Abortion Essays (2824 words) - Sexual Revolution, United States Law

Abortion Abortion In Roe et al. v. Wade District Attorney of Dallas County (1973), one of the most controversial cases in recent history, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state laws that limit a woman's right to an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy. Justices Rehnquist and White dissented. Mr. Justice Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court.... This Texas federal appeal and its Georgia companion, Doe v. Bolton, post, p. 179, present constitutional challenges to state criminal abortion legislation. The Texas statutes under attack here are typical of those that have been in effect in many States for approximately a century. The Georgia statutes, in contrast, have a modern cast and are a legislative product that, to an extent at least, obviously reflects the influences of recent attitudinal change, of advancing medical knowledge and techniques, and of new thinking about an old issue. We forthwith acknowledge our awareness of the sensitive and emotional nature of the abortion controversy, of the vigourous opposing views, even among physicians, and of the deep and seemingly absolute convictions that the subject inspires. One's philosophy, one's experiences, one's exposure to the raw edges of human existence, one's religious training, one's attitudes toward life and family and their values, and the moral standards one establishes and seeks to observe, are all likely to influence and to color one's thinking and conclusions about abortion.... The Texas statutes that concern us here are Arts. 1191-1194 and 1196 of the State's Penal Code. These make it a crime to "procure an abortion," as therein defined, or to attempt one, except with respect to "an abortion procured or attempted by medical advice for the purpose of saving the life of the mother." Similar statutes are in existence in a majority of the States. Texas first enacted a criminal abortion statute in 1854. Texas Laws 1854, c. 49, Sec. 1, set forth in 3 H. Gammel, Laws of Texas 1502 (1898). This was soon modified into language that has remained substantially unchanged to the present time.... Jane Roe, a single woman who was residing in Dallas County, Texas, instituted this federal action in March 1970 against the District Attorney of the county. She sought a declaratory judgment that the Texas criminal abortion statutes were unconstitutional on their face, and an injunction restraining the defendant from enforcing the statutes. Roe alleged that she was unmarried and pregnant; that she wished to terminate her pregnancy by an abortion "performed by a competent, licensed physician, under safe, clinical conditions"; that she was unable to get a "legal" abortion in Texas because her life did not appear to be threatened by the continuation of her pregnancy; and that she could not afford to travel to another jurisdiction in order to secure a legal abortion under safe conditions. She claimed that the Texas statutes were unconstitutionally vague and that they abridged her right of personal privacy, protected by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments. By an amendment to her complaint Roe purported to sue "on behalf of herself and all other women" similarly situated.... We are next confronted with issues of justiciability, standing, and abstention. Have Roe and the Does established that "personal stake in the outcome of the controversy," Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186, 204 (1962), that insures that "the dispute sought to be adjudicated will be presented in an adversary context and in a form historically viewed as capable of judicial resolution,"... The usual rule in federal cases is that an actual controversy must exist at stages of appellate or certiorari review, and not simply at the date the action is initiated... But when, as here, pregnancy is a significant fact in the litigation, the normal 266-day human gestation period is so short that the pregnancy will come to term before the usual appellate process is complete. If that termination makes a case moot, pregnancy litigation seldom will survive much beyond the trial stage, and appellate review will be effectively denied. Our law should not be that rigid.... We, therefore, agree with the District Court that Jane Roe had standing to undertake this litigation, that she presented a justiciable controversy, and that the termination of her 1970 pregnancy has not rendered her case moot.... The principal thrust of appellant's attack on the Texas statutes is that they improperly invade a right, said to be possessed by the pregnant woman, to choose to terminate her pregnancy. Appellant would discover this right in the concept of personal "liberty" embodied in the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause; or in personal, marital, familial, and sexual privacy said to be protected by the Bill of Rights or its penumbras,

Propoganda in Animal Farm essays

Propoganda in Animal Farm essays Propaganda is the use of language for the spreading of ideas or information for the amelioration of a cause. It is used as a manipulative tool that transfigures ones thoughts into those planted by another, ultimately corrupting ones ability to conceive thoughts and reason properly. Throughout George Orwells novella Animal Farm, substantial evidence is given of the types of propaganda used by the pigs, the governing body of the farm. The primary propagandist is Squealer. He is Napoleons spoke person or press agent, because he has a soft, persuasive voice and large happy-looking eyes. Because of his physical attributes, he is believable and the animals invest their trust in him for answers and explanations on the status of the farm. Squealer uses his oratory skills to make the pigs appear as hard-working, Im-on-your-side individuals by the use of slogans, lying, changing history, imparting fear, and other propaganda techniques. Squealer instills fear into the animals by threatening Jones return. This is the most used type of propaganda in the story. The Seven Commandments ban animals from sleeping in beds. Later in the story, the pigs move into the farmhouse and begin sleep in the beds. The animals confront Squealer and express their concern on this matter. Squealer replies, . . . I can tell you, comrades with all the brainwork we do nowadays. You would not rob us of our repose, would you comrades? You would not have us too tired to carry out our duties? Surely none of you wishes to see Jones come back? (Page 80). This causes so much fear in the animals that they disregard their own accounts of the ratification of the Seven Commandments, which they all witness months earlier. They figure that they would rather have the pigs sleeping in beds than have Jones come back, so they reassure Squealer on the point. Nothing is ever mentioned again about the pigs s...

Macro-Economic Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Macro-Economic Issues - Essay Example The impact would stem around profitability, efficiency, risks and leverage. At first a brief overview of the UK economy for FY 10, 11, 12 would be given and would then be followed by the effects on Imperial tobacco. Then a speculation would be made as to how Imperial tobacco would respond to these macroeconomic changes based on strategy and corporate objectives of Imperial tobacco. The growth of the UK economy seems sluggish in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The crisis had hit the UK from both eastern and western borders. This includes the housing market crash of US and the Euro Zone Debt crisis. Between 2008 and 2010, the GDP growth rate has been negative (Trading Economics, 2012) and the rate after 2010, although positive, has not been satisfactory. There is also a fear of double dip recession since the second quarter of FY 12 has experienced a GDP growth rate of -0.2 % (BBC News, 2012), the production sector has also experienced a decline of 1.4% , followed by a fall in co nstruction output of 0.5 % and compensation of employees by 0.3%. Now coming to the fiscal statistics, the National debt to GDP ratio stands at 80 %, the budget deficit has been reduced and increased VAT yield show signs of fiscal tightening. Interest rates are an all time low and despite of this bank lending to small businesses is falling. Low interest rates and increasing current account deficits are also putting pressure on the British Pound. A falling pound would hurt distributors country wide since import costs would rise as they would have to pay more in terms of the domestic currency. Unemployment hovers around 8.4 % and no signs of improvement are expected. Consumer confidence shows no signs of improvement despite yearly increases in current expenditure (The Economist, 2012). In addition to, UK has seen some major structural changes over the years, of which the most notable is the ageing population. Ageing population refers to a rise in the average age of the population of a country over time. So it is unlikely that the market for UK would continue to grow. In addition to, this has the impact of increasing wage levels across the economy as Labor supply reduces in the long run. Apart from these macroeconomic issues, the tobacco industry has been subjected to severe regulatory policies around the world which include: Increased duties year on year Ban on cigarette advertising Ban on smoking in public places Allegations of illicit trade Plans to introduce plain packaging All these regulations tend to have a negative impact on tobacco industry, with the exception of the levying of excise duties which would be discussed later on. Imperial tobacco seems to be quite resistant to macroeconomic changes. The risks that currently pose threat to Imperial tobacco plc are interest rate risks and exchange rate risks. Interest rate risks accommodate the financing and profitability of the company since Imperial Group plc has a high Debt to Equity ratio and raises a larg e amount of capital from debt capital and Bank loan markets. Now if the bank fail to meet their obligations of refinancing the debt then it would definitely limit the ability to capitalize on global opportunities and mitigate threats. Movement in interest rates can also affect the credit rating of Imperial tobacco and reduce its profitability because of increased finance costs.To reduce these risks Imperial employs various hedging strategies and has invested some of

Managing Cultural Diversity in the Workplace Environment Essay

Managing Cultural Diversity in the Workplace Environment - Essay Example Cultural diversity refers to people belonging to diverse cultures working in one organisation, which is rampant in Singapore because of its history of immigrants and also due to its growing economic prospects. The present discourse focuses on the way Singapore manages its cultural diversity. The topic explores various governmental initiatives as well as organisational policies towards diversity management in this region. During the process, a critical view of the policies and practices and their impact on other aspects of organisational performance would be placed to assess the effectiveness of the policies and practices. Moreover, possible recommendations to tackle these challenges would be suggested based on organisational practices. 2. Background: While the effects of globalization have been so profound that all organisations have to adapt to the changes, diversity is one of the strategies adopted for sustainability and performance. This reflects in their policies and practices wi th respect to human resources management. Though the western countries adopted this route much earlier, it is relatively newer concept in most of the Eastern nations (Mor-Barack, 2005). This does not mean that the Eastern nations did not employ people from different cultures and ethnic groups; but just that the organisations have started adopting policies and practices to encourage and, to an extent, suit multicultural and diverse populations during last few decades. The most important requirement for managing diversity comes from equal rights act and policies congruent with this act, which create favourable social, legal and organisational environment to all groups of people. Secondly, organisational policies and practices that encourage and support diversified workforce. 3. Rationale: Globalization has provided extraordinary benefits to organisations, which has enticed many organisations to enter the global market. This has further increased the numbers of people from different ba ckgrounds, cultures, races and ethnic groups to work together at different locations. On the other hand, organisations in some sectors are known to have moved to other places in order to flourish because the legislation there was more conducive to their strategies; for example, Singapore has relaxed legislation related to bioresearch, unlike in the Western countries. Many Western bioresearch organisations shifted their base to Singapore (Huat, 2011). Much before such movements, Singapore is known for cultural diversity because it was established because of immigrants from different parts of the world, which created a plural and highly diverse and ethnic society (Chen-Tung, Ong & Chen, 1980). With such high cultural diversity, Singapore is one of the most advanced and flourished nations in the Asia-Pacific region. Many reasons make Singapore as the focus of discussion related to management of cultural diversity in organisations. The immense industrial growth in Singapore suggests tha t workplace diversity, specifically cultural diversity, is being managed effectively; this fact is further reinforced by the immense movement that is continuing, and potential that still exists in this part of the world. Secondly, Singapore hosts a variety of cultural mix, which makes it even more difficult for diversity management for organisations if they have to cater to the cultural differences of all groups that are a part of them. At least these two critical reasons are enough to explore

Critically explore the claim of an increasingly individualized Essay

Critically explore the claim of an increasingly individualized employment relationship - Essay Example 91). Generally, psychological contract is presumed to be an implicit understanding of mutual obligations which is owned by employees, employer, and employing organisation. Psychological contract is also associated with legal and formal employment contract that define the formal responsibilities, duties, and obligation of the employee and the employer in the employment relationship. As elucidated in the psychological contract concept in an organisation, employer-employee relationship ought to have a mutual reciprocal exchange which strengthens the relationship. In most cases, employees are satisfied when there are greater differences between their contribution in the organisation and the inducement offered by the organisation. From the organisation perspective, employees’ contribution ought to be sufficient to attract more inducement from the organisation. Employees’ commitments should also be adequate to elicit employees’ contribution. Some scholars emphasise tha t employees could advance their performance if the organisation does not interfere too much with the employees’ norms. However, to facilitate mutual interaction in the work environment, employees should respect the rights of the organisation as well as the set ethical conducts. Individualised employment has in the recent past turned out to be a universal state of affair in a large number of local and multinational organisations. This ever-increasing occurrence can be attributed to several internal and external factors. To some extent, scholars and researchers have concurred with the notion that the concept of psychological contract has a significant role in the contemporary individualised employment relationship. However, there are some scholars who are passionately against the idea. To understand how employment relationship is individualised by psychological contract, the essay below will critically explore the claim that the concept of psychological contract is the manifest ation of increasingly individualised employment relationship. In the contemporary economy, psychological contract can be presumed to be an individual belief on the existence of a mutual obligation between the employee and the employer. The mutual obligations which exist between the employee and the employer are brought about by the perception that, any promise that has been made either implicitly or explicitly should be respected. As a result, the fulfilment of promissory obligation by one side is contingent which helps to define the fulfilment of the other party’s obligation. Psychological contract is assumed to comprise employees’ perceptions on the mutual obligation present in the agreement between the employer and the employee. Moreover, mutual obligations that prevail between contemporary employees and employers are to a great extent sustained through the reciprocity norm. The reciprocity norm that exist between the employer and employees therefore results into in dividualised employment relationship Psychological contract is presumed to be shaped by the implications of promise verse needs. Based on the fact that expectation is as a result of needs, the level in which each part can influence these needs is constrained. As a result, the critical element in modern development is the extent in which each part

Impact of Human Resources Management

Impact of Human Resources Management Robert Proctor Introduction The purpose of this paper is to answer questions about the Human Resource Managers impact during organizational changes or challenges and two questions about my experience with change and challenge with the support of the Human Resource Management of my organization the Navy Personnel Support Detachment (PSD). What are the competencies of a Human Resource Manager? One writer defines Human Resources competencies skills sets as intrinsic characteristics which exhibit themselves through ones personal traits, habits, motives, social roles, and self-image. All these attributes enable a person to deliver excellence in performance in any given job, role, or situation (Darvish, Moogali, Moosavi, Panahi, 2012). Snell and Bohlander categorizes these competencies into mastery sets called: business mastery, human mastery and personal credibility (Snell Bohlander, 2012). In my opinion, I see the position of the Human Resources Manager as being that of a middleman in any organization who is tasked with providing the human touch within the organization. As the writer states above, they are the branch of any organization that must operate at the highest level of proficiency in all areas. The Human Resources Management department of my organization (Department of the Air Force) in my experience is a group of people who one can rely on to have answers to a sundry array of issues personally and professionally. I have heard from others of their experiences with HR departments, in their organization, which resulted in less than the standard manner of excellence that one would expect. How a change/challenged was introduced in my organization? The scope of operations for the unit I am assigned to which is the San Antonio Navy Personnel Detachment is to provide administrative and financial services for staff and student military personnel stationed at Joint-Base San Antonio (Fort Sam, Lackland AFB, and Randolph AFB) and the surrounding reserve unit and recruiting commands that are in and around San Antonio and as far north as Austin, Texas. The Department of the Navy Human Resources branch recently conducted a work survey of various personnel support detachment. My unit was involved in that survey. Because of that survey, there was a worldwide operational reconfiguration plan implemented for the realignment of all Navy Personnel Support Detachments. The purpose of this reconfiguration was to consolidate the detachments due to an implementation of an e-resource which took away many of their tasks when it allowed sailor level self-service for many of their administrative and personnel services. This resulted in a need for reduction and an overhaul the current support detachments configuration. This reduction in support detachments was accomplished through consolidation by realignment of support detachments. Because of that change, our unit became the command center for two outlining units (Houston and Corpus Christi). What this meant to us is the demographics of our customer base not only increased in sizes but the complexities of administrative action we would conduct changed as well. Typically, our standard client is enlisted initial entry and retiring Navy personnel. What is the appropriate HR Manager response to for this change/challenge? The HR Department has approached this change from a proactive perspective. We were provided numerous briefings at least 12 months prior to the changed in the configuration that kept everyone informed of the event and provided enough space to answer any concerns as the project moved forward. Once the change began and during the hand-off phase, we were kept in the loop at the leave where the change would affect us the most. Due to the proximity of the units, we inherited the leadership team at the local level began to operate in a flexible fashion that is partly reactive and partly proactive. This flexibility allows the leadership team the opportunity to identify any faults in their operating process to help them better integrate with the command. If they have not accomplished this step yet, I believe Navy HR Department and the local Leadership staff should have an action plan in place that outlines appropriate training requirements that ensure everyone is operating from the same stand ards. Was the involvement of the Human Resources Management beneficial with this change? Overall, the change has progressed fairly smoothly. Though there have been a few miscues along the way, I see the process going forth as efficiently and professionally as it can be done. The leadership has visited the outlining units frequently. And as we receive work from these units, many of the clerks at the command level are noticing a decrease in errors and issues. I believe much of the success in this transition is due in part to the oversight of the Department of the Navy HR department who continue to facilitate the change to ensure the changeover results in a seamless and disruption-free transition. Conclusion The purpose of this paper was to answer questions about the Human Resource Managers impact during organizational changes or challenges and two questions about my experience with change and challenge with the support of the Human Resource Management of my organization the Navy Personnel Support Detachment (PSD). References Darvish, H., Moogali, A., Moosavi , M., Panahi, B. (2012, September 30). Survey relationship between human resources roles and human resources competencies. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2(9), 8. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com.uiwtx.idm.oclc.org/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=srcsi=400870sr=HEADLINE(Survey+Relationship+between+Human+Resources+Roles+and+Human+Resources+Competencies)%2BAND%2BDATE%2BIS%2B2012 Snell, S. A., Bohlander, G. W. (2012). Managing human resources (29th ed.). [VitalSource Books]. Retrieved from https://www.vitalsource.com/

Hamlet †its Universality :: The Tragedy of Hamlet Essays

Hamlet – its Universality  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   What secrets of dramatic genius underpin the universal acceptance of Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet so long after its composition?    Harold Bloom in the Introduction to Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet explains one very solid basis for the universal appeal of this drama -- the popular innovation in characterization made by the Bard:    Before Shakespeare, representations in literature may change as they speak, but they do not change because of what they say. Shakespearean representation turns upon his persons listening to themselves simultaneously with our listening, and learning and changing even as we learn and change. Falstaff delights himself as much as he delights us, and Hamlet modifies himself by studying his own modifications. Ever since, Falstaff has been the inescapable model for nearly all wit, and Hamlet the paradigm for all introspection. (3)    Another feature of the play is that the Bard presents characters which are lifelike and with whom the audience can identify. William Hazlitt comments in â€Å"Characters of Shakespear's Plays† on Prince Hamlet: It is we who are Hamlet.[. . .] he who has felt his mind sink within him, and sadness cling to his heart like a malady, who has had his hopes blighted and his youth staggered by the apparitions of strange things; who cannot well be at ease, while he sees evil hovering near him like a spectre; whose powers of action have been eaten up by thought, he to whom the universe seems infinite, and himself nothing; whose bitterness of soul makes him careless of consequences [. . .] -- this is the true Hamlet. (74-75)    Brian Wilkie and James Hurt in Literature of the Western World conclude that the Bard’s â€Å"sharply etched characters,† representing universal types, are the secret of his amazingly broad appeal (2155-56). The â€Å"sharply etched characters† involve a heterogeneity. Harry Levin in the General Introduction to The Riverside Shakespeare explains:      Universal as his attraction has been, it is best understood through particulars.[. . .] The book-learning that Shakespeare displays here and there is far less impressive, in the long run, than his fund of general information. His frame of reference is so far-ranging, and he is so concretely versed in the tricks of so many trades, that lawyers have written to prove he was trained in the law, sailors about his expert seamanship, naturalists upon his botanizing, and so on throughout the professions.