Gay Marriages Social and Religious Debates

Beginning the year 2001, some nations among them being the U.S.A., Argentina, Canada, and Netherlands among others began to authenticate gay marriages. Following this legalization, proponents of same-sex marriages like Sullivan have since then advocated for legislative changes to the existing marriage laws. He says that the bottom line of marriage is love regardless of the lovers’ gender (Sullivan Para. 4).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Gay Marriage’s Social and Religious Debates specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More His argument is that permitting gay marriages is one of the mechanisms of enhancing practical applicability of constitutional provisions of equality and respect for individual’s rights of choices. Some are for while others strongly disagree with it. However, whether one is for or against gay marriages, the paper argues that, depending on the angle from which one would look at same s ex marriages, he/she needs to do a careful scrutiny of the implication of gay marriages before concluding to legalize them. Debates are continuing to rise on the need to accord same sex marriages equal civil union rights in comparisons to heterosexual marriages. While social and religious scholars oppose gay marriages, advocates for civil rights act as supporters for gay marriages. The supporters incredibly believe that illegalization of gay marriages amounts to breach of individual’s rights. On the other hand, politicians seem to be mixed up on the direction they should take in matters of gay rights. Political debate on gay marriages has been one of incredible concerns since 1990s. However, president Obama cleared air on the political position of the gay rights. In an interview with ABC news on May 9, 2012, president Obama informed that, upon struggling for years with the question of legality of gay marriages, it was time to declare same sex marriages legal. However, this st atement does not reflect the position of America on gay marriages since Obama further claimed that individual states needed a chance to give their views concerning the subject.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The position of gay marriages adopted by president Obama in 2012 contrasts with an earlier statement that he had made in 2008 where he claimed that marriage entailed a union between a woman and a man. For Christian, God is always in the mix in that sacred union. Nevertheless, this does not imply that president Obama opposed the rights for gays and lesbians. Mixed reactions by politician in the matters of honoring gay right are akin to the need to balance conventional moral believes on what constitutes a marriage and the constitutional rights of choice accorded to people by it (Herald Para.3). Whether legalization or illegalization of same sex marriage is done or not, Behrens and Rosen are concerned on the signal that any of this would send especially to young people (410). In this end, it is plausible to argue that with political and legal jurisdictions inputs on the issues of gay marriages, it is likely that human sexuality would be shaped in valid ways. For instance, Behrens and Rosen quote E.L Pattullo’s (a professor at Harvard University) position on gay marriages in which the professor claims that some people are either born to live gay or straight lives (410). Opponents of gay marriages like Bennett base their arguments on the grounds of parenting and religious concerns. Bennett declares the inclusion of gay marriage in the already existing definition of marriage as bad idea (Para.3). According to him, this step will â€Å"stretch the definition beyond recognition† (Bennett Para.4). In the same perspective, Behrens and Rosen argue that the normative idea of uniting a man and a woman lies on the foundation of fidelity (410). Even tho ugh this is not largely honored in practice, it is the normative idea to which every person aspires to achieve since, in humanity, there exits moral forces that identify some things as vices and or virtues. In the context of heterosexual marriage, faithfulness is considered as morally appropriate and right while adultery is wrong. Therefore, according to Behrens and Rosen, conventional marriage opposes the homosexual practices. On the other hand, Southern Baptist Convention argues that religious faithfuls in the United States maintain that granting marital rights to gay marriages would undermine the traditional purpose of marriage, which includes child bearing.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Gay Marriage’s Social and Religious Debates specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Even though these opponents of gay marriage recognize the attainment of parenthood as not only possible through direct siring of children b ut also through other ways such as adoption, they cling to the idea that children are well brought up in an environment dominated by father and mother figures. Consequently, legalization of same sex marriages would amount to doing contrary to the interests of children. Another concern is that legalizing gay marriages would also result to legalization of group marriages and polygamy on the same ground sited for legalization of gay marriage such as the respect of individual choices and rights. Therefore, it is arguable that legalization of gay marriages amounts to challenging religious liberty and charities based on Christianity faith across the nations that have recognized the needs to honor gay marriages. Conventional marriage norms rest on the platforms of commitment, taking responsibilities, and making sacrifices. Opponents of gay marriages view these as the main things from which homosexuals attempt to refrain. However, it is critical to point out that the whole concept of legali zation of gay marriages is to create recognition of gay life in the inflexible understanding of traditional family (Behrens and Rosen 406). Legalizing it implies that gays would get a green light to openly practice what they obviously practice in the hideouts. Legalizing or failing to legalize the gay practice does not necessarily mean that this way of life would end. Conclusively, my opinion is that marriage encompasses a public and social recognition as opposed to a simple and private contract. This means that it represents the highest order of individual public integrity recognition. Therefore, denying gays the right to marry would constitute the most conspicuous negation of their public equality. Therefore, if gay marriages do not pose threat to the life of any person or a way of life of any person, there is no basis for their illegalization.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Works Cited Behrens, Laurence, and Leonard Rosen. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print. Bennett, William. â€Å"Gay Marriage: Not a very Good Idea.† Writing and Reading across  the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. 11th ed. Boston: Longman-Pearson, 2011. 424-29. Print. Herald, Miami. â€Å"Leave Gay Marriage to Debate to Gov’t.† Writing and Reading across  the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. 11th ed. Boston: Longman-Pearson, 2011. 424-29. Print. Sullivan, Andrew. â€Å"Why Gay Marriage is Good for Straight America.† Writing and  Reading across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. 11th ed. Boston: Longman-Pearson, 2011. 424-29. Print. This essay on Gay Marriage’s Social and Religious Debates was written and submitted by user Konnor Mclaughlin to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Autobiography of Malcolm X Free Online Research Papers In his book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm describes the racist society in the 1930’s. As a young boy the Ku Klux Klan killed Malcolm’s father. When Malcolm grew up he wanted to be a lawyer, but racism stood in his way. Later on, he goes to New York where he works in many illegal jobs such as: a hustler, robber, drug dealer, and pimp dealer. He then is sent to prison. There he learns about Islam in a wrong way. He also starts using his hustler techniques to win people and convert them. When he goes to Mecca he sees and learns the â€Å"true Islam†. He then is expelled from the Nation of Islam, which was the old organization that described Islam as an anti-white religion. As Malcolm moves from one environment to another he adapts and as he moves he names himself a couple of names such as: Detroit Red, Satan, Elhajj Malik Shabbazz, and Malcolm X. There are many symbols that show that Malcolm’s view change based on the environment surrounding him. One of the many symbols is his zoot suit, and doing a conk hairstyle when he moves to New York. When he was in New York he started to befriend pimps such as Sammy the pimp, and drug dealers and robbers such as: Shorty. He also had white girlfriend, but he uses her for status reasons. He later gets his name Detroit Red when he lives in whorehouse and starts marijuana and cocaine addiction. He then is arrested and sent to prison for ten years. As one can see the environment usually affects Malcolm. While in prison Malcolm tries to stop taking drugs. This causes him to be very frustrated, which gets him another name by his inmates: Satan. While in jail he meets Billi an educated Negro, he then starts copying and reading a dictionary. He also hears about Islam and converts. As Malcolm reads he starts to improve his English and vocabulary. He also starts to become an extremist this is evident in his saying: Yes, Im an extremist. The black race here in North America is in extremely bad condition. You show me a black man who isnt an extremist and Ill show you one who needs psychiatric attention! Once he came out of jail he buys glasses, a wristwatch, and a suitcase. These things symbolize his commitment in traveling to spread Islam, and his commitment to start an efficient career. Malcolm worked to free black people from racism at any price even his own death. He had once said: Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery. He also said: The price of freedom is death.† He also said: If youre not ready to die for it, put the word freedom out of your vocabulary. His first step was to unite all black people first. He had said that in his famous saying: â€Å"Whites can help us, but they cant join us. There can be no black/white unity, until there is first some black unity.† Later on, he believed that all oppressed people should unite. This idea is evident in his saying: The only way well get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every oppressed people in the world. We are blo od brothers to the people of Brazil, Venezuela, HaitiCuba- yes, Cuba too.† When he went to hajj to Mecca and came back he was amazed about the â€Å"colorblindness† there. He had said: I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land every color, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike all snored in the same language.† This had brought him to believe that Islam was the best solution to erase the evil of racism. This is evident in his saying: America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem.† This is what Malcolm X or Elhajj Shabbazz as he named himself. In conclusion Malcolm’s life is full of conversions, from hustler to lecturer to leader. What is pretty interesting is that his hustling skills got him to be a good leader. He had once joked by saying that he got his bachelor degree from the streets of Harlem. Once again one can see that the environment and surroundings affected Malcolm X Research Papers on The Autobiography of Malcolm XWhere Wild and West MeetThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsThe Effects of Illegal Immigration19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentMind TravelHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Hockey GameHip-Hop is Art

SLP 4 Medicare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SLP 4 Medicare - Essay Example Medicare Part A is government issued hospitalization insurance. Patients with Part A coverage have benefits that pay a portion of inpatient hospital stays, or long-term alternative care stays like skilled nursing facilities for lengthy recoveries, or hospice for terminally ill patients. Part A "is funded by a 2.9 percent payroll tax which is directed to the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund account" (McClellan, 2000). Medicare Part B is supplemental. Eligible participants receive 80 percent of allowed outpatient charges covered. These services include office visits, lab work, x-rays, etc. According to the same McClellan study, "About three-fourths of the Supplemental Medical Insurance program is funded by general federal revenues and one-fourth by a beneficiary premium" (McClellan, 2000). He added that by 2009, Part B would see the most significant growth of all Medicare programs. Thanks to the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act MMA) of 2003, senior citizens became eligible for Medicare Part D, which pays a portion of prescription charges. Quoting Gluck, 1999, McClellan writes, "Total spending on prescription drugs averages around $1,000 per beneficiary" (McClellan, 2000). ... There is evidence that "long-term financial imbalances in the Medicare system make some sort of Medicare reform inevitable," (Cutler and Sheiner, 2000) but all is not lost. Cutler and Sheiner argue that people need only save a little more to balance the benefits that may be lost in the future. According to them, Medicare benefits could be cut by 40-60 percent, but private savings and the purchase of a supplemental insurance would leave future beneficiaries in the same financial position that current beneficiaries are in. Lee and Skinner, however, don't agree that those numbers can be crunched so easily. Their opinion is that with a declining mortality rate, and an uncertain number of births in the future, the population of persons aged 65 and older will have tripled by 2070. With that in mind, they see increasing the Medicare eligible age from 65 to 67, and an "immediate 2 percentage point increase in the Social Security payroll tax" (Lee and Skinner) as a better way to avoid a "Medi care bust in the next century." About $200 billion was spent in 1996 for Medicare recipients (Newhouse, 1996). He estimated that a $122 billion Medicare surplus in 1996 would be a $444 billion deficit by 2006. Newhouse's ideas for decreasing Medicare spending were to get on the Clinton administration's bandwagon and require that Medicare recipients use Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) to remain competitive. Newhouse also suggested the use of Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs), which allow employees to set money aside from each paycheck, on a pre-tax basis, to help cover or reduce costs. Newhouse claims that implementing MSAs prior to retirement could save 25 percent, if current spending trends hold. This is especially true, according to him, of workers who