimes; possible accidental deaths and criminal access to guns.
Thesis: Despite the good intentions of gun control advocates, their means in attaining what they want are entirely misguided and misinformed.
Table of Contents
Accidental Death
Child killed by ownership of firearm
Suicide in relation to ownership of firearms
More Guns More Crime
Gun ownership as a crime prevention
Gun ownership for self-defense is most common
Gun ownership as a deterrent to tyranny
Criminal Acquisitions of Guns
Limiting the attainability legally of guns only limits law-abiding citizens
Criminals acquire guns on black market
Brady Laws do nothing to deter criminal misuse
From the Paper "Gun Control has been a center issue in American Politics for quite some time. Advocates of Gun Control often state the hazards of owning guns and their constant use in criminal activity. The ultimate solution for these people is to completely eliminate the right of an individual to own a gun. On the other hand, the Anti-Gun Control advocates state that people are responsible for their own actions and that the existence of the gun is not what causes crime, or accidental death. So despite the good intentions of Gun Control advocates, their means in attaining what they want are entirely misguided and misinformed."
Abstract In Gwendolyn Brooks? poem, "The Mother", the narrator expresses a reluctant regret and a desire for the children to which she did not give birth as a result of abortion. The paper analyzes the poem and its use of tone, diction, and imagery. It finds that the speaker is alternately regretful, self-recriminating, and motherly in her reactions to her unborn children. Taken together, Brooks? powerful shifts in tone, diction, and imagery all serve to highlight the narrator's longing, and tentative regrets over children that were never born.
From the Paper "Taken together, the changing tone throughout "The Mother" helps to expresses the narrator's reluctant regret over abortion, and a desire for the children she did not give birth to. It is her very changes in tone and emotion throughout the poem that help to highlight her confusion and regret. She is by turns apologetic, regretful, reproachful and frustrated in her attempts to explain herself."
From the Paper "Anne Fadiman's book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 1998) is an intelligent and moving ? and unsettling story ? about the costs that individuals must sometimes have to pay for living in a multicultural society and the challenges that immigrants face in the United States, even after they think that they have made it to the promised land. Fadiman also shows how the American mainstream cultural establishment ? in this case represented mostly by the doctors and other medical personnel that work with one particular immigrant family ? sometimes finds itself unable to help newcomers to make the leap into the often perilous new world of their dreams.
Lia Lee was born in 1981 to a family of recent Hmong immigrants to California, and soon developed symptoms of .."
Abstract By looking at how guns continue to cause increased incidents of homicide, suicide and injury to children, this paper argues for the need to strengthen, not weaken, current gun control laws. Presents classic arguments such as children's exposure to violence, increased crime statistics and family accidental shootings.
From the Paper "Gun advocates generally play down the link between firearm access and violence. As the NRA likes to say, guns don?t kill people, people kill people. They view the laws restricting gun ownership through the lens of self-defense and civil rights. This position, however, fails to address a very real link between the ownership of guns and violence. Even with measures such as the Brady Law and the five-day waiting period in place, firearms continue to play a major role in instances of both criminal and accidental violence."
Tags: violence, brady, death, firearm, shooting, law
Abstract An argumentative paper about euthanasia, both passive and active.
From the Paper "With constant advancement in medical technology, loved ones will be held more and more responsible for the life or death decisions of family members. Many fear the unknown realm that lies beyond this life more than their mental and physical pain, and want to live at all costs. Others, though, should they be faced with living in a vegetative state or dying, hope their families allow them to die. They believe euthanasia is acceptable in cases of terminally ill patients whose lives are simply being maintained with no hope of ever speaking or thinking again. Active euthanasia, which is in certain cases more humane than passive euthanasia, should be legalized to help aid the endless suffering of thousands of terminally ill patients who have no chance of living a quality life. "
Abstract This paper analyzes the controversies and issues surrounding euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Part II discusses arguments in opposition to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. In Part III arguments in support of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are presented. Lastly, this paper concludes by recommending that euthanasia should be offered to terminally ill patients in order to avoid much unnecessary suffering.
From the Paper "Four ways exist to legally terminate life in the United States and other nations: abortion, capital punishment, suicide, and war. In addition, all 50 states have legalized living wills, and some states allow the termination of life support without the existence of a living will if certain parts of the brain are dead. Euthanasia, commonly known as mercy killing or physician-assisted suicide, remains illegal in all but a few countries and states like Germany, Netherlands, Oregon, and Switzerland. However, fundamental shifts are occurring that reflect a recognition that we have overestimated our right to kill in a military setting, and underestimated it in some medical and private settings."
Tags: death, compassion, suicide, terminal, ill, medicine
Abstract The paper argues against the practice of assisted suicide, which is now quite common in the United States. The paper discusses the issue from ethical as well as legal perspective and explains why the Court should never sanction this practice.
From the Paper "Assisted suicide is one of those burning issues, which give rise to ethical quandaries, not to mention extreme public fury. People are of the view that while we do have a right to live, we certainly do not have a right to bring an end to our own lives because the principle of dignity of human life doesn?t permit such an action. However over the years, many complex cases in this connection have surfaced, some of which even reached the Supreme Court. It is important to understand that law in many states prohibits physician-assisted suicide even though this practice prevails in many hospitals nationwide. What a physician decides with his patient in the privacy of his clinic is something solely connected with the doctor's moral and ethical principles, however we need to bear in mind that court in many cases has reiterated its stand on the issue by strongly opposing all forms of physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients."
Abstract This paper takes a look at both stances on the abortion issue: pro life and pro choice, defines what a movement is in terms of discourses, ideologies and practices, and concludes that movements are essential in today's society.
From the Paper "Abortion is one of the most controversial and talked about topics of our time. It is discussed in classrooms, work places and even on the Internet. Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in or closely followed by the death of an embryo or fetus. This definition includes accidental abortion such as, miscarriage and stillbirths. But this is not what is being debated. People want to know if abortion is ethical, if the fetus can feel pain, and when it is more human than non-human. These questions are very difficult to answer and may never be answered in our lifetime. But one thing we as humans do know is that we have opinions, ranging from completely anti abortion (pro-life) to completely for abortion (pro-choice), and anywhere in the wide spectrum in between. Abortion is a movement that was erected almost 40 years ago. This movement has been very controversial over the years; the main reason being that it is something that there is virtually no in between. You either are, or you are not. Both movements, (pro-life and pro-choice) have been one of the most controversial movements in a political presents. The opposition feels that pro-choice does not mean Pro-abortion, it is the right in choosing whether to reproduce, adopt, or abort. It is every human being's right to make there own decisions, and so it is a woman's right to make the choices that affect her life as she sees morally right. It is a woman's right to choose what she does with her body and it should not be altered or influenced by anyone else. As you can see, there are two sides of this movement that are constantly looking for contradictions in what other believes."
Abstract This paper explores the pros and cons of the death penalty without taking either side.
From the Paper "One of the big issues which opponents of the death penalty is that of race. A report from Amnesty International found that the use of the death penalty in the United States was racially biased. In some areas, the death penalty was reserved solely for non-white defendants. The report cited instances of bias against minority defendants at every step of the judicial process, and showed that the judicial system seemed to valued white life over black. Defendants were far more likely to be executed for the murder of a white victim as opposed to a black victim, but the color of the murderer seemed to have no bearing."
Tags: crime, race, gender, constitution, human, rights
Abstract An argumentative paper against the death penalty. The author provides reasons based on age, race, DNA and methods of execution as to back up his argument.
From the Paper "The statement goes as follows: If someone killed one of my family members, I think that he/she should be executed. I would even start the lethal injection myself. (There is no doubt who the murderer is because eyewitness accounts are supported by physical evidence including DNA.) I completely disagree with everything said here. To begin with I don"t necessarily believe that they should be executed, even though most of society is on an eye for an eye state of mind. Further more I wouldn"t start the injection myself, besides who is to say that it would be an injection, there are more methods of capital punishment. I also believe that convicting someone by eyewitness accounts is completely insubstantial evidence."
Abstract This paper discusses the pros and cons of euthanasia or assisted-suicide. The author discusses the case of Dr. Jack Kevorkian and looks at the impacts of his death.
From the Paper "Euthanasia is the act of putting someone to death for his or her own benefit. This is why it is also called ?mercy killing.? The general idea is that a doctor would decide that a patient is suffering enough in their current condition that death is the most desirable option. Needless to say, this practice is not widely accepted. Nor is it legal in a majority of countries. There are essentially three viewpoints one can have; you are either for it or against it, or you agree with a modified version of it."
