The Principle of Double Effect Essay Example for Free

The Principle of Double Effect Essay The Principle of Double Effect (PDE) states that it is â€Å"morally permissible to perform an action that has two effects, one good and the other bad† (Harris, 71) if certain stipulations are met. A person would need to make use of the Principle of Double Effect in any situation in which there is what would also be called a moral quandary. A situation in which an action must be performed to achieve a good, but as a result of achieving that good, a bad is also achieved, would be cause to make use of the PDE. The PDE is basically a morality barometer—yes, this effect is bad, but how bad is it really when taking this good into consideration. The PDE strives to determine whether an action full of gray moral area is ultimately morally permissible, and it does so by judging the action through a number of set criteria. These criteria are, in brief, as follows: (1) The act in itself is morally permissible; (2) The good effect from the act cannot be achieved without the bad effect occurring as well; (3) The bad effect is merely a side effect, and not the means through which the good effect is achieved; (4) The good and bad effects are both equally balanced in importance (Harris, 71). In order for the action to be considered morally permissible, all four criteria must be fully met. Take, for example, the story of Mary and her ectopic pregnancy. Mary and her husband are practicing Catholics, and as such they have very strong beliefs against abortion and do not want to do anything that would go against the Church. However, regardless of the course of treatment chosen, Mary’s baby is lost, so this element should automatically be discounted as a determining factor. This in itself is a gray area. The four choices of treatment that Mary is given all have their own set of risks—some have higher risks to her, the mother; others have risks to the future of Mary’s and her husband’s efforts to have another child; all ultimately mean the termination of her pregnancy. Mary’s options include waiting for the egg to pass naturally, which poses a high risk to her the more time passes; taking a drug to thin the egg and force it to pass on its own; one surgery with a risk of making conceiving difficult in the future as well as the common surgical risks to Mary, and another surgery with less risk of complications in the future but also with the common risks of surgery. Because the pregnancy is lost regardless, I would advise Mary on deciding on a course of treatment as quickly as possible, because it is morally right to save oneself. She has already agreed to get treatment, given that the treatment doesn’t violate the Church’s teachings and that she can still bear children in the future. Because of the different levels of risks involved with each procedure, I would recommend the drug therapy. Both surgeries are risky due to the fact that they are surgeries, and the one is even riskier because it can lead to complications in Mary getting pregnant later. The option to let it pass naturally is probably more in line with the Church’s teachings, but it puts Mary at too great a risk and the pregnancy can’t be saved anyway. I would be loathe to think that any Church would encourage waiting it out so as not to be actually physically performing an abortion, when it is a given that the embryo will die regardless. Unfortunately, taking the drug treatment does not fully satisfy the criteria of the PDE: first, the act itself of a woman taking a drug to save her life is morally permissible. However, it is not necessary that she receive this treatment (or any other, for that matter) in order to survive. She can still survive without treatment; it’s just that the risks of her not surviving (or causing damage to her fallopian tube) is greater—note, NOT imminent. Second, there is no way for the good effect (saving Mary’s life) can be achieved without the bad effect (the embryo being killed)—especially when considering that the embryo is dead regardless. This bad effect is unavoidable because if she waits to pass the embryo on her own, she could die too. Third, and this is where the treatment fails to satisfy the PDF criteria, the bad effect is the means of achieving the good effect. The â€Å"abortion,† for what it’s worth, is the only way to guarantee Mary’s life will be saved—and that goes for the drug treatment as well as both surgical options. The fourth criteria is, however, satisfied because the death of the embryo—again, especially considering it will die regardless—balances saving Mary’s life. Based on the third criteria of the PDE, the only morally permissible way to â€Å"treat† this problem is to wait for the embryo to pass through the fallopian tube naturally, putting Mary at the greatest risk. All other options, despite how ridiculous it might be to even be referring to this as an â€Å"abortion,† especially considering the embryo will die regardless, require that the abortion, for what it is, must be performed in order to reduce the risk to Mary’s life. Therefore, no treatment is morally permissible and Mary has to take her chances.

Censorship Gone Too Far :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Censorship Gone Too Far Seven Works Cited Have you ever walked into a music store and seen those parental advisory stickers on most of todays' popular music? Or have you seen those TV ratings on the top left corner of your favorite shows? How about the ratings on your favorite video games? I'm sure you have, but do you really know what those so-called harmless stickers, and images do to the world of entertainment and your freedom of expression for that matter? A recent craze to promote "family values" in the U.S. has caused censorship panels to go entirely too far with the censorship of the entertainment industry including television, radio, the Internet, and even authors. Not only do the customers suffer by having parental bans on their favorite music, but the musicians suffer as well. The musicians are betrayed by their own labels, who are there to support them, not hurt them! The world of music is basically a collage of the artist's thoughts, so banning what they write is a violation of their freedom of speech. (Crowley, 1) One of those artists is three time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow. In 1996, Crow released her self-titled album to her many awaiting fans. When most went to their local Wal*Mart to pick it up, they were turned down because of the contents in the lyrics. (Family-Friendly..., 76) Wal*Mart said the lyrics were offensive and argued that Crow, and her record label change the offensive lyrics. (Family-Friendly..., 76) When Crow and her label refused to change the lyrics, Wal*Mart and many other large-retail stores refused to sell her album. (Family-Friendly, 76) That was not the only time a large retail store refused the sale of an item! In 1986, Wal*Mart stopped the sale of certain rock magazine, including Creem and Rolling Stone. (Family-Friendly..., 76) The company argued that the magazines conflicted with the family oriented atmosphere they tried to maintain. (Family Friendly..., 76) The same goes for the CDs with Parental Advisories. Wal*Mart and most large retail stores like it, will not sell any Parental Advisories CDs. Therefore, they have decided to clean up those CDs before putting them on the shelves, altering them in many ways to get rid of the so-called explicit lyrics.

Tree top walk in fern tree park

Executive SummaryKeeping ecological value and commercial value is so of import to a national park that developing new land usage method is of great significance. Ferntree Gully National Park used to be a hunting land by the Bunurong ( Western Port ) and Woiworung ( Yarra Yarra ) natives for 100s of old ages. It is now a popular walking finish with many walking paths available. This study will give certain On-the-spot probe and research analysis to the current state of affairs of Ferntree Gully National Park. First, we will reexamine the long history and important alterations of this park. Then, we will give analyses and treatments on the environmental characteristics and on this footing propose a manner of land usage alteration. In this subdivision, certain statistics along with charts from our old group work will be used to back up my positions. Finally, effects of the proposed land usage alteration will be discussed and the possible advantages and disadvantages will be expected.Int roductionWith touristry going the thriving and back uping industry of many national states, national Parkss account for a great proportion in the modern travel manner. Therefore, keeping the ecological and commercial values of these Parkss is non merely of import but besides a serious job. Ferntree Gully National Park is one of the five subdivisions of Dandenong Ranges National Park. Bing the south western subdivision of Dandenong Ranges National Park, Ferntree Gully National Park is celebrated for its fitness-related walking and it is besides a popular topographic point for field daies. In order to take full advantage of this national park and keep its ecological and commercial values, researches are conducted and we besides visit this national park. Consequently, this study will discourse the current state of affairs we have learned of this site. And based on this, to assist keeping the ecological and commercial values of this park, constructing a tree-top walk in this site will b e proposed as a manner of land usage alteration. The possible effects including both advantages and disadvantages of this tree-top walk will be discussed at the terminal of this study. During the analysis and treatment, certain statistics and illustrations will be used to enrich this study and back up my point of position.Discussion and AnalysisSite researchThe south-western subdivision, busying about 600 hectares being portion of the larger Dandenong Ranges National park, is known as Ferntree Gully National Park which was named after an 1860 picture of the local wood ( Ferntree Gully, Upper, 2008-11-26 ) . Bing in the suburb country, this national park has a long and colourful history. As studied in the old group work, this site had been used as runing land and so logging country. In 1987 Sherbrooke Forest, Doongalla Reserve and Ferntree Gully National Park were combined to organize the early Dandenong Ranges National Park. Until June 1997, Olinda State Forest and the Mt Evelyn Forest are included in today ‘s Dandenong Ranges National Park. Ferntree Gully National Park is an ideal finish to get away metropolis life for a field day or amble through the wood for tourers all over the universe. It is noted for its walking paths, its positions of Melbourne, its ferneries, eucalypt woods, picnic countries, birdlife, mammals and its vegetations, including 47 species of native orchids, native grasses, eucalypts and bushs such as shrub pea and austral anil ( Ferntree Gully, Upper, 2008-11-26 ) .Site visit studyLocation As we have studied in the old group work, this site is in the south western subdivision of the Dandenong Ranges National Park, it locates between the suburbs of Ferntree Gully and Boronia to the West, Upwey to the South, Tremont and Sassafras to the E and The Basin to the North ( Wikipedia ) . From the map shown below, traffic is convenient in this site. Approximately one hr of the 40 kilometres drive from Melbourne via Burwood Highway or Canterbury Road can take you to the site. Geology Landform The GPS map below approximately shows the Landform of Ferntree Gully National Park. With the aid of GPS, geomorphology development of this site can be studied. Harmonizing to the Department of Primary Industry ‘s description of comparative lift ( McDonald et Al, cited in DPI – Relative Elevation ) , the landforms of Ferntree Gully National Park are classified in two types: height from 90 to 300 metres and altitude above 300 metres. The former is defined as ‘Hill ‘ and the latter ‘Mountain ‘ . Dirt Soil PH is an of import portion of the life environmental conditions for workss and dirt microorganisms. The ideal dirt PH ( H2O ) trial consequence is PH 6-7.5 for most sorts of workss, although many will digest PH 5.5-8.5. Different species may hold different preferred PH scopes, therefore considerations should be taken to take an appropriate life circumstance. From Figure 3, the dirt PH is likely to be 5.5-6.0, looking to be influenced by the vent magma, and shows decrepit acidic. For the bulk workss here ( ferns ) , the most approximative dirt PH is merely 5.5-6.0. Therefore, the local workss species have already been in ideal life conditions in this reasonably acidic circumstance, although the dirt PH is non in the perfect impersonal scope. Climate Rain may impact the local workss and microorganisms. Moderate rainfall may contribute to the exuberant flora and comfortable bugs. The mean rainfall of this site holds steady throughout the twelvemonth harmonizing to Figure 4. Of the rainfall studied by now, the sum of rainfall in February 2011 is about ternary of the average rainfall during the last 17years. This inordinate rainfall may increase the hazards of deluging in the country. As can be seen in Figure 5, topography of the zone does hold influence on the rainfall in this country. The above figure shows a wetting agent western confronting incline and a drier eastern confronting incline. The ground seems to be that the predominating air current from the ocean blows from the West and weakens before making the E. Another of import factor to explicate the local clime must be temperature. Figure 6 shows the maximal temperatures at this site and Figure 7 shows the minimal temperatures. Both figures show that the temperatures of November to March are higher than the other months, which matches with the features of summer seasons of the southern hemisphere. Hydrology Water is the beginning of the life. Water keeps the organisms operation and the land green. From Figure 8, two little brooks can be seen: Ferntree Gully Creek to the south/east and the feeders of Blind Creek to the West, which finally lead to the Dandenong Creek and flows into Port Phillip Bay ( Victorian Water Resources Interactive Map ) . It is a job that no major H2O organic structure is within this site. Ecology Vegetation The coverage of land flora has certain effects on the ambiance and clime in this country. Plant photosynthesis can devour C dioxide and supply O therefore purifies air and weakens the nursery consequence. Harmonizing to the old group work, the species of flora within this site portion a broad scope. In Figure 9, flora of this site can be divided into their native flora group. In Figure 10, it is specified harmonizing to the categorization made by the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The similarity of both figures shows that the flora within this site is separated into many communities and owes a broad scope. Faunas Another biological feature of an eco-system is fauna which forms the cardinal portion of the nutrient concatenation. The superior flora conditions help to back up a assortment of mammals and supply shelters for them.Effectss of constructing a Tree-Top Walk in this siteHarmonizing to the probe and analysis of this site, the park is an ideal topographic point for sightseeing and touristry. With the rapid development of Australian touristry, it is necessary to keep the ecological and commercial values of this park in the long term.fifty Tree-Top WalkThe Tree-Top Walk was the lone Australian attractive force to win an award and was chosen from more than 75 entries from 38 states ( TOURISM WESTERN AUSTRALIA ) . Since it foremost put into usage, it attracts 1000s of repetition clients. Harmonizing to a sample study of 385 on Tree-Top Walk in the south West of Western Australia ( Hughes, M. & A ; Morrison-Saunders, A. , 2002 ) , consequences showed that ‘the bulk of repetition visitan ts to the Tree-Top Walk were female and had returned to demo the site to friends and/or relations who were first clip visitants. First clip visitants were impressed by both the Tree-Top Walk construction itself and the natural forest milieus ‘ . Figure 12 shows a exposure of the Tree-Top Walk.cubic decimeter EffectssAdvantagesTree-Top Walk helps to keep the ecological and commercial values of Ferntree Gully National Park. Tree-Top Walk itself non merely provides a convenient and perfect position of the eco-beauty, but besides it is a giant of modern architecture. Looking down from the high paseo, tourers can good bask the rain forest below and take a breath fresh air at the same clip without destructing the ecosystem. Repeated clients besides bring high benefits for the park. Given below are illustrations of Tree-Top Walk in different attractive forces. ‘The HSBC Tree-Top Walk,a freestanding suspension span, connects the two highest points of MacRitchie and offers an first-class vantage point for the diverse community of workss and animate beings that live in the forest canopy. ‘ ( TA_Singapore_Guide,2010 ) ‘The walk commences at the visitant Centre, which subtly introduces you to the rain forest, falling gently to the entry construction and onto the steel trussed tree walk. ‘ ( Otway Fly Tree-Top Walk )DisadvantagesThingss ever have two sides, no exclusion for Tree-Top Walk. This immense building giant is time-consuming and money-consuming. The park will likely be closed during the building for a long clip and the immense sum of money will be another job. Besides, security steps for possible dangers are to be considered. A survey concentrating on whether the Tree-Top Walk delivered benefits associated with traditional ecotourism shows no optimistic ( HUGHES M. , MORRISON-SAUNDERS A. , 2003 ) .DecisionConstructing a Tree-Top Walk is likely to be an anticipating land usage alteration for Ferntree Gully National Park. Harmonizing to researches and surveies above, it does supply a manner to keep the ecological and commercial values of this site. Although it may confront certain hazards, the possible net incomes accompanied may be immense. Detailed programs and plans should be developed if this undertaking is to be carried out.

Birthright Citizenship in the United States

Birthright citizenship in the United States is the legal principle that any person born on U.S. soil automatically and immediately becomes a U.S. citizen. It contrasts with U.S. citizenship obtained through naturalization or acquisition—citizenship granted by virtue of being born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent. A â€Å"birthright† is defined as any right or privilege to which a person is entitled by virtue of birth. Long challenged in both the courts of law and public opinion, the policy of birthright citizenship remains highly controversial today, particularly when applied to children born to undocumented immigrant parents. Key Takeaways: Birthright Citizenship Birthright citizenship is the legal principle that any person born on U.S. soil automatically becomes a citizen of the United States.Birthright citizenship was established in1868 by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and confirmed by the US Supreme Court in the 1898 case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark.Birthright citizenship is granted to persons born in the 50 U.S. states and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Today, birthright citizenship is a highly controversial issue as it applies to children born to parents who have entered the United States illegally. Jus Soli and Jus Sanguinis Citizenship Birthright citizenship is based on the principle of â€Å"jus soli,† a Latin term meaning â€Å"right of the soil.† According to jus soli, a person’s citizenship is determined by their place of birth. As in the United States, jus soli is the most common means by which citizenship is acquired. Jus Soli is in contrast to â€Å"jus sanguinis,† meaning â€Å"right of the blood,† the principle that a person’s citizenship is determined or acquired by the nationality of one or both parents. In the United States, citizenship can be acquired by either jus soli, or less commonly, by jus sanguinis.   Legal Basis of US Birthright Citizenship In the United States, the policy of birthright citizenship is based in the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, stating â€Å"[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.† Ratified in 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment was enacted to override the 1857 U.S. Supreme Court’s Dred Scott v. Sandford decision which had denied citizenship to former African American slaves. In the 1898 case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that under the Fourteenth Amendment, full U.S. citizenship cannot be denied to any person born within the United States, regardless of the citizenship status of the parents at the time. Under the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, birthright citizenship is similarly granted to any person born in the United States to a member of an Indian, Eskimo, Aleutian, or other aboriginal tribe. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, U.S. jus soli birthright citizenship, as established by the Fourteenth Amendment, is automatically granted to any person born within any of the 50 states and the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition, jus sanguinis birthright citizenship is granted (with some exceptions) to persons born to U.S. citizens while in other countries.   The above statutes and subsequent legislative amendments are compiled and codified into the United States Code of Federal Laws at 8 U.S.C.  § 1401 to define who becomes a United States citizen at birth. According to federal law, the following persons shall be deemed U.S. citizens at birth: A person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.A person born in the United States to a member of an Indian, Eskimo, Aleutian, or other aboriginal tribe.A person born in an outlying possession of the United States of parents one of whom is a citizen of the United States who has been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for a continuous period of one year at any time prior to the birth of such person.A person of unknown parentage found in the United States while under the age of five years, until shown, prior to his attaining the age of twenty-one years, not to have been born in the United States. The Birthright Citizenship Debate While the legal concept of birthright citizenship has withstood years of challenges in the courts of law, its policy of automatically granting U.S. citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants has not fared as well in the court of public opinion. For example, a 2015 Pew Research Center survey found that 53% of Republicans, 23% of Democrats, and 42% of Americans overall favor changing the Constitution to bar citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrant parents. Many opponents of birthright citizenship argue that it encourages expectant parents to come to the U.S. simply to give birth in order to improve their own chances of attaining legal resident (green card) status—a practice often called â€Å"birth tourism.† According to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of Census Bureau data, an estimated 340,000 of the 4.3 million babies born in the United States in 2008 were born to â€Å"unauthorized immigrants.† The Pew study further estimates that a total of about four million American-born children of unauthorized immigrant parents lived in the U.S. in 2009, along with about 1.1 million foreign-born children of unauthorized immigrant parents. Controversially calling it the â€Å"anchor baby† situation, some lawmakers have suggested legislation to change how and when birthright citizenship is granted. The 2015 Pew analysis found that birthright citizenship was granted to about 275,000 babies born to undocumented immigrant parents in 2014, or about 7% of all births in the U.S. that year. That number represents a drop from the peak year of illegal immigration in 2006 when about 370,000 children—about 9% of all births—were born to undocumented immigrants. In addition, about 90% of undocumented immigrants who give birth in the U.S. have resided in the country for more than two years before giving birth. On October 30, 2018, President Donald Trump escalated the debate by stating that he intended to issue an executive order completely removing the right of citizenship to people born in the U.S. to foreign nationals under any circumstances—an act some argue would essentially repeal the Fourteenth Amendment. The president set no timeline for his proposed order, so birthright citizenship—as established by the Fourteenth Amendment and United States v. Wong Kim Ark—remains the law of the land. Other Countries With Birthright Citizenship According to the independent, non-partisan Center for Immigration Studies, the United States along with Canada and 37 other countries, most of which are in the Western Hemisphere, offer largely unrestricted jus soli birthright citizenship. No Western Europe countries offer unrestricted birthright citizenship to all children born within their borders. Over the last decade, many countries, including France, New Zealand, and Australia, have abandoned birthright citizenship. In 2005, Ireland became the last country in the European Union to abolish birthright citizenship. Sources and Further Reference Arthur, Andrew R. (November 5, 2018). Birthright Citizenship: An Overview. Center for Immigration Studies.Smith, Rogers M. (2009). Birthright Citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 and 2008. University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law.Lee, Margaret (May 12, 2006). U.S. Citizenship of Persons Born in the United States to Alien Parents. Congressional Research Service.Da Silva, Chantal. (October 30, 2018). Trump Says He Plans to Sign Executive Order to Terminate Birthright Citizenship. CNN.