Abortion Persuasive Speech

Introduction Abortion is one of the most debatable and controversial issues that exist today in our society. There are people who support the idea that it should be a choice of each and every woman – whether to do it or not, while others claim that no one has a power to decide, whether to bring life on the planet, or put an end to it. (writings) I believe that there is no other option than to choose life. 1. ) In my opinion many women are very unaware of how fast a baby develops. A. ) At three weeks the heart begins to beat with the child's own blood and the backbone spinal column and nervous system are forming.Also liver, kidneys and intestines begin to take shape. B. ) By week five eyes, legs, and hands begin to develop. C. ) By eight week the baby can begin to hear and every organ is in place, bones begin to replace cartilage, and fingerprints begin to form. D. ) At week twelve the baby has all of the parts necessary to experience pain, including nerves, spinal cord, and th alamus. Vocal cords are complete and the baby can suck its thumb. E. ) By twenty weeks the baby recognizes its' mothers voice and you can tell the sex. (Development) 2. Most women facing an unplanned pregnancy who opt for an abortion do so early on; just over 61% take place in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, and 88% occur in the first trimester, before the 13th week of pregnancy. Only 10% of abortions occur in the second trimester, between the 13th and 20th weeks of pregnancy. (Lowen) A. ) There are two different types of abortions: Surgical abortions and Medical Abortions. a. As the name suggests, medical abortions do not involve surgery or other invasive methods but rely on medications to end pregnancy. Lowen) i. A medical abortion involves taking the drug mifepristone; often called ‘the abortion pill,' its generic name is RU-486 and its brand name is Mifeprex. Mifepristone is not available over the counter and must be provided by a health care professional. A woman seeking a medical abortion can obtain one through a doctor's office or clinic and should expect two or more visits to complete the process, as another drug, misoprostol, must be taken to terminate the pregnancy. (Lowen) b.All surgical abortions are medical procedures that must be done in a health care provider's office or clinic. There are several different surgical abortion options. ii. Aspiration is an abortion procedure that can be performed on a woman up to 16 weeks after her last period. Aspiration, also known as vacuum aspiration, suction aspiration or D&A (dilation and aspiration), involves the insertion of a tube through the dilated cervix into the uterus. Gentle suction removes fetal tissue and empties the uterus. iii.In some circumstances, a spoon-shaped instrument called a curette is used to scrape the uterine lining to remove any remaining tissue. This procedure is called a D&C (dilation and curettage. ) iv. Dilation and evacuation (D&E) is typically performed during the second trimester (between the 13th and 24th week of pregnancy. ) Similar to a D&C, a D&E involves other instruments (such as forceps) along with suction to empty the uterus. In later second-trimester abortions, a shot administered through the abdomen may be necessary to ensure fetal demise before the D&E begins. Lowen) Conclusion All in all I believe that medical and/or surgical abortions should be illegal. I don’t believe anything can justify an abortion, because you are intentionally ending a human life. Works Cited Development, Fetal. http://www. nrlc. org/abortion/facts/fetaldevelopment. html. n. d. Lowen, Linda. http://womensissues. about. com/od/reproductiverights/a/AbortionTypes. htm. n. d. writings, Paper. http://www. paperwritings. com/free-examples/persuasive-speech-on-abortion. html. n. d.

Book Review on Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat

James R. McDonough once stated that his story is not a comprehensive documentation of the Vietnam War, but a mere account of an American platoon leader in battle. Lt. McDonough had, for a year after West Point, been situated in specialized training bases to be part of an airborne brigade. And as he was readily equipped, he was brought to the Strategic Hamlet Program – formed by the US armed forces in the 1960s to weaken the Viet Cong through civilian control, which, failed in the 1970s. Nevertheless, the US armed forces have not dissolved this program yet. 2nd Lieutenant McDonough found himself commanding a platoon led by a non-commissioned officer. Everyone was in low morale and inefficient as the lieutenant McDonough was replacing refused to wage war – all the time keeping the platoon from being harmed. Setting his goals straight, McDonough looked forward to gain the loyalty of his platoon, as well as, completing the mission with minimal or no casualties on their part. Mc Donough journeyed through a difficult period of founding leadership. He practiced careful observation and frequent combats with the enemy to lay out plans that would ensure an accomplished mission. An air of loneliness have also been created throughout the whole story as platoon men shared their piece of sufferings, fears and yearnings both in their military and personal lives. The novel provided a realistic point of view to both sides of the war – good and bad, the thoughts that prevail to each character in the story and the choices each one of them has to make in the line of duty (Hopkins). The three things this memoir might embed in the reader’s mind might include: Doing the right thing – in the right time and with the right reasons; There is a given responsibility each soldier has to his fellow comrades – it is to protect them at all costs; and Tiny mischiefs might ignite large conflicts – this should teach vigilance in discipline (Jacobs). These are just three of three of the important points presented in this memoir. But, among the most significant to note is leadership. He has set goals for a demoralized group of men, has aided each one of them to brave in realizing these goals, and ensuring that each of his men savor the success of these goals. McDonough made a comparison between good and bad leadership through the two lieutenants – the non-commissioned officer who refuses to fight, and he who wishes to be a real leader. Vivid details in the memoir bring the setting come to life along with the compelling set of characters. McDonough seemingly did not find it necessary to delve much in the morbid images of the war, rather, on the relationships that developed throughout the story. It was reflected in moments of irony and humor – an indication of the need to be resilient. He also enumerated different strategies and tactics that had been formulated during the war. These relationships were part of the humanizing aspects of the story, including issues that involve latrines. McDonough filled his memoir with discovering varied kinds of relationships with different men – from high-ranking men to allies and enemies, and civilians. It was a compilation of the view and experiences of war by different people. The Platoon Leader also indicated the ethics and morals of the war, the dehumanizing possibility a soldier might come across in the cruelty of the war. McDonough’s instrument character in this memoir is his being a leader – it enabled him to explore relationships, establish a set of war ethics and morals, a progression into a real leader. He portrayed a wise, humane, tough and firm leader, under the most difficult circumstances. The novel is a profound documentation on wartime virtues – making it a very important piece in American literature (Mazza). References: Hopkins, Martha. â€Å"Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat.† 2003.25 May 2007 . Jacobs. â€Å"Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat : Review.† 2007. 25 May 2007 . Mazza, Michael. â€Å"Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat: Review.† 2004. 25 May 2007

Pornography is not harmful to American Society Essay

This essay will argue that pornography is not harmful to American society. However, there are some important reservations to be made: the acceptable form of pornography is legal adults engage in this activity with full consent. Obviously, there are some forms of exploitation that are harmful and dangerous, such as forcing subjects to take part in pornography production or involving minors in this process. However, this essay will not discuss these activities that are already illegal and prosecuted to relevant authorities. Instead, it will argue that pornography is a legitimate form of self-expression. Furthermore, it will dispel many myths that are used by anti-pornography lobby (such as pornography leading to rape or being addictive) to appeal to public sentiment with a view of enacting a more restrictive regime regulating the field. At the first glance, banning of pornography pursues a plausible aim: protecting American citizens from the temptation of watching it. Giving this issue a second thought, it becomes evident that everything can go terribly wrong if such prohibition is instituted. Not only will it fail to achieve its goals, it will also harm the economy and society in the most dramatic fashion conceivable. In a debate on pornography, ‘liberals defended the freedom of consenting adults to publish and consume pornography in private from moral and religious conservatives who wanted pornography banned for its obscenity, its corrupting impact on consumers and its corrosive effect on traditional family and religious values’ (West, 2004, para. 3). Weighting such an intangible and relative thing as decline in social morale against a far more serious development of restriction on freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by our Constitution, it is necessary to admit that human rights are more important for the functioning of society than morale. Moral codes vary among different religious, ethnic and age groups; therefore, it would be unreasonable to base a federal policy on moral considerations only. In every debate on civil liberties, the discussion is often narrowed down to the traditional dilemma of decriminalization and control v. prohibition and black market. This argument is hard to run in a debate on, for instance, legalization of drugs, since governments of the world have proven to be sufficiently successful in combating illicit drug trafficking. However, it perfectly applies to restrictions on pornography. The demand for pornography soaring, there will be abundant supply. The police will be incapable of preventing illegal pornography production. The sector might be heading towards wide-scale corruption. Moreover, lack of regulation in pornography production might result in exploitation, use of minors, or unacceptable working conditions. Thus, it is better to regulate this sector than to let black market overtake it. There is a lesson America should have learned: the 1920s were the time of alcohol prohibition, and the regulation provided for a huge black market in alcohol to flourish, giving rise to bootlegging business and speakeasies. Many gangsters, including Al Capone and Bugs Moran, made fortunes selling alcohol illegally. Another hackneyed argument in a debate on civil liberties is that it’s better to tax than to let shadow economy grow. However, this argument should be taken seriously in the U. S. at the present moment of its history. The falling dollar and slowdown in the housing market has placed the U. S. economy on the verge of recession. At the same time, more government revenue is needed to support the national welfare and healthcare programs. More money is needed in education and research. Large-scale foreign policy initiatives also require additional funding. Refusing another source of tax money is unacceptable for the time being. If the aforesaid is not enough to dismiss the feasibility of restrictions on pornography, another argument can be introduced into the debate. In general, civil liberties are in danger in the U. S. , and by clampdown on yet another one the government will send a very wrong message. In fact, the government should leave citizens the ability to think for themselves. Individuals should be able to make decisions about their life careers themselves, and the government should be supportive of these decisions if they are deemed to be beneficial for the individual and society as a whole. Yet it is far beyond the jurisdiction of the government to protect an individual from the consequences of his/her conscious choices. In fact, it is the traditional dilemma of governmental regulation v. individual freedom. It may seem that restrictions on pornography would be in line with the theory of social contract. The state, which is the product of social contract, has the function of setting the limits on individual rights and freedoms. Social contract implies that agents give away a part of their freedom in return for security delivered by state. John Locke (2004, p. 33) writes: ‘Men†¦ by agreeing with other men, to join and unite into a community for their comfortable, safe, and peaceable living, one amongst another, in a secure enjoyment of their properties, and a greater security against any that are not of it†¦make one community or government†¦and make one body politic. ’ The situation is fairly clear-cut when one individual’s activity results in the violation of another individual’s rights. When the realization of rights of one individual infringes on rights of another individual, the state should intervene to reestablish the balance between these rights of different individuals. However, in the case of pornography, the practice does not pose a danger to society. Feminists argue that pornography is dangerous because it perpetuates exploitation and oppression of women. However, this is not necessarily true. Men also star in pornography production, and women are not always featured in subordinate roles. In the 1960s, a more liberal approach to sexuality was hailed as a major advancement of women’s right. Pornography means that both male and female sexuality is no longer a taboo but rather a subject for public discussion and business activity: ‘Pornography breaks cultural and political stereotypes, so that each woman can interpret sex for herself†¦ Pornography tells them to accept and enjoy them. Pornography can be good therapy. Pornography provides a sexual outlet for those who – for whatever reason – have no sexual partner’ (McElroy, 2004, ‘A Pro-Sex Defense’). For some females, pornography might be a pleasurable way of expressing themselves, given the popularity of home videos. Liberals ‘continue to maintain either that pornography does not cause harm to women (in the relevant, usually narrow, sense of ‘harm’), or they admit that pornography probably does cause some harm to women’s interests, but deny that this harm is sufficiently great to offset the dangers inherent in censorship and to justify the violation of the rights of pornographers and would-be consumers’ (West, 2004, ‘Recent debate: liberals and feminists’). A riskier argument that feminists were running was that pornography increases the number of instances of rape in society. However, empirical evidence in support of their claim has been scarce and contested. It leads to an obvious conclusion that ‘[p]ornography will not cause otherwise normal, decent chaps with no propensity to rape suddenly to metamorphose into rapists,† (Feinberg, 1985. p. 153). Some researchers have gone as far as to argue that consumption of pornography might decrease rape rates (Landsburg, 2006). Since citizens can satisfy their sexual fantasies by watching them on the screen, their urge to commit sexual assaults in real life is weaker. In fact, empirical evidence suggests that porn actually decreases rape: ‘The incidence of rape in the United States has declined 85% in the past 25 years while access to pornography has become freely available to teenagers and adults’ (D’Amato, 2006, Abstract). While there are many critics contesting the actual correlation between the two variables, increase in accessibility of pornography would have led to skyrocketing rape rates, which is not happening. There is another positive feature of pornography being pointed out by sexologists and family therapists. For some couples, watching pornography together might enhance their sexual relationship and make them freer in expressing their desires and fantasies. One more oft-cited danger of pornography is that it might cause an addiction. The government has long established itself as a body responsible for protecting its citizens against addictions, since they might foster compulsive behavior and lead to citizens harming themselves or other. This might be true about physical addictions, like addiction to drugs. However, addiction to pornography, if it exists, is a psychological phenomenon. Psychologically, people can be addicted to anything, from computer games to chocolate, which does not provide grounds for the government to ban everything that is enjoying considerable popularity. Taking all those arguments into account, it is possible to conclude that pornography is not as dangerous as it is portrayed, and prohibition of pornography might have devastating consequences for the society.

Compare and Contrast Mesopotamia & Egypt

Compare & Contrast Essay Mesopotamia and Egypt By: Jessenia Carranza Egypt and Mesopotamia are similar because they share the same concept of having a single rule, although Egypt is a theocracy and Mesopotamia is a monarchy; and both are divided into social classes, the difference being that women in Egypt have more right than Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia and Egypt are both based upon a single ruler. The Akkedians, for example, had king Sargen, who formed the first empire; or even Hammurabi, the ruler of Babylonia, he created the fist code of laws, which were followed by his people.The Akkedians had to have a single ruler because an empire doesn’t form itself; it needs a leader, which is the king. Similar to this is Menes the king of Egypt, he united Lower and Upper Egypt and built the first dynasty. Although Mesopotamia and Egypt were both based upon a single ruler, Egypt was a dynasty and passed down the power to the son, whereas Mesopotamia was just a monarchy didn’t nec essarily pass down the power to the son.In Egypt the pharaohs, were believed to be gods, therefore it was a theocracy and he had total control. Unlike Egypt, Mesopotamia was a monarchy, and it was believed that their ruler descended from the gods, but they were not gods. Another similarity between these two societies is that they are divided into social classes. In both of them, the King is in the first class followed by wealthy merchants and then the farmers, unskilled workers, and all the other people.Basically the social classes in Mesopotamia and Egypt are based on power, money and skills. One difference between both of these societies is that they Egypt give women more rights then the women in Mesopotamia. In Mesopotamia women could only own property and could divorce their husbands. Meanwhile, in Egypt women could not only divorce and own property, but also they could also manage and sell properties and trade. In short, while in Mesopotamia women’s rights were restricte d, in Egypt women’s right were equal to men.

Philadelphia movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Philadelphia movie - Essay Example Tom Hanks brilliantly portrayed the character of Andy and communicated to viewers the need to look at gays suffering from AIDS in a different light. It was an emotional issue, to be sure, but Hanks did a good job at causing everyone to rethink their views towards people suffering from this horrible disease. When Andy began looking for a lawyer, he discovered that many people did not want to represent him simply on the basis of his illness. The frustration that he began to feel must surely have been overwhelming. Most people he met were afraid and would not get close to him. The movie effectively points out that even the lawyer who was brave enough to represent Andy was also afraid of him. In the end, however, this lawyer began to understand that Andy was no threat to his own health or to his reputation. He ended up learning a great deal from Andy and they turned into good friends. The overarching theme of this movie is to educate the public about AIDS and homosexuality. These two issues have divided society and have caused this segment of the population to be segregated and discriminated against in many communities across the country. This movie shows me that discrimination will likely always exist in our society, either on the basis of gender, race, or sexual preference. Philadelphia gives me, and other viewers as well, a good look at the reasons why we should shed our discriminatory views. Such thoughts serve to hurt not only the specific group being discriminated against, but also society in general. The message that the movie sends is that discriminating against homosexual people, especially those with AIDS, is illegal. It also conveys the message that judging people, commonly referred to as stereotyping, is wrong. Understanding people and our difference comes with time. This understanding came happen if we all take the time to get to know each

Recommendation report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Recommendation report - Case Study Example The questionnaire had a series of five questions on the facility and the proposed centre. A notice was then posted on the organization’s notice board to elaborate on the scope of the research. This was followed by a request for voluntary participation in the research through registration and collection of questionnaires from the human resource management’s office. Eighty-one out of the Ninety-one employees participated in the research. The first question that sought to know the possible rate of application of the centre identified the employees’ desire to use the centre often with high preference for a daily application and 2-3 days per week application. A significant number of employees would also never use the centre. There were also more females than males for every category of response. Response to time of application of the centre identified men’s preference to use the centre before work and during lunchtime at a frequency of 10 and 11 respectively. Women were however specific on the preference to use the centre during lunch hour at a response frequency of 24 followed by six preferences for after work. Men unanimously preferred that the centre open during weekends with 24 individuals supporting weekend sessions while one person opposed the sessions. 12 women supported the weekend sessions while 24 opposed it. The following table summarizes data over expected participation in different activities. A majority of male respondents, eight, would prefer to consult with medical staff semi annually while six would prefer an annual consultation. A majority of women, 24, also preferred a semiannual consultation with medical personnel. The survey identifies a potentially higher level of the facility’s application by females than by males as observed in responses to questions one, two, four, and five. While a majority of men is interested in weights, women are majorly interested in

Medicaid Block Grants Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Medicaid Block Grants - Term Paper Example On average, Washington pays 57 percent of the costs. Wealthy states get at least 50 percent of Medicaid costs covered by the feds; poor states get as much as 85 percent (Vestal, n.p.). In return, states must meet minimum standards for benefits and eligibility. For example, states are required to provide Medicaid services to low-income children, pregnant women, some adults with dependent children, people with disabilities and frail elders. Benefits must cover doctor’s visits, hospital stays, emergency room services, diagnostic and outpatient services and long-term care (Vestal, n.p.). Governors have long lobbied for a freer hand on Medicaid, which they say would result in a cheaper, more effective program. Lately, Republican governors have more aggressively pursued the block-grant idea, partly because they’re worried about the cost of adding millions more people to the program beginning in 2014. The federal government will pick up the whole tab for new enrollees for the first three years, tapering down to 90 percent in 2020 and beyond. Governors also are alarmed at Medicaid’s growth rate, which the CBO estimates at 7 percent annually over the next decade. The program, some state officials say, is crowding out other needs, such as education (Carey & Serafini, n.p.). The different types of Medicaid Block Grants are: Block Grants and Welfare Reform.  Federal block grants consolidate various aid programs into a payment to each state based on a formula set by law. This eliminates the ability of federal agencies to allocate grant funds to favored applicants, establish program priorities and set requirements. Block grants give the states increased flexibility to experiment, improve programs and allocate funds to their priorities. Welfare reform is an example of a successful block grant program.  In 1996, the Aid to Families with Dependent Children entitlement program was replaced with the