In Support of Designer Babies in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

In Support of Designer Babies in China - Essay Example This instance involved a shift in population policy away from Leninist family planning policy to softer neo-liberal methods, which involved indirect regulation by the state and self-regulation by citizens. Starting in 1956, the Ministry of Public Health oversaw a yearlong campaign for the use of birth control. However, these efforts portended minimal effects on fertility rates and the period following Great Leap Years saw a rapid population increase (Hesketh 12), which eventually necessitated the One Child Policy as a way to counter population growth. However, this policy has led ethical and moral dilemmas concerning gender and physical selection by parents who only have one try at parenthood. Out of the remaining alternatives for the Chinese government, genetic selection is the best choice to reduce control population, while solving the problem of sex-selection abortion and inherited diseases.One of the most visible effects of China’s One Child Policy is that parents have tur ned to sex-selected abortions in their search for boys, rather than girls. Various surveys carried out within China paint a grim situation with 117 boys born to every 100 girls because of sex selection abortions (Hesketh 62), while normal births resulted in a ratio of 105:100. Other surveys have found that Chinese women who migrated to Beijing in the last two decades arrived with only one hundred girls compared to one hundred and fifty nine boys. This shows that males are favored to girls in China, which has resulted in an increase of sex-selected abortions. However, by using genetic selection, parents would have the ability to choose the sex of their children prior to conception. This would result in a decrease of women influenced by the One Child policy to seek abortions and try again for a boy (Hesketh 63). Although this would not address the looming gender-imbalance in China, it will present women with a more harmless tool in determining the sex of their child. Genetic selection can also allow Chinese parents to have their only child with the characteristics they desire, which would reduce China’s growing population. With the largest growing population in the world, the government of China tried to institute regulations that sought to prevent further growth, causing controversy and general discontent about the laws (Orleans 44). The government and population would benefit from genetic selection in various ways with the government reducing population growth and the parents having their characteristic children. Parents who wish for children with specific heights, skill sets, athletic ability, and personal tendencies would be free to use genetic selection, rather than aborting their infants. Projection of the human genome could provide China and its people the ability to predict their future in terms of population growth and make-up (Orleans 45). Genetic selection will allow for screening out and in specific genes within the mother’s embryo, mak ing it possible to influence the natural characteristics of a child. Finally, gene selection could help China in reducing the number of unhealthy or disabled children. A recent study showed that there was minimal protest at the decision made, in the mid-2000s, to allow couples to test embryos for breast cancer genes and inherited bowel disease, which pushed humanity towards the creation of designer babies with healthy genes (Savulescu 39). Genetic selection will prevent the only child a family in China is allowed to have from having inherited disease. Some of the most common diseases among Chinese children are Down’s syndrome and cystic fibrosis and with genetic selection,

Is the desire to obtain a degree simply another example of objet petit Outline

Is the desire to obtain a degree simply another example of objet petit a - Outline Example This paper seeks to explore whether the desire to obtain a degree is simply another example of objet petit a or not and in doing so the theoretical perspectives of Lacan on desire and fantasy are also analysed. The objet petit a, in fact, operates due to the fascination of the subject towards the object and the internal and external perspectives of the subject also are significant. It is therefore imperative to analyse the fascination of the subject towards attaining a degree in the case of a person who wishes ardently for this object. The effects of objet petit a intensify as this fascination grows. However, one should bear in mind that â€Å"the object petit a, or at least the fascinating effect the object which bears it has upon the subject who is under its thrall, has no â€Å"objective† reality independently of this subject† (Sharpe 2005). Thus, Lacan purports that the subject never losses the object as he/she has never possessed it in reality. On the other hand the objet petit a is the desire for a fundamentally lost object. An individual who fails to accomplish his long cherished dream of obtaining a degree is subject to the fascinating effect of the object. On the oth er hand, it is quite evident that the subject cherishes a very strong desire for this fundamentally lost object (objet petit a) towards attaining the degree. One needs to distinguish between Lacan’s conception of fantasy and objet petit a. The fundamental fantasy of an individual stems from â€Å"small unconscious rebellions of subjects against the losses that they take themselves to have endured when they acceded to socialization† (Sharpe 2005). Thus, every individual tends to fantasise a lost object and for Lacan this lost object is nothing but the objet petit a-the object cause of desire. Here, the subject too experiences ‘small unconscious rebellions’ against his loss of the

U08d1, u08d2, u08d3 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U08d1, u08d2, u08d3 - Coursework Example The Sun is not  massive  enough to ever evolve into a black hole; it will end its life in about 4.5 billion years as a white dwarf  star. But, in case if the Sun's mass was suddenly collapsed into a black hole then Earth's orbit then if a one  solar mass  black hole were to suddenly replace the Sun at the center of our solar system, the orbits of the planets would not change. This is because the physical laws that determine the orbital motion of the Earth depend only on the actual mass of the Sun, and not on whether it is distributed within a sphere (like the Sun) or at a point (like a black hole). 2. "There are 1011 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers." —Richard Feynman, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate When we think of an astronomical number – we probably think of a sum thatâ€℠¢s almost beyond human comprehension. We probably refer to huge numbers as astronomical because of the vast and seemingly infinite universe. But the universe may not be as big as it seems when compared to something like the national debt. This quote has been said towards the backhanded critique of government. Furthermore,  we can say that there are at least 100 billion galaxies in the universe and each galaxy containing around 1 trillion stars. That’s 1 x 10^23 or 100 sextillion stars in the universe. Hence this comparison is done against the size of the national deficit. It's a good point, and economics can provide some slightly more familiar analogies to people grappling with large numbers than trying to contemplate entire galaxies. The important point here is not that high finance is catching up with the sciences; it’s that the numbers we encounter everywhere in daily life are growing steadily larger. While the consumer was busy saving, the Federal U. S. governmen t was piling on debt at a much greater pace. In fact, during Q2 of 2008 Washington accumulated debt at a 24.4% annual rate! Therefore, even though households and state and local governments have hopefully begun to learn their lessons; D.C. still managed to increase the overall level of non-financial debt in the U.S. to a record $35.45 trillion.† 3. Picture of the week How are the stars formed within the nebula? What is causing these dramatic pillars? What thoughts and reactions do you have to the pictures and their descriptions? All stars are formed from nebulae (the plural of nebula). Nebula is a term for a cloud of gas, and stars form from gas. Many nebulae or stars form from the  gravitational collapse  of gas in the  interstellar medium. As the material collapses under its own weight, massive stars may form in the center, and their  ultra violet radiation ionizes  the surrounding gas, making it visible at optical  wavelengths. Star formation  is the process b y which dense parts of  molecular clouds  collapse into a ball of  plasma  to form a  star. These eerie, dark pillar-like structures are actually columns of cool interstellar hydrogen gas and dust that are also incubators for new stars. The pillars protrude from the interior wall of a dark molecular cloud like stalagmites from the floor of a cavern. They are part of the "Eagle Nebula" M16, a nearby star-forming region 7,000 light-years away in the

Data Collection Procedures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Data Collection Procedures - Essay Example My research will however apply face-to-face interview with telephone interviews as an alternative, in cases of geographical barriers. The instrument is suitable for the research because of its success in similar scopes such as is application by Mignone, Klostermann and Chen (2009). The data collection technique defines an interviewer, and an interviewee who may be the direct source of required data or may have acquired the information from other sources. I particularly intend to implement a semi-structured interview that will have predetermined questions but will be flexible enough to facilitate in depth exploration of involved subjects (Kothari, 2009; Gill, Stewart, Treasure and Chadwick, 2008). Application of the technique also identifies a number of advantages that has influenced its choice. It allows for generation of extensive data that are further in depth and therefore facilitates adequate exploration of a topic. The technique also allows the interviewer to overcome the challenge of a respondent’s negative attitude towards the research or a question. Consequently, it enhances response rate and promotes clarity because the interviewer has the opportunity to explain uncertain concepts and terms. The technique also integrates easily with other approaches such as observation and therefore facilitates data collection. It can however be expensive, especially if respondents are sparsely distributed over a wide geographical region, and it is susceptible to researcher’s bias. It is also time consuming and requires interpersonal communication skills for developing rapport with respondents and lack of such skills may render it ineffective (Kothari, 2009). The research will also implement questionnaires. The technique is similarly suitable for the research, having been applied by Mignone, Klostermann and Chen (2009) in a research with similar scope of data. Like the interviews, questionnaires consist of predetermined, though

POLITICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

POLITICS - Essay Example (2003) political ideas and ideologies can act as a kind of social cement, which in turn could provide social groups with a set of unifying beliefs and values. In this regard one could consider that governments are set up to help provide a relatively unified set of codes by witch to govern a society. In the American context one could present the argument that the ‘First Continental Congress’ which was a meeting of twelve of the thirteen original colonies which banded together to present grievances to the British Monarchy was the original congress. However it was the second continental congress which met again in 1776 which declared the colonies free, effectively beginning the American Revolution and in turn was the entirety of the United States government. According to English (2003) it is the case that the original congress held such responsibilities as directing the war, commerce, the enforcement of laws, however they were not free to collect taxes and held the key distinction of allowing the independent colonies (States) the ability to remain sovereign and as such they would effectively be free to ignore any legislation passed by congress. As one would naturally assume, this system was rife with flaws. In this regard a kind of compromise was made in which a house of representatives was established in which officials would be elected directly by the people based on the population of the states and the senate would provide a type of equal representation by the state regardless of population. Now it is the case according to Davidson et al. (2006) that the United States congress has a number of direct powers identified in the United States Constitution however there are a number of implied powers which owe their nature to the Necessary and Proper clause. In general the congress handles affairs pertaining to the setting and collection of taxes, defense, the paying of debts, regulation of commerce, the establishment of courts (lower than the Supreme Court). It

Alterations of Hematology and Cardiovascular Systems Case Study - 1

Alterations of Hematology and Cardiovascular Systems - Case Study Example For me transplantation is the last option and I will do everything possible to avoid it. In order to fully examine the extend of Mr. P’s heart condition, I will take him through the following medical tests namely; cardiac catheterization, pressure-volume loop analysis, X-ray and biopsy (Tung & Chang, 2009). I will use electrocardiogram to examine Mr. P heart rhythms at while he is at rest in order to understand how irregular they are. I will utilize a cardiac catheterization to measure pressure in Mr. P heart. Cardiac catheterization involves inserting a thin plastic tube via a blood vessel until it reaches the heart whereby a dye is introduced into the blood vessels and then conducting X-rays so as to evaluate the heart’s structure and function. At the same time, I may perform a pressure-volume loop test. This test evaluates the amount of blood flow put out by the heart during each beat. The results will help me pinpoint what type of cardiomyopathy Mr. P might have. I may also take chest X-rays to see if Mr. P’s heart is enlarged. Further I may take a biopsy of Mr. P’s heart muscle. In this method, I will use anesthesia to insert a small needle into Mr. P’s heart to remove a small bit of tissue for laboratory tests in order know the extent of disease. I will recommend the following treatment for Mr. P heart problem namely: a) ACE inhibitors and vasodilators. The purpose of this treatment is to enlarge blood vessels so that blood flows can smoothly which in essence helps the heart to functions more capably b) Beta blockers-this type of treatment enhances the pumping action of heart’s blood pumping chamber-the left ventricle c) digitalis- this kind of treatment increases the pumping action of the entire heart and d) diuretics – which help the body get rid of excess salt and water. One of the major roles of a nurse is to provide patients and family with relevant information

The Debate Concerning The Age Of Sexual Consent Essay Example for Free

The Debate Concerning The Age Of Sexual Consent Essay This essay will illustrate the current laws regarding the age of sexual consent and will highlight the future plans, which the government are hoping to enforce and argument for and against these suggested laws. The current laws, which are enforced regarding the age of consent, are that boys have no age of consent and can therefore have sex at any age when they feel ready. But only if the girl is over 16 or else they will be breaking the law as girls and gay couples cannot have sex until they are 16 years old. Although many people feel that these laws are fine as they are and there is no need for change, the government believe that there are far to many people breaking these laws and that there is to many men/boys having sex with under 16 girls. The hopes to change this by tightening the current laws and introducing a male sexual age of consent of 16 and to include an extension of the laws to include more sex acts in public which is most likely to include including kissing. If these laws were to be broken the government are planning to put the offender on to the sex offenders list, which include rapists and pedos. The offender could also face which I think is a very harsh five-year prison sentence and all for what could have been an innocent kiss with your partner. A recent national survey Shows the while the current laws arent perfect they arent doing a bad job as it showed us that 33% of boys have had sex under the age of 16 and that only 25% of girl have, and this shows that the current laws are keeping at least two-thirds of boys from having illegal sex and three-quarters of girls and means that a larger percentage of teenagers are obeying the current laws and waiting until they have sex. Another survey was carried out by Bliss Magazine on its readers and showed that 32% of 12 to 17 year olds have had sex and that 83% of those reader were under 16 years old when they had sex, and that a what I though was an astonishing 12% of those readers were under 12 years old when the had sex. This survey completed by Bliss Magazine also tell us that 50% of it readers think that the current sexual consent laws are correct, but this is most properly sex mad teenagers who want the consent aged to be lowered not for the laws to be tightened. Although these figures do shows a slightly worrying percentage of under 16s having sex, and of course we would all like this figure to be lower; this amount of under 16s having sex isnt wholly due to kids and their choice to have sex as it is also undoubtedly fuelled by television and magazines. It has become more and more obvious that teenagers and now even younger kids are becoming sexualised and introduced to sexual idea a lot younger these days. This is best shown when we look in magazines, watch television and new fashions and we see idols such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera half naked or often dressed in way which gives their teenage fans the wrong impression of dress and act. A current argument which is a main point of the governments reasons for wanting to tighten the sexual consent laws is that they believe children need more protect than they are presently getting. This sudden desire to increase the protection of children is partly due to the increasing amount of pedos and rapist around but I think mainly because of the increase in popularity of the Internet and especially due to the increase in the amount of people using chat rooms. These concerns about using chat rooms is because of what some people call grooming often pedos pretend they are kids and gain trust of children and often arrange to meet up with them. Another argument is the amount of people who are having sex before they are 16, and also because a survey reveal that over 50% of girl regret having sex before they were legally allowed. The UKs current laws sit some roughly in the middle compared to other places, such as places like LA where the consent age is higher and places like Spain where the age is lower. At the moment LAs sexual consent age is 18 but people are still having sex a 17, and in Mali the sexual consent age is 16 and as in LA people are having sex when they are 17, Spains laws states that you have to be 13 to have sex and the average age for a person in Spain to have sex is strangely 19 years old for girls and 18 for boys. And finally in Chile the sexual consent age is 12 and the average person is having sex at around 14 or 15years old. The figures show that countries with a lower sexual consent age actually have a higher difference in the age you can have sex legally and the age people actually do. Arguments against the tightening of the sexual consent laws include the argument that the current laws doesnt stop people from having sex under the age of 16 so tightening the laws will most likely force little or no change and people will still break the law. As well as this point there is an argument that the current laws are thought to be fine as they stand, and that current laws offer a suffiencent amount of protection to children. Even now family planning centres, sex education teacher (school nurses) and any other authorities to do with sexual aspects in life tell us that alt of kids already find it hard to speak to parents or anyone about sex, and we are constantly hearing about pregnant teenagers leaving it to late before they told someone and ending up with no choice but to have a baby. This point, which is already at a bad enough state, is thought to become worse if the suggested laws pass and many fear that kids will become more detached and feel even less able to seek help of advise. This final point against the change is that the suggested laws are a muddle and all the law will do is criminalize younger people for doing something as unsubstantial as kissing. My view on this argument is that although teenagers I thin do need more protection from people like rapists and pedos the suggested rules are not the answer and are just punishing kids for what adults do. I believe the current laws provide a good template of which to follow by and the sexual consent age of 16 is accurate, as at this age the decision to have sex or not is up to you and you have reached an age and maturity where you can make the choice. I think that the suggested laws obviously have higher risks is broken and may have a little impact but there will still be teenagers who want to have sex and kiss etc and will, and all introducing these laws will do is criminalize young peoples for something a sinister as kissing. Away in which I think the current situation could be improved with out changing the laws is to improve sex education; by educating children at an earlier age, and making sex education lessons more frequent and more relevant to the students.