5th Period AP Biology - Recently Updated Pages

Moderator

13andresene — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:51:42 CDT

Questions?

Do you believe that surrogacy is ethical?

Would you ever consider using a surrogate?

Should surrogacy be legal?

If the surrogate mother wishes to keep the baby, should she be allowed to?

If the family who requested the surrogate mother dies or is incapacitated while the surrogate is pregnant, what should happen to the fetus?

Should there be restrcitions on the surrogate mother's behavior?

Should same sex couples be able to have a surrogate child?

Should the surragote mother have the right to stay in contact with the child?

Should fertile and healthy women seek surrogates simply for the convenience of having someone else undergo pregnancy and labor for her?

Should a single parent be able to recieve a surrogate child?

Should the federal government become involved in the legality of surrogacy?

How much privacy should the surrogate be allowed to have during the pregnancy?

What should the surrogate’s rights be, in regards seeing the child, or should she not at all?

Why do you think non-sterile women choose surrogacy?

Is it wrong for the surrogate to abort?

Web Evaluations for Surrogacy

13winigrade — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:07:50 CDT

Ben's Web Evaluation

Website URL: http://www.surrogacy.com/medres/article/aspects.html

Name of Reviewer: Ben Gibbons

Date of Review: May 20, 2011

Review of Site: This webpage was written by Craig R. Sweet, M.D. The date of the webpage is 1996. There are no apparent cultural, religious, institutional, or political biases on the webpage. There are no opinions expressed in this article; it is purely factual. It is a fairly in-depth analysis of the science of surrogacy. The purpose of the information is to inform the reader about the scientific procedures necessary for surrogacy.

Nick's Web Evaluation

Website: URL:http://www.ivf-infertility.com/surrogacy/index.php
Name of Reviewer: Nick Eustis	Date of Review: May 23, 2011
Review of Site: This website was created by a man using the name “Dr. Marcus.” The web page was last edited April 29, 2011. There is no bias of any sort on the website, only factual information. It is a very in-depth analysis of many different aspects of surrogacy, from the different forms of surrogacy, to legal issues regarding surrogacy. The purpose of the site is to inform, as well as advise those who are considering surrogacy on which form of surrogacy they should choose. Eric's Web Evaluation: Website URL:http://www.suite101.com/content/all-about-surrogacy-a9913 Name of Reviewer: Eric Andresen Date of Review: May 25, 2011 Review of Site: This article was written by Joanna Karpasea-Jones. The article was created on December 2, 2006. There are no cultural, religious, institutional, or political biases and the article is not opinionated. This content is intended as a brief overview of the surrogacy topic. The purpose of the article is solely to educate and inform people about surrogacy. I would recommend others to use this site for a brief background on surrogacy so they understand the topic better. Website URL:http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=93 Name if Reviewer: Jack Biemer Date of Review: May 16, 2011 Review of Site: This article was written by Richard Mott. The article was created on August 17, 2009. The article shows both the pros and cons of surrogacy and is not biased. The article is an overview of the topic. The purpose of the article is to inform. I would recommend this article as a starting place. I would say it would be very helpful to the group sociologist. Ethan's Web Evaluation: Website URL:http://www.surrogacy-surrogate-mother.com/ Name of Reviewer: Ethan Winigrad Date of Review: May 20, 2011 Review of Site: This article was written by Delwyn Lounsbury. The article was created in 2010. The article explains the process of becoming a surrogate mother and also tells several stories where surrogacy was successful. This content is intended to help further explain the topic of surrogacy. The purpose of the article is to educate the reader with true occurrences within the topic of surrogacy. I would recommend others to use this site if they are looking to gain credible knowledge and information about surrogacy.

Cryonics and Society

14vassiliouh — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:05:13 CDT

Many people have strong opinions on whether or not people should do cryonics. People against cryonics say that it is "against gods will" and that you are supposed to die, not continue to live forever. Also many critics say that cryonics stems from a fear of dying. However, those who support it say that cryonics does not stem from a fear of death, but from an intense love of life.

Religious viewpoint- against because you would be doing "God's will" and they say people would be playing God by controlling life and death. In other words, making people live longer than intended.
Critics viewpoint(against obviously)- claim that cryoincs stems from a fear of dying, and if it did work, could be problematic with overpopulaion. Also, since cryoincs hasn't been proven to work on reviving whole living beings (or heads), some critics say the companies are just cheating people out of their money.
Patients viewpoint (for)- they want to be revived, so in the future they can either live again, or be cured from their currently incurable disease.
People researching cryonics (for)- they say it stems from a great love of life, not a fear of death. They also say that reviving people is very possible in the future.

Web Evaluation Stuff MWAHAHAHABLARGHAHA

14wangc — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 05:05:34 CDT

http://www.cryonics.org
Name of Reviewer: Stone
Date of Review: 5/20/11
Cryonics Institute is the institute responsible for the website. The website was pretty recently updated: last updated May 1, 2011. It is not biased. It is a non profit organization that wants to give the most accurate and detailed information. The website gives in-depth information from how much cryostasis costs to how many members there are. It also lists the companies that does the “freezing” procedures. The purpose of the website is to inform. I would recommend this website 100%. The website is not biased, provides clear information—FAQS, how to become a member, and what cryonics is—and is nonprofit

Website URL: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/genetic/cryonics.htm
Name of Reviewer: Crystal Wang	Date of Review:
Review of Site: (must cover all aspects of evaluation questionnaire) The article was written by Stephanie Watson for howstuffworks, A Discovery Company on January 5th 2005. There does not seem to be any bias and the information is accurate as a brief overview. The purpose of the information is to inform people interested in cryonics and tells the science and history behind it. I would recommend the website because although it is a brief overview, it still gives some in depth information and details so one can have a better understanding.This makes it a quick go to website if one needed the basics of cryonics.

Website URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/feb/14/research.cryonics

Name of Reviewer: Jesse Rong

Date of Review: May 23, 2011

Review of Site: (must cover all aspects of evaluation questionnaire) The site, Guardian.co.uk has an interesting article called“Patients who are frozen in time” written by Wendy M Grossman on 14 February 2008, is an informative article that explains cryonics in the two largest cryonic organizations, Alcor and The Cryonics Institute. The article explains problems with freezing people, like how not one mammal has yet been frozen and relived, ever, or how vitrification, the replacing of blood with a mixture of antifreeze-like chemicals, is toxic, can cause flesh to fracture, and can only be done when a person is declared legally dead. And it gives good background information about cryonics as well as the thoughts of the presidents of the cryonics organizations on it. So after reading that article, I would recommend it to others for its awesome information and displays the many the angles of cryonics awesomely.

Website URL: www.alcor.org
Name of Reviewer: Richard Wang	Date of Review: 5/23/11
Review of Site: (must cover all aspects of evaluation questionnaire) This website is by the Alcor, Life Extension Foundation. Many different pages, with dates ranging from 1962 to 2011. The information contained inside the website is biased, but this is pretty clearly stated. There is both in-depth material and brief overviews. The information in this website is meant to inform the public, persuade them to support cryonics, and sell them cryonics. After looking through this website I would definitely recommend it to others because it contains information from a wide variety of topics surrounding Cryonics. Website URL: http://cryonicssociety/aboutcryonics_science.html Name of Reviewer: Helen Vassiliou Date of Review: 5/29/11 This site, the science of cryonics, was written by the cryonics society in 2007. This site is biased towards cryonics because it is written by an institution and it only writes positive things relating to the subject. This is a breif overview of cryonics and about the possibility to successfully reawake frozen people. It is a mainly informative page, and i would recomend it because it gives very good introductory information.

Living Forever (Cryonics)

14wangc — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:35:09 CDT

Cryonics and the Law

richy5555 — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:02:14 CDT

Why is there a legal question?
The laws regarding cryonics are unclear because there are no clear laws that state whether or not it's legal. Laws regarding donations to science have helped cryonics progress.
The most important law regarding cryonics is the patient must be legally dead. Although different states have different criteria for pronouncement of death. The overall definintion of legal death is "Legal death is a legal pronouncement by a qualified person that further medical care is not appropriate and that a patient should be considered dead under the law"

LEGAL STATUS OF PATIENTS
The patients are considered dead. Cryonics believes that eventually this label will be changed and the patients will be revived.
Because patents are considered dead life insurance and other trusts can be used to fund cryonic suspension. One problem with this is if the label is changed and their status changed, these trusts might not be able to fund suspensions.
This label as "dead" also allows cryonics companies, such as Alcor, to use the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act(UAGA) which allows companies to gain legal custody of the remains for medical research.
Since the procedure is the same as a normal donation the process is also ver simple to medical personnel.
Many states also contain laws that families should respect individual's wishes to donate their body.

STATE LAWS
All 50 states contain laws that allows cryonics companies to gain custody of patient's remains. Only difference is where patients are stored.
Several states have laws similar to UAGA.
Autopsy causes it to be much harder to perform cryonic suspension. Most states have laws that allow a wide variety of autopsyies, but some states have limited autopsy demands. Some states have also passed laws that stop autopsies on patients that have conflicting religious beliefs. This has been used successfully on at least two cryonics patients.
Patients can create a "living will" for how they wish to be treated when terminal. If not created the family of the patient gets to choose which procedures to perform which might delay cryonics. (some states. ex. Arizona, California, and Indiana)
Some people also claim cryonics "embalms" patients. "Definition 7. 'Embalming' means the disinfection, preservation, or attempted disinfection or preservation of a dead human body.'" Which is against the current laws.

Future Laws concerning cryonics
Eventually there will be laws about cryonics specifically. If those prohibit or permit cryonics depends on the understanding of current laws and who is appointed to government jobs.
One major disadvantage is if convinced cryonics patients are alive then life insurance could not pay for the procedures as well as laws such as the UAGA would not apply.

Cryonics Discussion Questions

14rongj — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:54:06 CDT

1. Would living forever be boring?

2. When should people really be considered dead?
Brain death (When there is no detectable brain activity) is considered Legal death in most states

3. Is being cryopreserved for years, the high cost worth, and the loneliness worth the chance of seeing the future to live longer?

4. Should parents be allowed to sign their babies or pets for Cryonics ?

5. Do you think cryonics companies are tricking people out of their money?

6. Should people with an incurable disease be able to get cryopreserved for a lower cost?

7. Will poor people be able to get cryopreserved?

8. Would a person have to get sick to get cryopreserved or can he/she just do it to see the future?

9. Would cryonics cause overpopulation if it worked?

10. Would immortality be possible?

11. Would the people in the future like to revive the cryopreserved ones?

12. Do you think the future is really going to be better than today?

13. Is cryonics just giving people false hope? Noone has been reanimated yet.

14. If a person left a will before being cryopresereved, should he/she be able to get his/her stuff back when revived?
Remember: A person must be legally dead before being cryopreserved.

15. If you want to be cryopresereved, would you have to wait until you have died or do you have to get youself killed?

16. Would you support cryonics?

Cryonics and the Science Behind It

14wangc — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 21:05:04 CDT

Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of human and other animals whom can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Currently, it is not possible to resuscitate the cryo-preserved. Cryopreservation was first proposed in 1962; as of 2010, only around 200 people have gone through the procedure.Cryonics can only be legally performed in the United States if the patient is legally dead. There are two options for cryoperservation: whole body, or head or brain. The costs for cryopreservation varies with the company. The preservation of the head costs around $50,000 and whole body preservations can cost $200,000. There are also other fees like annual fees and funeral director fees.

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Procedure: The ideal time to do cryonic procedures are usually within minutes of cardiac arrest. Technicians then prepare the body for cryopreservation by circulating cryoprotectants through blood vessels to replace water cells. Cryoprotectants help stop ice formation but cyroprotectants are toxic themselves. The process of cooling and solidification without freezing is called vitrification. Scientists believe that damage due to the chemicals in the cyroprotectants is more repairable than structural damage from caused by freezing. For example, denatured proteins can be replaced in the future. The body is then cooled to 77.15 Kalvin, the boiling point of liquid nitrogen and is placed into a special containment chamber. <=explain the need to replace the water more (the water, if put at low temperatures, will expand and cause the cell to "explode"). Also, i heard they put several bodies in one container. and they are upside down... so if there's a leak the brain/head stays frozen.

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Revival requires repairing damage from:
· Lack of oxygen
· Cryoprotectant toxicity
· Thermal stress (fracturing),
· Freezing in tissues that do not successfully vitrify
· Reversing the effects that caused the patient's death

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tissue regeneration will most likely be necessary. A radical suggestion for revival when the technology is developed is, mind transfer; scanning the memory contents of the preserved brain.It's been claimed that if technologies for molecular analysis and repair (memory scanning) are ever developed, then theoretically any damaged body could be “revived”.Survival of the individual would then depend on whether the preserved brain information is sufficient to permit restoration of all or part of the personal identity of the original person.

Lawyer: Allison

14KozerackiA — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:22:08 CDT

The crying shame of robot nannies: an ethical appraisal

Because it is so new, there are currently no international guidelines, codes of practice or legislation specifically dealing with use of robots for child care. Although laws regarding child protection vary from country to country, “legal cases against the overuse of robot care would have to be mounted on grounds of neglect, abuse or mistreatment and perhaps on grounds of retarding social and mental development.”

The United Kingdom’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) describes neglect as “the persistent lack of appropriate care of children, including love, stimulation, safety, nourishment, warmth, education and medical attention. It can have a serious effect on a child's physical, mental and emotional development. For babies and very young children, it can be life-threatening.”

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Article 19 states that governments must do everything to protect children from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and mistreatment

Article 27 requires that “States Parties recognize the right of every child to a standard of living adequate for the child's physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development.”

United States

The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) defines child abuse and neglect as, at minimum:

Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or

An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.

Emotional or psychological abuse is defined as, “a pattern of behavior that impairs a child’s emotional development or sense of self-worth.”

Discussion Questions

Could leaving a child in the care of a robot be defined as abuse?

Could lack of human interaction cause psychological damage?

If a child is harmed in the care of a robot, who should be held responsible?Who canbe held responsible? The parents? The manufacturer? The programmers? The researchers?

Robots Again: The Trouble With Nanny-Bots

Website URL: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/child-myths/200909/robots-again-the-trouble-nanny-bots
Name of Reviewer: Allison	Date of Review: May 23, 2010
Review of Site: (must cover all aspects of evaluation questionnaire) The magazine Psychology Today is responsible for this webpage. This article was published on September 28, 2009 by Jean Mercer, Ph.D. The article contains the author’s point of view because it is part of her blog on the Psychology Today website. It is intended to be a brief overview of the trouble with “nanny-bots.” The purpose is to inform. Based on my evaluation, I would recommend this website. Although this article is part of a blog, it was written by an expert in psychology.

Web Evaluation

14mabilaisl — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:37:28 CDT

http://www.equip.org/articles/views-on-euthanasia
Matt Holtzer	5/21/11
The author of the novel is an American philosopher named J.P. Moreland. There is no date on this article, but I am assuming it is in the early nineties because the most recent date in his bibliography was 1991. This is clearly religious because it is published by the Christian Research Institute. His opinion is pretty clear in that he is opposed to active euthanasia, and somewhat opposed to passive euthanasia. I would say that this is a pretty in depth analysis of the moral and ethical issues surrounding euthanasia. The purpose of this is to inform people about euthanasia. I would definantly recommend this article. It is slightly biased, but in the end it does give you all that you ever need to know about euthanasia in ethics. It is just essential when reading this that you can understand his slight biased against euthanasia.

Sociologist Matt Holtzer

14mabilaisl — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:32:58 CDT

Web Evaluations: Brain Boosting Drugs

14fungc — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:37:40 CDT

Website URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000606/
Name of Reviewer: Cheryl Fung	Date of Review: May 27th, 2011
Review of Site: (must cover all aspects of evaluation questionnaire) PubMed Health is updated by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. This page on Methylphenidate was last revised on January 1, 2011. It is an indepth analysis on the Methylphenidate; telling readers the warnings of these drugs and why it is prescribed, etc. I would definitely recommend this website to others because it provides useful information on a kind of brain boosting drug – Methylphenidate (Ritalin).

Website URL:http://chronicle.com/article/A-Ban-on-Brain-Boosting-Drugs/126523/

Name of Reviewer: Megan Markert

Date of Review: May 20, 2011

Review of Site: This was written by Matt Lamkin and was last updated on Feb. 27, 2011. It doesn’t seem biased and is a brief overview. Its purpose is to inform about the use of drugs to increase performance. I would recommend this website because it gives both sides of the argument and does not take a side.

Website URL:http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/780/LeeY06.pdf
Name of Reviewer: Julia Chen	Date of Review: May 20, 2011
Review of Site: (must cover all aspects of evaluation questionnaire) The Author responsible for this webpage is a Harvard graduate Yu-Hsuan Lee. There is a date on the Webpage. The webpage is last updated on April 2006. There are no political, cultural, religious, or institutional biases. The information is not an opinion, because the effects of both doping performance enhancing drugs and anti-doping procedures are clearly stated. The content is intended to be an in-depth analysis.The purpose of the information is to inform history, medical effects, and policy associated with performance enhancing drugs. I would recommend this website to others who are interested in this topic, because it articulates different aspects of performance enhancing drugs.

Website: URL:http://www.thaimedicalnews.com/performance-enhancing-perscription-drugs-legal/2008/01/06/
Name of Reviewer: Jiyeon	Date of Review: 05/20/11
Review of Site: "Legal Performance Enhancing Drugs" is a blog written by a user named ReeBKK and was last updated on January 6th, 2008. This blog contains no bias information or opinions since it is stating facts about brain boosting drugs. It gives a brief overview of drugs such as Ritalin and Provigil and the users (scientists, musicians, students etc.) and how it affects them. The purpose of this blog is to inform people about the use of brain boosting drugs and what they do and who uses them. This source is reliable because when compared to other informational papers, the facts were similar.

Scientist: Cheryl

14fungc — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:24:24 CDT

What are the kinds of brain-boosting drugs?
- Adderall
- Ritalin (Methylphenidate)

Why do people take them?/How do you feel after taking them?

- To improve concentration

- To improve focus on a specific task

- To stay awake longer for an important test

- To enhance productivity or mental energy

- To deal with demanding or important intellectual challenges

What are these drugs originally used for?
- Used to control symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; more difficulty focusing, controlling actions, and remaining still or quiet than other people who are the same age)

Where can you obtain them?

- Since the doctor cannot prescribe these drugs to you unless you have ADHD, many people can just purchase it from other countries, or from the black market.

Can you get addicted to them?
- Just like other kinds of drugs, Adderall, Ritalin, etc, can be very addictive. Each time you take these drug, you have to take more than you did last time, to fully reach that same feeling.

Are there any side effects?
- stomach pain
- vomiting
- headache
- fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- hallucinating
- It may slow a person’s growth or weigh gain.

Bibliography

14fungc — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 08:44:18 CDT

http://network.nature.com/groups/naturenewsandopinion/forum/topics/816
http://www.maristmy575.com/?p=1287
http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20080409/poll-scientists-use-brain-boosting-drugs http://www.thaimedicalnews.com/performance-enhancing-perscription-drugs-legal/2008/01/06/
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/04/27/090427fa_fact_talbot
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Ban-on-Brain-Boosting-Drugs/126523/
http://plateautimes.com/articles/182
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/12/brain-enhancing/
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2009/0515/p13s01-ussc.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/nov/08/health.lifeandhealth http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000606/ http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2008/05/brain-boosting-and-cheating-in-exams-four-responses/ http://www.drugs.com/ritalin.html http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/issues/ritalin.html http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/366 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100221175825AAAdnZP

Bibliography.

14rongj — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:50:33 CDT

This will be/is the Bibliography of all sources...

http://www.cryonics.org/

http://www.cryonics.org/reprise.html

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/genetic/cryonics.htm

http://www.alcor.org/

http://www.cryonicssociety.org/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/feb/14/research.cryonics

http://www.benbest.com/cryonics/CryoFAQ.html#_IIC_

Educator Sreejata

14munsis — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:50:35 CDT

Discussion Questions:

What are your views on euthanasia??

What are your reasons for your beliefs about euthanasia??

If you had someone in your family suffering in pain from an incurable disease, would you consider euthanasia for them??

Do you think there is a major difference between euthanasia and lethal injection for a person on death row??

What is the difference between suicide and euthanasia??

Should the government be able to have a say in a person's will to be euthanized??

Under what conditions is someone allowed to be considered for euthanasia?? (Basically, someone cannot request to be euthanized if they are fit. So what makes it grounds for being euthanized??)

How do you think religion affects euthanasia??

The most controversial euthanasia doctor is Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He was first charged with first degree murder when he attached a woman named Janet Adkins to his so- called "suicide machine" in December 1990. This machine enabled Adkins to inject lethal drugs into her body at any time. Since then, Dr. Kevorkian has helped more than forty others meet their death.

Do you approve of Dr. Kevorkian's line of work??

Should Dr. Kevorkian be accused of murder?? (The people he was helping die wanted to die).

If you do think that Dr. Kevorkian should have been put in jail, do you think that serving 8 years in prison (from 1999-2007) was a fair sentence??

Do you think that YOU would like to be euthanized if you were no longer capable of enjoying your life??

Euthanasia Public Service Announcement:
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12123643/euthanasia-public-service-announcement

Website Evaluation:

Website URL: https://www.aalaslearninglibrary.org/demo/course2.asp?strKeyID=D86BF613-952D-41D4-8193-E05130181656-0&Library=10&Track=11&Series=17&Course=2577 &Lesson=27613
Name of Reviewer: Sreejata Munsi	Date of Review: May 23, 2011
Review of Site: (must cover all aspects of evaluation questionnaire) The institution responsible for this article and picture is the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. The date this website was last updated was in 2005. The article does not have any political, cultural, religious, or institutional biases. The only opinion stated by this website is that one should plan to use a euthanasia method that is accepted by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Panel Report. The content in this article is a brief overview, rather than an in-depth analysis. This article was made to inform the reader about acceptable and unacceptable methods of euthanasia. Overall, this is a good website for someone interested in the acceptability of euthanasia, as it states strong evidence for and against different methods of euthanasia. Other websites: http://www.angelfire.com/al/jefspage/ Images: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kevorkian https://www.aalaslearninglibrary.org/demo/course2.asp?strKeyID=D86BF613-952D-41D4-8193-E05130181656-0&Library=10&Track=11&Series=17&Course=2577&Lesson=27613 Videos: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12123643/euthanasia-public-service-announcement

Lawyer Laeticia

14mabilaisl — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:15:36 CDT

Countries where Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide is Legal:
Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Oregon, Washington State, and Montana (U.S.A.) [New Hampshire is considering it]

What are the current laws surrounding the issue? Do different states have different laws? Are there any thoughts on future laws regarding this topic?

CURRENTLY IN THE U.S:

34 states consider assisted suicide/Euthanasia a criminal act:
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin

9 states criminalize assisted suicide using the common law:
Alabama, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia

3 states no longer have the common law of crimes and do not have statutes against assisted suicide:
North Carolina, Utah, Wyoming

In Ohio, the supreme court decided in 1996 that assisted suicide is not a crime.

In Virginia, there are no certain laws or rules against or for assisted suicide/Euthanisia

2 States permit assisted suicide:
Oregon and Washington

Holland/the Netherlands:
Has been legal for a long time [Since 1984]

9% if deaths in the Netherlands in 1990 were from Euthanasia or assisted Suicide
Sometimes practiced w/o consulting the patient…
it has increasingly been justified or excused as necessary to relieve suffering patients who are not well enough to choose a course of action for themselves
In 1990, there were 2,300 cases where the doctor killed his/her patient w/o the patient's knowledge or consent
More than ten thousand Dutch citizens carry around “Do Not Euthanize Me” cards in case they are hospitalized unexpectedly
it is illegal to deny assisted suicide or euthanasia to the chronically ill, who have longer to suffer than the terminally ill, and to individuals who have psychological pain not associated with a physical disease
To refuse assisted suicide or euthanasia to individuals like these would be discriminating
Killing infants with disabilities is now legal (using lethal injections)

Euthanasia Results in the Netherlands - Number of Cases in 1990

Switzerland:
The Swiss Supreme Court recently issued a decision stating that chronically depressed and mentally ill people have a right to assisted suicide.
**The Swiss do not punish doctors who perform Euthanasia

Oregon, USA

"Death with Dignity" Act 1997

to qualify for physician-assisted suicide, a person must:

be a resident of Oregon
be 18 or older
be capable of making desicions
be suffering from a terminal disease that will lead to death within six months
must not have any signs/be diagnosed with depression

many physicians must confirm the diagnosis, the patient's capability of making decisions, and the willingness of the patient
The patient must sign many papers with witnesses attesting that the patient is "capable, acting voluntarily and not being coerced to sign the request"

After all of this, the patient is prescribed a medication that will end their life.

**Between 1998 and 2002, 129 people were euthanized, and 265 prescriptions were written for deadly medications

Washington State, USA
Death with Dignity Act-- makes assisted suicide legal

The Wall Street Journal: Washington Passes Initiative 1000, Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/11/05/washington-passes-initiative-1000-legalizing-physician-assisted-suicide/

Of 156 patients who requested physician-assisted suicide in this past year,

38 (24%) received prescriptions, and 21 of these died as a result

Of 58 patients who requested euthanasia, 14 (24%) received parenteral medication and died

Montana, USA
Physicians who prescribe medications that cause death do not face any legal punishment

Belgium
2002- 2nd country in world to legalize Euthanasia/ assisted killing

doctors are allowed to help kill terminally ill patients- [quality of life]

BBC: Belgium Legalizes Euthanasia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1992018.stm

"They have to be under 'constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain' resulting from an accident or incurable illness" (BBC).

Luxembourg
3rd Country to legalize Euthanasia

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2009/mar/09031803

Terri Schiavo

CNNhttp://articles.cnn.com/2005-03-31/justice/schiavo_1_terry-schiavo-dies-euthanasia-brother-paul-o-donnell-michael-schiavo-mary-schindler?_s=PM:LAW

Term	Definition
Voluntary active euthanasia	Intentionally administering medications or other interventions to cause the patient’s death as the patient requested, with the patient fully aware
Involuntary active euthanasia	Intentionally administering medications or other interventions to cause a patient’s death when the patient was competent but without the patient’s explicit request and/or full informed consent (ex: patient was not asked)
Nonvoluntary active euthanasia	Intentionally administering medications or other interventions to cause a patient’s death when the patient is incompetent and mentally incapable of actually requesting it (es: patient is in a coma)
Terminating life-sustaining treatments (passive euthanasia)	Denying the patient life-sustaining medical treatments and letting him/her die
Physician-assisted suicide	physician provides medications or other interventions to a patient knowing that the patient intends to use them to commit suicide

Educator: Jiyeon

14leej — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:08:38 CDT

Three main drugs:

Ritalin
Provigil aka “Professor’s Little Helper”
Inderal

Nearly 80% of the people said the brain boosting drugs should be allowed after the fact that professional thinkers use those drugs to enhance their cognitive performance was informed

In a survey of 1400 scientists….

two-third of them knew a colleague who uses the brain boosting drugs
Nearly 70% of them said they would use "cognitive-enhancing drug" to boost their brain
Scientists from all over the world participated in this survey but 70% of them were from the States
Most popular drug- Ritalin, used by 62% of responders
Provigil- 44% of responders suggesting that many of the users take more than one drug
Inderal- 15% of responders
86% of respondents said children under 16 should not take these drugs
But one third of them said that they would be pressured to give their children these drugs if children from other schools were taking it
Drugs are being used more and more in non-medical situations

Reasons…

To improve concentration
To improve focus on a specific task
Counteracting jet lag
To stay awake longer for an important test (mostly college students)
To enhance productivity or mental energy
To deal with demanding or important intellectual challenges

Musicians use these drugs as “fear blockers”
Provigil

- medicine used to improve wakefulness in adults who experience excessive sleepiness - favored by scientists, military pilots and soldiers for enhanced performance - enhances short-term memory - lets users stay awake for extended periods

Ritalin/Adderall

- sharpens attention - originally made for people with ADHD - popular with college students - affect the chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control - have a high potential for abuse and addiction despite genuine medical uses

Indrel

- Beta-blockers - prevent stage fright for musicians and entertainers - a quarter of flute players in symphonies use beta-blockers to prevent stage fright from giving them “rubber fingers” that could throw off an entire performance (in a survey) - affect the heart and circulation (blood flow through arteries and veins) which helps the user feel more relaxed
**ALL THREE OF THESE ARE DRUGS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FROM A DOCTOR
As performance enhancing drugs become more popular, it is likely we will see more strict laws imposed on the users of these drugs, as well as the doctors who supply them

Are Americans becoming too dependent on drugs in general?
Should we legalize the brain boosting drugs? -legalized with the prescriptions -but people have ways to get them
If people who are paid to think for a living (i.e. scientists) are showing improved performance whilst under the influence of legal prescription drugs, should we allow them to use these drugs?
If a doctor/surgeon, who got their degrees while on brain boosting drugs, performed an operation or gave a perscription to you would you feel comfortable or reliable?
Would it be considered cheating if students or anyone take brain boosting drugs before an exam?
Should caffeine be considered as brain boosting drugs?
Should adults with severe memory and concentration problems be given brain boosting drugs?
If such drugs have only mild side effects, should they be prescribed more widely for other psychiatric disorders?
How would you react if you knew your friends or colleagues were taking brain boosting drugs?
Do you think the users use these drugs because of their own choice or because of the pressure?
Because these performance enhancing drugs are becoming more popular… Do you think we will see more strict law as imposed on the users of these drugs as well as the doctors who supply them?
How should society react?
Would YOU use these brain boosting drugs for any reasons?

Are Americans becoming too dependent on drugs in general?

Should we legalize the brain boosting drugs? -legalized with the prescriptions
-but people have ways to get them

If people who are paid to think for a living (i.e. scientists) are showing improved performance whilst under the influence of legal prescription drugs, should we allow them to use these drugs?

If a doctor/surgeon, who got their degrees while on brain boosting drugs, performed an operation or gave a perscription to you would you feel comfortable or reliable?

Would it be considered cheating if students or anyone take brain boosting drugs before an exam?

Should caffeine be considered as brain boosting drugs?

Should adults with severe memory and concentration problems be given brain boosting drugs?

If such drugs have only mild side effects, should they be prescribed more widely for other psychiatric disorders?

How would you react if you knew your friends or colleagues were taking brain boosting drugs?

Do you think the users use these drugs because of their own choice or because of the pressure?

Because these performance enhancing drugs are becoming more popular…
Do you think we will see more strict law as imposed on the users of these drugs as well as the doctors who supply them?

How should society react?

Would YOU use these brain boosting drugs for any reasons?

Sociologist: Phoebe

phoebetodd — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:23:16 CDT

What do parents think of Nanny Robots?

"I don’t find it hard to believe that over-worked parents will turn to robot nannies in the near future. If not to baby-sit children, they certainly will be called upon to teach kids their ABCs and entertain them. It seems a better option to me than TV." -Eric Berger

In todays world, Americans are known for working long hours. This, among other reasons, led scientists to develop "Nanny Robots", specifically designed for childcare. Nanny Robots function in keeping track of children using face detection, cameras/monitors, programmed conversation, touch sensors, cell phone features, and location sensors. Many parents are debating whether to trust a machine with the wellbeing of their child, while others have a definite opinion.

"I think this is wonderful. Finally we are moving right along to the future. but it is very freaky to. But it will be a nice thing when they are more and more graceful."
"I love the idea of a robot nanny! As long as the robot is not a judgmental witch with a suspect history in the California porn industry. Where can I buy one? Or 4. I have 4 nannies to replace!!"
"i dont think that you should make them cos what if somthing goes wrong and then the child is highly at risk? the company is to be blamed for this and is surely to be sued at lest once a month."

- Comments from http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News-Comments.asp?NewsNum=592

What do Children think?

Children, who often think of the robots as toys, normally interact well with them. Here a child is giving it a friendly hug:
http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2007/11/07/0707769104.DC1/07769Movie2.

However, if left in the sole care of these robots, children could grow up with various side effects, prominently social. Lacking attention, love, and care, children may be forced to grow up with robots as role models.

Website Evaluation:
Website URL: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/12/babysittingrobo/ Name of Reviewer: Phoebe Todd Date of Review: May 30, 2011 Wired Science, an international magazine, is responsible for this website. This particular article was written by Brandon Keim in December, 2008. The content is not really biased, but points out others opinions on the issue. There aren’t many opinions from the author himself in this article, but it is easy to tell them from facts. The content of this web page serves as a brief overview of Robots in Child Care and the purpose of this article is to inform. I would recommend this website to others interested in this topic because it explores others opinions and ideas on the topic as well as provide important facts and information.

Sources

14mabilaisl — Tue, 31 May 2011 21:38:38 CDT

Web Evaluation:

Website URL: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/reports/05death/death_with_dignity_report.htm
Name of Reviewer: Laeticia Mabilais	Date of Review: May 28, 2011
Review of Site: The authors are clearly stated and are Robin Lunge, Maria Royle, Michael Slater and the Legislative Council in Vermont. The information is from 2004 and the date is stated at the beginning. The data is strictly informational and does not include any particular views or opinions. The information is in-depth and easy to find. The purpose of the information is to inform the reader. I would recommend this website to others because it states the laws clearly and is easy to read. It also includes a definitions and terminology page.

Sources

Euthanasia. com
http://www.euthanasia.com/index.html

Where it is legal in the world
http://www.wrtl.org/assistedsuicide/assistedsuicide/whereitislegalWorld.aspx

Euthanasia in the Netherlands
http://www.nightingalealliance.org/cgi-bin/home.pl?article=150

Euthanasia in Oregon
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/reports/05death/death_with_dignity_report.htm

Where it is legal in the USA
http://www.wrtl.org/assistedsuicide/assistedsuicide/whereitislegalUS.aspx

Supreme Court Backs Oregon Assisted Suicide Law
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181881,00.html

Euthanasia
http://www.wrtl.org/assistedsuicide/euthanasia/

Statistics in Washington
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8598619

Euthanasia in Belgium
http://www.euthanasia.com/belgiumlaw.html

Assisted Suicide Laws State by State
http://www.euthanasia.com/bystate.html

Pictures

Map
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://filipspagnoli.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/euthanasia-legal-status-in-2009-world-map.png&imgrefurl=http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/human-rights-maps-115-legalization-of-euthanasia/&usg=__8lPAlTTERmdojQaT1ytnQ1izDtQ=&h=441&w=876&sz=92&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=w-N5Itre_fWc6M:&tbnh=80&tbnw=159&ei=IoXWTZXnBI_UgAeHu9GlBw&prev=/search%3Fq%3DEuthanasia%2Blegal%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26biw%3D875%26bih%3D495%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=86&vpy=86&dur=0&hovh=159&hovw=317&tx=220&ty=73&sqi=2&page=1&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

Cartoon
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://jeffreyhill.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341d417153ef010536a6fc70970c-pi&imgrefurl=http://jeffreyhill.typepad.com/english/2008/12/end-of-year-cartoon.html&usg=__KJ3SMVEyoa6eBPQPTWPABCtiA7c=&h=296&w=385&sz=218&hl=en&start=14&zoom=1&tbnid=oZHLks-TNJ6QDM:&tbnh=147&tbnw=191&ei=hITWTZXXH8yugQeY29WjBw&prev=/search%3Fq%3DEuthanasia%2Bcartoon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26biw%3D875%26bih%3D480%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=78&sqi=2&page=3&ndsp=6&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:14&tx=85&ty=30

Cartoon Main Page
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.offthemarkcartoons.com/cartoons/1993-12-20.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.offthemark.com/search-results/key/euthanasia&usg=__tdjFOqaWAfhjtx5Y0HQUhgdz1Ns=&h=320&w=240&sz=14&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=blSlAFlhNxakIM:&tbn