Celebrities v. Paparazzi

Reading your favorite tabloid, one may read how many celebrities complain of paparazzi harassment.  However, due to celebrities’ public status, this harassment can be part of the job.  Society has always had an interest in celebrity gossip, which has affected them much more negatively than just a bad photo of them.  In 1995, Princess Diana died due to a high speed chase by paparazzi in Paris, and many celebrities from Lindsay Lohan to Nicole Kidman have gotten into car accidents from similar chases. 

 A new law in California that is being dubbed the ‘Britney Spears Law’ would protect celebrities from similar incidents.  According to Councilman Dennis Zine the law is “not going to be called the ‘Britney Spears Law,’ I am not going to give her credit for that because it is not about Britney Spears, it’s about the paparazzi violating everybody else’s rights, freedoms and privileges.”  

Do celebrities deserve to be protected by this law or do the paparazzi have a right to do their job?  Is this invasion of privacy?

For more information go to: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23134171/

ethics in international affairs

In 1920, Kenya was made an English colony until 1964 after political unrest. Following its independence, the country went through numerous periods of political conflict and ethnic violence.

Kenya is currently facing political and tribal conflict after a rigged election last month that resulted in the incumbent president winning over the top opposition leader. This has resulted in a death toll that has risen over 1,000, while some 304,000 Kenyans have been displaced by the crisis — and the figure is expected to rise. The disputed election has served as a spark of the current situation, and opposition supporters across Kenya vented their rage over many issues toward the Kikuyus (one of the main ethnic groups) and other groups thought to have supported the incumbent president. Most of these deaths, in one of Kenya’s darkest moments since independence from Britain 44 years ago, have come from cycles of ethnic killings, adding to fatalities from police clashes with protesters.

Due to Great Britain’s influence over the country that has only ended 44 years ago, does the country have an ethical responsibility to step in and help Kenya out of its current situation?

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-kenya-crisis.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=kenya&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Ethics in Voting

As the next presidential election looms ever closer with each caucus taking place, many experts are examining the ratio of young versus old voters. Recent statistics show that only 47 percent among 18- to 24-year old citizens voted during the last election in 2004 compared to79 percent of citizens 55 years and older. Because hundreds of thousands of Americans have died since the United States declared its independence and is continuing today with the War in Iraq, many view not voting in elections as not partaking in the act that many people have lost their lives for. Due to some nations around the world, such as Saudi Arabia which does not allow women to vote, many believe non-voting citizens are taking for granted one of their freedoms.

Is it ethical not to vote when people have lost their lives to preserve the freedom to vote?

Ethics in Gun Control

Recently the Supreme Court has considered the meaning of the Second Amendment in Washington DC. The Second Amendment is the “right to keep and bear arms.” Lower courts are debating whether this amendment refers to the state militia or if it protects the individual’s right to keep a gun. Concern stems from so many people being allowed to carry a gun with them on the streets. Research shows that handguns are responsible for more killings, woundings, and crimes than all other types of firearms combined. Citizens have argued that owning a handgun is their right as self-protection, but the government states that citizens are already allowed to carry other weapons. The case will be heard in the Supreme Court early next year.

 

Does the Second Amendment protect an individual’s right to carry a handgun?

Information from: http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/SCOTUS/Story?id=3892323&page=2

Ethics in Responsibility

It has recently been reported that 95 percent of the temporary housing units provided to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita measured at least twice the CDC’s maximum recommendation for the exposure to formaldehyde. The government tested these mobile homes and found that the problem is much more wide spread than originally thought.

            Formaldehyde is considered a human carcinogen which can cause cancer. Aside from the long term health risks, the inhabitants of these mobile homes have experienced frequent bloody noses, respiratory distress, and skin rashes.

            The government provided these housing units to victims of the hurricanes in a time of dire need, over two years ago. People are still living in these temporary housing units and now problems have been found within them. Is it the government’s responsibility to find residents a new place to live or is it the responsibility of the residents to start putting their lives back together?

 

Do you think it is the government’s responsibility to find the residents of this area another place to live, over two years after the disaster?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21725858/

Enforced Sterilization

Who decides which medical procedures are medically necessary and which are not? How is this decided? A mother in London, England recently deemed it medically necessary for doctors to remove the womb of her severely disabled daughter. This has become a legal issue, as doctors are unsure if they will be infringing on patient’s rights by permitting this type of procedure.

            Not only is this case about determining which medical procedures are necessary and what rights patients have, but this case is also about the way disabled people are treated. Can a mother order her disabled daughter’s womb to be removed because she thinks it will improve her daughter’s quality of life to not have to deal with the issues of menstruation? Or is this a case of enforced sterilization?

 

Is there any situation in which enforced sterilization can be a benefit?

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/10/08/hysterectomy/index.html

Rise of Obesity

Obesity in children has been on the rise in recent years. An article on CNN reported in 2006 that the number of children considered overweight has nearly tripled since 1980, according the Centers for Disease Control. Many factors have contributed to this increase in obesity, such as larger food portions and technology that makes life more sedentary.

The recent change in physical education requirements in schools may also play a role in this rise in obesity. Many school districts have cut back on time spent teaching some subjects including social studies, science, the arts, and physical education, to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind law. Some psychologists argue, however, that just ten minutes of physical activity will boost the cognitive development of children, an in turn, raise their scores on standardized tests, the ultimate goal for school districts.

Should schools be required to have a physical education program in which students are required to participate?