Free Will. What is Free Will and do we have it Essay

Free Will. What is Free Will and do we have it - Essay Example If one chooses to rob the bank, then he or she should be ready to take the responsibility for the action. These actions are in one way or the other is determined by free will. This paper will discuss free will, determinism and compatibilism. It will also depict whether or not we have free will. Free will is also a philosophical term used to choose an action to various alternatives. When one act in a way that depicts free will, one satisfies metaphysical requirements by being responsible for your own action, whereby there are also alternatives to one’s action and moral significance. Free will significance is not exhausted by its moral responsibility, but a condition of one’s accomplishments, dignity of persons and value, all accumulates to free will (Campbell 65). Determinism is where the facts about the past in the law of nature have the truth about the future. So given the past having the law of nature, only one future is possible at any one time. Those who say free wi ll is a freedom from determinism make them  incompatibilist. Those who say free will is without reference of determinism automatically qualify them as  compatibilists. Compatibilism is not merely the claim that some events (e.g. actions) are free, and some events are determined. This is consistent with indeterminism. Rather, compatibilism is the stronger thesis that the very same act may be both free and fully determined. Incompatibilism is the denial of compatibilism. Compatibilism, incompatibilism, and free will skepticism come in various forms. Hard determinists are incompatibilists who endorse determinism but deny the free will thesis, so they are also free will skeptics. Libertarians are incompatibilists who deny determinism and endorse the free will thesis. Soft determinists are compatibilists who accept both determinism and the free will thesis. Developments in physics, specifically in quantum mechanics, have led many to reject determinism, so examples of soft and hard de terminism are rare though not impossible. A better classification of the three main contemporary views is libertarianism, compatibilism, and free will skepticism (Campbell, 127). Philosophers look at the freedom of will and freedom of action because one's success depends on factors beyond one's control, and there are external constraints on options we undertake which  is not one's  responsibility. As a conceptual matter, free will depicts a subset of willing, but not all philosophers accept that. According to Campbell, freedom of will is by its nature and never constrained (Campbell 121). Majority of people view a will as not free indeed debates about it centers on if human beings has it. The main threats to freedom of will become evident on physical, psychological, biological and theological determinants. For every determinism, there are philosophers who deny reality on either independent grounds or free will, there those who accept reality and deny its compatibility with free will or argue its compatibility. In actual sense, free will has many dimensions; it can be a choice on one’s desire in that it can be selected as a way of fulfilling desire. According to the will Joseph Campbell defines liberty as â€Å"power of acting or not acting†. Free will relates to desires and values, which include the ability to judge what is worth pursuing, and evaluating them though satisfying them can be hard for us. We act with free will when we consider the judgment this may seem restrictive because many people are held responsible for their actions. There are two theories of free will that rely on possible actions; there are people who get motivated to choose to act by desires and secondly a person’

Breaking Dawn Edwards Pov Essay Example for Free

Breaking Dawn Edwards Pov Essay â€Å"I miss you already.† â€Å"I don’t need to leave. I can stay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Mmm.† It was the eve of our wedding and Bella and I were lying in her narrow bed together, as was our habit. Though it was August, she was wrapped in her usual swaddling blanket, a protection against the chill of my skin. The bulky afghan did not prevent Bella’s hands from wandering about, exploring the unclothed parts of my body. If she had her way, both of us would be even less clothed. I found shirtless to be challenge enough. With Bella’s fingers probing the outlines of each muscle and bone above my waistband, her lips on mine, I was both awash in pleasure and sinking into concern. Some might call it performance anxiety and I could not deny it. When one’s performance was a matter of life and death, there was no shame in that. Bella dragged her tongue across my top lip and a surge of desire shot through me. It was all I could do to remain still and let the sensation fade. If she were a vampire, I would have rolled on top of her, stripped off the bulky afghan and pressed my entire body into hers. I would have kissed her passionately, tasting her lips, her tongue, and pulling her as close to me as the laws of physics would allow. Ahhh†¦ I groaned and retreated from her caressing hands and her delicious, warm tongue. â€Å"Wait,† Bella murmured, clutching my arms. I watched as she kicked her right leg free from the blanket and wrapped it around my waist. â€Å"Practice makes perfect.† I chuckled. I’d heard that one before. Numerous times. â€Å"Well, we should be fairly close to perfection by this point, then, shouldn’t we? Have you slept at all in the last month?† â€Å"But this is the dress rehearsal,† she protested, â€Å"and we’ve only practiced certain scenes. It’s no time for playing safe.† Playing safe. My body froze as I considered how easy it would be to break Bella’s arm, or tear out a handful of her beautiful hair, or snap her spine, or†¦ â€Å"Bella†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Don’t start this again. A deal’s a deal.† â€Å"I don’t know. It’s too hard to concentrate when you’re with me like this. I—I can’t think straight. I won’t be able to control myself. You’ll get hurt.† â€Å"I’ll be fine.† â€Å"Bella†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Shhh!† Bella put her hands on either side of my face and pressed her lips against mine. I would like to have been distracted by that, but it was too late. My mind was already elsewhere, drifting from the thousand-and-one ways I could harm Bella to enumerating all she was giving up for me†¦her family, her friends†¦her chance to be a mother, to grow old, to become something more than what she was right now. It was too much to sacrifice just to be with me. In my mounting distress, I revisited an argument that Bella and I had had repeatedly. I’d never convinced her before; I don’t know why I thought she might change her mind now. â€Å"It’s not right! I don’t want you to have to make sacrifices for me. I want to give you things, not take things away from you. I don’t want to steal your future. If I were human—† Bella stifled my objections by putting her hand over my mouth. â€Å"You are my future. Now stop. No moping, or I’m cal ling your brothers to come and get you. Maybe you need a bachelor party.† My brothers must have agreed with her, for Emmett’s thoughts suddenly interrupted my own. Maybe we’ll catch them with their clothes off! Hope so. Ha, ha! â€Å"Oh, for the love of all that’s holy!† â€Å"What’s wrong?† â€Å"You don’t have to call my brothers. Apparently Emmett and Jasper are not going to let me bow out tonight.† Bella tightened her grip for a moment before releasing me. â€Å"Have fun,† she said. Perhaps it would be better for Bella if I left. Then I wouldn’t upset her with the â€Å"cold feet† I’d told her I didn’t have. I had no second thoughts about marrying Bella—I could hardly wait to do that! My second thoughts were all about the wedding night. Yes, I should leave. Maybe she would get some sleep if I did. â€Å"If you don’t send Edward out,† Emmett threatened in his best, creepy-monster voice, â€Å"we’re coming in after him!† Bella lau ghed. â€Å"Go! Before they break my house.† Kissing her forehead, I advised, â€Å"Get to sleep. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.† â€Å"Thanks! That’s sure to help me wind down.† â€Å"I’ll meet you at the altar.† I gave her a sly smile. â€Å"I’ll be the one in white,† Bella announced nonchalantly, as if we were planning a rendezvous at the mall. I chuckled at that, considering the anxiety attacks that overcame her every time I mentioned the wedding. â€Å"Very convincing,† I tossed over my shoulder as I leaped out the window. My feet landed squarely on Emmett’s head, knocking him to the ground. â€Å"Dammit, that hurt!† Emmett stage whispered, as he jumped up and took a swing at me. I dodged the punch easily. His thoughts always gave him away. â€Å"You’d better not make him late,† I heard Bella warn my brothers. Jasper leaped up and grabbed the eaves outside Bella’s window. He turned on his soothing vibes. â€Å"Don’t worry, Bella. We’ll get him home in plenty of time.† â€Å"Jasper? What do vampires do for bachelor parties? You’re not taking him to a strip club, are you?† she whispered to Jasper and I had to smile. As if that would be fun for me! No woman had ever affected me like Bella did. Women could dip themselves in blood and parade around naked all day and it wouldn’t do a thing for me. I should know†¦Tanya had tried such tricks many times to get me into her bed. â€Å"Don’t tell her anything!† Emmett hissed at Jasper, earning himself a friendly forearm shove that knocked him to the ground†¦again. I could never beat Emmett if we fought strength to strength, but with my mind-reading skill, he rarely got in a good punch. I laughed at his expression as he stood up and brushed the grass off his jeans. He tried to loo k casual as he readied himself for a â€Å"surprise† counterattack. Just as he launched himself at me, I took off running, knowing he couldn’t catch me at full speed. â€Å"Relax,† I heard Jasper reply to Bella. â€Å"We Cullens have our own version. Just a few mountain lions, a couple of grizzly bears. Pretty much an ordinary night out.† Jasper had told Bella the truth. We would be celebrating our boys’ night out with a hunt. I didn’t need the blood at the moment, but it was still a good idea. If I fed now, then I wouldn’t have to leave Bella to hunt for the first two weeks of our honeymoon. Besides, I only had one more day to remain chaste until Bella and I were married. I did not want to slip-up at this late date—getting out of Bella’s bed would make that a whole lot easier. Running gave me time to think about the last couple of months. As my fiancà ©, Bella had accepted the black credit card with her name on it attached to my account. Like the cell phone, I’d presented it as a â€Å"safety precaution,† but she’d started to use it for other things too, and that had been the point. Bella had quit her job at Newtons Olympic Out fitters, so she didn’t have any pocket money to speak of. I was glad that she’d quit. I preferred not giving Mike Newton the opportunity to gape at and entertain salacious thoughts about my bride-to-be as was his habit. Also, I was happy that we could spend more time together. I didn’t have to part with her company for the three or four days a week she would have worked for what I considered to be spare change. Unless she really liked the job—and I knew that she didn’t—I saw no point in sacrificing our time together. It had been a great summer. The only slight comedown had been the â€Å"father-in-law talk† Charlie had initiated with me. I haven’t encountered many people who could surprise me in the last eighty years, but Charlie was one who could. His mind was so quiet—in the sense of relatively impenetrable to me—that while I could perceive his feelings, I often couldn’t hear the inner dialogue that went with them. I didn’t like the sense of insecurity it gave me not knowing what he was thinking. I was used to having more time to consider how to react to people than I ever had with Charlie. One evening five weeks earlier, Charlie had grabbed my arm as Bella and I were leaving his house for the evening. We’d found a number of private parking spots around the area and we liked to visit them as often as possible. Because he’d surprised me, I reflexively yanked my arm out of his grip at my natural strength. Immediately, he’d put both palms up as if he was surrendering. He’d mistaken my quick reflex as a sign of anger. The interaction reminded me of the television show â€Å"Cops,† in which hooligans whirl around and punch an arresting police officer just on principle. Charlie must get that a lot. I quickly raised my palms to indicate a mutual surrender. I would have smiled if I hadn’t thought Charlie would interpret it as a taunt. Bella had missed our interaction and was continuing toward the car. â€Å"What can I do for you, Charlie?† I inquired politely. â€Å"I was just wondering what your folks think about you proposing to my daughter.† â€Å"Oh, they love her, they really do.† â€Å"That’s not exactly what I meant.† â€Å"No?† I wasn’t going to help him interrogate me. â€Å"No†¦uh†¦I meant what do they think of you getting married right out of high school?† â€Å"Oh! Well, you know they got married quite young themselves. Esme already had Jasper and Rosalie to look after when she met Carlisle. They fell in love and Carlisle wanted to help support the kids, so he proposed when Esme was younger than he might have otherwise. They’ve been extremely happy, so they don’t have any prejudice against getting married young.† â€Å"Do you think you’re old enough to handle this kind of responsibility? That’s my daughter you’re promising to support for the rest of your life. A re you one hundred percent sure that you’re ready for that?† â€Å"I will be there for Bella. I can assure you of that.† â€Å"What if you screw it up and things fall apart?† Charlie pressed. I thought about that for a moment before answering. I knew what he was referring to without having to read his thoughts. â€Å"There are many ways I could mess things up,† I admitted. â€Å"I’ve already made mistakes with Bella. I know that. I wasn’t here for her when she needed me. I swear to you, Charlie, I left because I wanted Bella to have a chance to find somebody better than me. But I found that I couldn’t live without her and so I came back. Jacob might be a better choice for her, but she still wants me and as long as she does, I won’t leave her. I don’t make the same mistakes twice.† Charlie just gave me his dark-eyed, policeman’s stare. I didn’t blame him. He’d watched Bella suffer daily after I abandoned her. Jacob had impressed upon me all the painful details he could summon about that time. â€Å"Jacob’s a good young man,† Charlie finally responded, â€Å"but I wouldn’t want him marrying her at his age, either.† I took another moment to consider my response, and then sighed, knowing I’d never convince him with words. â€Å"The only way to know whether I’ll be good for Bella is with time. I can’t offer you proof, but I love her more than my own life and I will take care of her, Charlie. I just hope that I can make her as happy as she makes me, though I hardly think it’s possible.† Charlie’s stare didn’t change, so I continued. â€Å"If it makes you feel any better, my family is behind us, and you know Carlisle well enough to know that he would never let Bella down†¦even if I did. My family would step in for me. That’s just the way my parents are. They’re great people.† â€Å"I know they are†¦Edward. I trust Carlisle and that’s why I’m not making more of a fuss about this.† I acknowledged his statement with a nod. â€Å"Just so you know, Charlie†¦Bella and I discussed eloping to Las Vegas and marrying without telling anyone. But Bella didn’t want to cut you out of her decision in that way, so we decided to make it a family event.† â€Å"I knew there was something going on!† Charlie exclaimed. â€Å"I had a feeling you two were going to take off together!† â€Å"Bella wants you there to walk her down the aisle, or the stairs, rather. I hope you can see your way clear to do that for her on her day.† Charlie nodded stiffly and I turned to follow Bella to the car. â€Å"That’s a fancy car you got my daughter.† â€Å"Yes, it’s a loaner. Carlisle called in a favor for me. It’s a very safe car.† â€Å"Well, that’s good. You can hardly get a car that’s safe enough to share the roads with all the bad drivers and drunk drivers out there.† â€Å"I agree. Goodnight, Charlie.† â€Å"’Night.† Charlie shut the front door and I saw that Bella was coming back to get me. I hurried toward her. â€Å"What was all that about?† â€Å"Charlie wanted to have a little ‘man-to-man’ talk about his precious daughter, but I told him I agreed with everything he said, so he loves me now.† I grinned and winked at Bella. She didn’t buy it. â€Å"No, what did he really want?† she demanded. â€Å"Tell me, or I’ll march right back and ask him!† I sighed. â€Å"Charlie just wanted to warn me about the dangers of marrying too young and make sure I was knew what I was doing.† â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"I said that I was old for my age,† I replied, giving her a crooked smile. â€Å"You did not!† â€Å"Sure, why not? I am, aren’t I?† I teased. â€Å"Ancient. I should be grossed out being with you.† â€Å"Fortunately, I still look good and that’s what really counts.† We both laughed and, to my relief, Bella dropped the subject. Bella’s mother, Renee, had flown in two days earlier and Bella was sticking close to her except when our mothers worked on the wedding. It was odd behavior for a bride-to-be, but I wasn’t marrying Bella because she was like everyone else. Quite the opposite. When I’d come home two evenings previous, Renee was visiting Esme. In an attempt to demonstrate her acceptance of me as her almost son-in-law, Renee had dashed across the living room and thrown her arms around my neck. â€Å"Welcome to our family, Edward!† she’d said. I thought perhaps she was overexcited by the trip or by meeting my family. I hadn’t expected such an exuberant greeting, though she had no particular misgivings about Bella marrying me. Renee ended the hug abruptly when her arms encountered my cold, hard self. â€Å"Hmm,† she mumbled as she broke off contact. Hard body! was her thought, and I almost laughed out loud. The picture in her mind was complimentary, not lite ral. She was imagining what my upper body looked like without a shirt. I’d already gotten acquainted enough with Renee when Bella and I went to Florida that I knew she didn’t mean anything by it. A cougar†¦just like Bella, I thought, and smiled to myself. It was a little sad to meet Renee again, knowing that this was the last time Bella would see her, or possibly even talk to her on the phone. As I watched Bella over the course of the two days, I sensed that she was saying her goodbyes. If I’d had to give up Carlisle and Esme to be with Bella, I could have done it. I had given them up once before. But it was hard to accept that I could make Bella happy enough to give up seeing her parents. I’d asked her again last night whether she was prepared to do that and her response had been, â€Å"Are you trying to ditch me?† Then we’d started laughing and the question had gotten lost. My brothers and I didn’t get back from hunting until a couple of hours before the wedding. Esme collared us immediately and sent us to the back garden to hang flower garlands for Alice. It had to be done at the last minute or the August day would wilt them. Alice had prohibited me from going anywhere near where she was preparing Bella, so I headed to my third-floor room to make myself presentable. Alice had changed my old-fashioned tux just enough to convert it from â€Å"vintage† to â€Å"vintage chic,† as she put it. It did look good, I had to admit. I tried to neaten my normally unruly hair. I put some hair gel on it and convinced it to lie down in a semi-orderly fashion. After a time, Jasper came upstairs to tell me that the first guests were arriving. He and Emmett would be ushering them to their seats. Of course, Jasper could have told me that from downstairs, but Alice had specifically asked him to come get me, so that I wouldn’t be parading down the bride’s decorated stairway in full view of the guests. I walked outside through the kitchen door, telling Carlisle that I’d be waiting out back. He and Esme were standing by the front door to greet everyone as they arrived. This was the most important day of my life, but I hoped to have infinitely more wonderful days to enjoy with my Bella. I felt exceedingly fortunate that she wanted me as I wanted her. I could have lost her so easily. I heard the Denali clan arrive and recognized Tanya’s mental voice: Where’s Edward? It will be good to see that man again†¦mmm hmm! Who is this human girl? I can’t imagine Edward with a woman, not even a vampire woman. This will be interesting†¦ I smiled, glad to be escaping Tanya’s clutches for good. She’d given me a hard time when we were living in Alaska. She wasn’t used to being told â€Å"no thank you.† Neither vampires nor humans ever turned down Tanya’s advances. She was beautiful and charming, everything a man could want. She just wasn’t for me and she never could accept that. It was one of the reasons Carlisle decided to move our family farther south. He told everyone that we were too conspicuous and perhaps we were, all there together, but I’d had the chance to hear another reason in his mind—that Tanya can’t leave Edward alone. My father empathized when Tanya had set her sights on me. Carlisle had had plenty of pushy admirers. During his first few weeks at a new hospital, nurses would line up three deep to ogle him. He had to temper that initial interest by telling some number of them that he was happily married, thank you. Of course, he wore a wedding ring, but that didn’t discourage everyone. Once people met Esme, though, they usually stopped chasing Carlisle. She was simply too beautiful, inside and out, to compete with. I know Esme had always worried that I wasn’t fully mature as a man when Carlisle had changed me and that I might never find, or even wish for, a mate. It was true that I wasn’t interested in any of the Denali ladies. And after the trouble I’d had with Rosalie when she joined our family, I didn’t expect anything good could come of such interest anyway. When the Denalis met the only bachelor vampire they’d seen in years, each of them had set about seeking my affection. I didn’t blame them, particularly. Perhaps they’d gotten tired of human men and wanted someone more durable to partner with for a change. I could understand that to a certain degree. I didn’t go inside to greet the Denalis or any of the other arrivals. I couldn’t focus on anyone but Bella—it seemed like such a long time since I’d seen her. I was trying to reason myself out of an irrational fear that she wasn’t really there in our house, that she had changed her mind and would leave me standing alone at the altar. If I listened, I could hear her voice now and then, but I couldn’t hear her thoughts and that had never bothered me so much as it did at that moment. To distract myself, I listened at random to our guests’ thoughts and found that everyone was astonished by the decorations. Alice had put her all into planning this wedding and it showed. The flowers alone were beyond imagining. Exquisitely fragrant arrangements covered every surface of our living room and the reception area outside. Alice was particularly fond of flowers. I thought perhaps it was because she’d been deprived of beauty for so many years at the asylum. Whatever the reason, it was a boon for us all. Rosalie had started playing my grand piano, making the one instrument sound like several. I knew that Pachelbel’s Can on in D was my cue to enter the living room with Carlisle and stand in front of the flower-covered archway. He would come looking for me in the kitchen when the time came, so I walked back into the house. In due course, Carlisle came to retrieve me and after a final, heartfelt hug, we took our assigned places in front of the assembled crowd. I stood, frozen with emotion, and watched anxiously for my beloved to appear at the top of the stairs on her father’s arm. I had waited a lifetime to stand in front of these witnesses and declare my undying devotion to the one and only woman I would ever love. Time had stopped making sense when I finally heard the familiar C-F-F-F notes of â€Å"Here Comes the Bride.† I could not believe my eyes when an angel from heaven began to descend the stairs, one by one, her eyes lowered to watch her feet. It was only when I heard her whisper â€Å"Don’t let me fall, Dad,† that I knew for sure it was Bella†¦my Bella. I fretted for a second that my angel might fall and I readied myself to dash across the room to catch her. Seeing the groom disappear and reappear somewhere else would not go over well with anybody, though I reasoned that all of the guests would be looking at Bella, not at me. Still, perhaps we should have served champagne before the ceremony, just in case something like that did happen†¦but then, Bella was descending the final step. She lifted her face, searching for me. When our eyes finally met, a look of such utter joy crossed her face that I broke into an ecstatic smile. Bella’s feelings often were written on her face, but today her expression was utterly transparent. The adoration in her eyes was unmistakable and I was jubilant enough to break out in song†¦almost. Our eyes remained glued to each other while Bella carefully traversed the fifteen-foot aisle that Alice had kept short to give Bella a fair chance of remaining upright. With the way she looked in that dress, with that makeup, with everything†¦the glow, the scarlet blush, the prisms of tears in her eyes†¦I wanted to rush down the aisle to meet her and carry her back to the altar. But I remained patient, stretching out my palm so that Charlie could place Bella’s hand in mine. He regarded me seriously as he did so and I nodded my thank you to him for his great sacrifice. Charlie seated himself beside Renee, with Phil on her other side, and Bella and I turned to face the minister. I loved the traditional wedding ceremony with its promises and pronouncements, but on this occasion, each word resonated with newly unveiled meaning. When I declared â€Å"I do† to my beloved, I’d never been happier in my life. I wanted to repeat the words in every language I knew. My lovely new wife was overcome with emotion. When I leaned over to kiss her for the first time as her husband, Bella’s arms encircled my neck and she held on a s if she would never let me go. The audience had disappeared—she only had eyes for me. I kissed her with a swell of love and tenderness that made my eyes burn with the tears that didn’t come, and she met my passion with her own. Emotion poured from her as she clung to me, melding her lips with mine as if we were utterly alone in that moment. I did not mind in the least. Bella was happy to be married to me—I could feel it in my bones. When the guests began to titter, I eased my love’s face gently away from mine and looked into her tear-filled eyes. I felt my happiness radiate from me like the heat of a coal fire and I wondered briefly if my skin was sparkling in its glow. When Emmett cleared his throat unsubtly, I turned us both to face the loved ones who had gathered there and everyone broke into smiles and quiet laughter. I could not let go of Bella for a second. I wrapped my arm around her waist and practically carried her down the aisle when she forgot to move her feet. Fortunately, they were hidden by the length of her dress. Another detail that Alice had not overlooked. Bella was so stunningly beautiful that I wasn’t surprised to hear a number of inappropriate thoughts as the reception line shuffled slowly past us and on to the buffet. Alice had timed things well, so that the vampires would not have to step outside until twilight, just in case the sun came out. It was good that she did, because we had a beautiful wedding day with plenty of sunshine filtering through the ancient cedars. I was extraordinarily pleased that Billy Black and Sue and Seth Clearwater had come to the wedding. Despite the Cullens’ official status as â€Å"mortal enemies† of their tribe, the three of them were there in support of Bella and Charlie, and perhaps as a gesture of gratitude to Carlisle as well. Seth was there for me, too. Our friendship had not faded since we’d joined forces to battle Victoria and Riley. â€Å"Congrats, guys,† Seth said, coming toward me with his arms out. I hugged him with one arm while I held Bella tightly with the other. â€Å"It’s good to see things work out for you, man. I’m happy for you.† â€Å"Thank you, Seth. That means a lot to me.† Releasing Seth, I faced Billy and Sue with honest gratitude. I knew they were not there for me. â€Å"Thank you, as well. For letting Seth come. For supporting Bella today.† â€Å"You’re welcome,† Billy replied cordially and I hoped his attitude boded well for the change that was coming. I didn’t know how I was going to approach the Quileute wolf pack about Bella’s upcoming transformation. It was possible that if we left the area to avoid their ancient vendetta, that Jacob still would come to hunt us down. He had no motivation to let me change Bella, but I hoped that he and all the wolves would agree to the one exception to our treaty. Billy wasn’t giving anything away with his thoughts, but Sue’s mind was full of concern about being in a house with so many vampires. As the receiving line moved along, the only slightly awkward moment was introducing Tanya to Bella. â€Å"Ah, Edward, I’ve missed you,† Tanya said, pulling herself close to me in an intimate embrace. She lingered a bit too long in my one-armed hug—on purpose. I chuckled at her audacity as I employed one of Carlisle’s tricks for dealing with forward women†¦to press her shoulder away as if to admire the full length of her. â€Å"It’s been too long, Tanya. You look well.† Though Bella would never believe it, her beauty outshone Tanya’s many t imes over in my eyes. â€Å"So do you,† Tanya replied, a familiar note of longing in her voice. With a great swelling of pride, I interjected, â€Å"Let me introduce you to my wife.† Kate and Carmen giggled at the emphasis. My joy at using that word for the first time sang in my words. â€Å"Tanya, this is my Bella.† Bella had been uncertain about inviting Tanya and her coven, but I’d convinced her that as extended family—orphans, to boot—they must be included. I also wanted Tanya there specifically to underscore the point that I was officially and permanently unavailable. â€Å"Welcome to the family, Bella,† Tanya responded appropriately, if not altogether enthusiastically. â€Å"We consider ourselves Carlisles extended family, and I am sorry about the, er, recent incident when we did not behave as such. We should have met you sooner. Can you forgive us?† â€Å"Of course. It’s so nice to meet you,† Bella replied, blushing. I noted the brief flare of excitement among my cousins at the rush of blood before each of them contained it. â€Å"The Cullens are all evened up in numbers now. Perhaps it will be our t urn next, eh, Kate?† Tanya grinned. Kate’s sarcastic sense of humor kicked in. â€Å"Keep the dream alive,† she said, rolling her eyes. â€Å"Welcome, Bella.† Kate took Bella’s hand and Carmen stepped up to add hers. â€Å"I’m Carmen, this is Eleazar. We’re all so very pleased to finally meet you.† â€Å"M-me, too,† Bella stuttered. I thought she was holding up well considering she was meeting my â€Å"relatives† for the first time. â€Å"We’ll get to know each other later. We’ll have eons of time for that!† Tanya remarked, laughing. I enjoyed performing the rituals of the wedding celebration. Alice had ordered a gorgeous, artfully decorated cake, its beauty being the only aspect of it I could truly appreciate. I did not relish swallowing the chunky blob Bella pushed toward my face, but that could not be avoided with such an attentive audience. Flashbulbs popped, capturing the uncomfortable moment for all time. Bella tossed her bouquet to Angela, who blushed puce and carefully avoided the eyes of her escort, Ben, which are six inches lower than her own. When it came time to lift Bella’s skirt and remove her garter with my teeth, she blushed hotly while Jasper and Emmett guffawed at her embarrassment. I wasn’t allowed to venture too far up her dress, since she slid the garter below her knee before I got the chance. Still, it was a fun moment, biting the elastic band and dragging it slowly down her calf. After detaching it from her leg, I stretched the elastic into a slingshot, aiming for Mike Newton’s head. The garter snapped him in the forehead and his mouth dropped open.

Issues of Mineral Based Economies: Nigeria and Botswana

Issues of Mineral Based Economies: Nigeria and Botswana Why do Mineral-Based Developing Economies Face Economic Problems? The Case Study of Nigeria and Botswana 1. Introduction. Mineral-based economies have been defined as â€Å"those developing countries which generate at least 8 percent of their GDP and 40 percent of their export earnings from the mineral sector†. (Auty, 1993: p. 3). Two main categories of mineral-based economies have been identified. These include hydrocarbon producers and hard mineral exporters (producers of ores such as copper and tin). (Auty, 1993). Although one may reasonably expect developing mineral-based economies to witness tremendous economic development owing to their rich mineral resources, this has hardly been the case. According to Davis (1995: p. 1766) â€Å"mineral-based economies rather have development problems than development advantages†. In addition, Davis (1998) notes that economists and political scientists have recently proposed that mineral economies’ growth is below par, despite the mineral windfalls (rents) generated from mineral extraction. The mineral sector has even been classified as a ‘loser’ sector in the economic development race. (Shafer, 1994) cited by Davis (1998). Citing from a recent World Bank conference on mining and economic development, Davis (1995: p. 1765) states that several invited experts noted with concern the historical poor per capita economic growth of the mineral-exporting nations. In particular, participants from mineral-based developing economies were justly anxious about their fate. (Davis, 1995: p. 1765). In addition to fears of the â€Å"Dutch disease† and the â€Å"resource curse thesis† (explanations of these terms follow in subsequent sections), delegates were also concern about the appropriate policy response measures to these issues. (Davis, 1995). This paper aims at explaining why mineral-based developing economies rather face economic problems rather than economic development as one would expect. In meeting with this objective, the paper makes use of two case studies of mineral-based developing economies which include Nigeria (A hydrocarbon exporter) and Botswana (a hard mineral exporter). The rest of the paper is organized as follows: section two presents a literature review on why mineral-based economies rather face economic problems rather than economic development with particular emphasis on the Dutch Disease and the resource curse thesis; section 3 presents a discussion of the case studies making reference to their GDP growth, export revenue from mineral resources and per capita GDP; and section 4 presents some conclusions and recommendations. 2. Literature Review. Much of the literature has attributed underdevelopment of mineral-based developing economies to the Dutch disease. (Roemer, 1985) cited by Davis (1998) The Dutch disease is defined as a situation where an economy highly dependent on natural resources witnesses a decline in economic development as a result of a depletion of the natural resource or a sudden drop in the price of the resource. (Auty, 1993: p. 3). According to Davis (1995: p. 1768), the Dutch disease is a ‘morbid’ term that denotes the coexistence of booming and lagging sectors in an economy due to temporary or sustained increase in earnings. Mineral economies have been identified to generate an ideal environment for the disease given their notable minerals booming sector. (Davis, 1995). Mineral-based economies are characterized by a booming minerals sector at the expense of the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. (Davis, 1995). Ross (2003) suggests that mineral exports may cause economic volatility, inco me inequality, and crowding out of productivity growth in the manufacturing sector, which effects could increase poverty and reduce social welfare. Cordon and Neary (1982) cited in Auty (2001) explain the role of the Dutch disease on the deterioration of mineral-based economies using a three-sector model composed of a resource sector such as oil or other primary product exporting industry, a sector of tradeables, such as the manufacturing and agricultural sectors and non-tradeables. According to the model, a boom in the resource sector has three effects: a spending effect; a relative price effect and a resource movement effect. Looking at the spending effect, Auty (2001) suggests that the increased export revenues increases the demand for both tradables and non-tradables although spending on tradables fails to raise their domestic prices because prices in an open economy are determined in international markets. Consequently, any excess demand is met by imports. (Auty, 2001). Looking at the relative price effect, Auty (2001) suggests that failure to sterilize the increase in foreign exchange will result to an appreciation of the currency, which will in turn reduce the domestic prices of exports as well as those of imports competing with domestic products. In addition, a currency appreciation will lead to a reduction of the rents of the booming sector but may not be sufficient to reduce the sector’s output. (Auty, 2001). Domestic prices of non-tradables will rise with the rise in demand and these prices will neither be affected by the currency appreciation nor competitive imports. This will therefore result to an increase in the prices of non-tradables relative to the prices of tradables, as well as a reduction in exports and an increase in imports. (Auty, 2001). Macroeconomic theory suggests that the national income of a country is positively related to exports and negatively related to imports. The net increase in imports therefore leads to a reduction in the national income of the mineral-based State, which in turn hurts its economic development. Finally, as concerns the resource movement effect, Auty (2001) suggests that the movement of resources between sectors will also affect capital accumulation. Assuming a relatively labour-intensive non-tradable sector and a capital-intensive tradable sector, the movement in favour of the non-tradable sector will tend to raise wages and lower returns to capital thereby reducing capital accumulation. (Auty, 2001). In addition, assuming manufacturing is favourable to growth and that mineral resource booms cause it to decline, the mineral-based economy could experience slower long-term growth than the case would be if it had no mineral resources. (Auty, 2001). To support this view, Auty (2001) cites a number of studies that argue in favour of the fact that mineral resource booms tend to limit the growth of developing mineral based economies. For example, Matsuyama (1993It has also been sugges ted that mineral windfall facilitate irresponsible fiscal and trade policies. (e.g., Gelb, 1988; Ranis, 1991; Ranis and Mahmood, 1992) cited by Davis (1988). The issue as to why mineral-based economies remain underdeveloped is somehow controversial. (Auty, 2001). On the one hand, Mainstream economists have argued that primary commodity exports are the only way that countries in the early stages of development can generate the foreign exchange necessary to pay for essential imports and to service foreign debt. (Auty, 2001). On the other hand, Structurist economists (e.g., Presbish, 1950) cited by Auty (2001) argued that a long-run decline in prices for primary exports is an inevitable result of the increasing use of synthetics, shrinking raw material content of finished products and low elasticity of demand for raw materials. In addition Auty (2001) argues that oligopolistic markets in developed countries indicated that productivities increases there were captured in the form of higher income by workers and owners, while in the developing countries productivity gains were passed on to (northern) consumers in the form of lower prices. What the structurists economists are saying in effect is that mineral-rich developing countries because they lack the capacity to transform their raw materials into finished products often supply these products to developed or industrialized countries at very low prices. Industrialised countries in turn transform these raw materials into finished products and sell them to developing countries at very high prices, which do not match the prices for which they supplied their raw materials. By so doing mineral-rich developing countries continue to face declining levels of economic developing at the expense of developed countries. This idea is consistent with dependency theory[1]. For example, Presbish (1950) cited by Auty (2001) projected a downward trend in the terms of trade for primary products in relation to manufactured goods imported by developing countries from developed countries. In addition, Abubakar (1989: p. 19) describes Africa as a continent locked in an unequal exchange with t he developed world. Being perhaps the richest continent in the world, Africa has been transformed into undeniably the poorest continent. The following is a quote from Julius Nyerere, a prominent leader in Africa: â€Å"Every morning I listen to the B.B.C. to learn the price of the cotton and coffee with which Tanzania earns its foreign exchange. The prices of tractors and other goods we need to buy are not announced; they are fixed by the manufacturers in the Developed World, and we learn what they are when we go to buy†. (Abubakar, 1989: p. 19) quoting Julius Nyerere. 3. Case Studies of Nigeria and Botswana 3.1 Nigeria Nigeria falls in the first category of mineral-based economies identified by Auty (1993) as hydrocarbon producers. Minerals constitute 62.3% of the country’s merchandise exports and 9.6% of GDP and its mineral dependence index is 36 (the mineral dependence index is defined as the mean percentage contribution of minerals to GDP, merchandise exports, and government revenues). (Davis, 1995) citing Kuburshi (1984); United Nations (1974, 1976, 1987, 1993a, 1993c); World Bank (1993). Nigeria’s mineral dependence index of 36 indicates that it is highly dependent on minerals. This is following from Auty (1993) who considers a mineral dependence index of 20% or more to indicate mineral dependence. Nigeria was ranked 19th among developing countries that depended on minerals in 1970. This was based on the ranking of countries according to mineral dependence index in 1970. Based on 1991 rankings, Nigeria still maintained the 19th position and its minerals as a percentage of merchan dise exports had increased to 86.0 percent, minerals as a percentage of GDP stood at 7.6 percent and its mineral dependence index was 46.8 percent. (Davis, 1995). According to Eifert et al. (2002) oil represents an estimated 37 percent of GDP in Nigeria, and 63 percent of consolidated government revenues. The political economy of Nigeria has had an important role to play on how oil resources are managed in Nigeria. The public sector is the principal controller of these resources, which has fuelled the functioning of an extensive machinery of rent seeking a political patronage. (Eifert et al., 2002). Nigeria is characterised by a fragile ‘political coalition’ of diverse ethnic and religious groups with diverse interests. Eifert et al. (2002) asserts that public expenditures in Nigeria are always ratcheted out of control during oil booms, leading to macroeconomic instability owing to the diverse number of ethnic and religious interests that characterise the country. For e xample Eifert et al. (2002) suggest that an estimated amount of $300billion constituting oil revenues has enriched a small group politically and socially influential elite during the last 2 to 3 decades at the expense of the majority of Nigerians who have become impoverished. This indicates that Nigeria has failed to benefit from a general economic welfare from its oil boom because of the selfish desires of a small political influential minority. This situation is consistent with Gelb (1988); Ranis (1991); Ranis and Mahmood (1992) cited by Davis (1998) who attribute poor economic development of mineral-based developing economies to mineral windfalls’ facilitation of irresponsible fiscal and trade policies. Nigeria’s case is also consistent with Karl (1997); Mahon (1992); and Shafer (1994) cited by Davis (1998) who attribute mineral-based economies’ failure to achieve substantial economic development to the entrenched socio-political rigidity and rent-seeking ass ociated with an extended period of mineral extraction. According to Eifert et al. (2002) Nigeria’s economic growth has been stagnant and it is estimated that its per capita income has fallen from approximately $800 in the early 1980s to approximately $300 as at 2002. Nigeria’s failure to grow can be attributed to its government structure. Throughout the military regime described by Eifert et al. (2002) as a period of military dictatorship, the manner in which the oil cycle was managed was solely determined by the federal executive. Government spending was so high that in 1976 it accounted for more than the entire increase in oil revenue. (Eifert et al., 2002). Nigeria therefore faced rising fiscal and current account deficits following a failure of the 1975 oil price rise to bring the budget back into a surplus. By 1981, Nigeria had accumulated huge amounts of external debt, accompanied by capital flight. (Eifert et al., 2002). Increase government spending therefore fa iled to accelerate growth and there was little evidence of an increase in overall welfare that would have been expected during the sharp real appreciation that followed the spending binge. (Eifert et al., 2002). Eifert et al. (2002) attribute Nigeria’s failure to develop to the fact that its potential gains were rather absorbed in the sharply growing inefficiency of a corrupt and progressively more wasteful and distorted economy. Nigeria has made some efforts to adopt a democratic State but Eifert et al. (2002) conclude that the outcomes in the management of Nigeria’s oil cycle in the new democracy are thus so far not very different from the past pattern. This indicates that Political institutions in Nigeria are therefore shaped by a longer history than the current political regime. There is still an excessive an unsustainable increase in public expenditure, with considerable macroeconomic instability, and little to show in the growth and economic development. (Eifert, 2002). 3.2 Botswana. Botswana was ranked 35th in the mineral dependence index for developing countries in 1970. It had 0 percent for minerals as a percentage of merchandise exports, 19.6 percent for minerals as a percentage of GDP and 9.8 for mineral dependence index. (Davis, 1995). Following the ranking based on the minerals dependence index for developing economies in 1991, Botswana was ranked 8th with an 83.0 percent of minerals as a percentage of merchandise exports. Its minerals as a percentage of GDP had also increased to 41 percent and its mineral dependence index was 62.0. (Davis, 1995). Unlike Nigeria, Botswana falls in the second category of mineral-based economies with diamond, copper, nickel and coal constituting the principal hard minerals that it exported. (Curry, 1985). According to Curry (1985), Botswana, unlike other mineral-based economies in Africa that suffer from economic stagnation and political turmoil, Botswana has recorded an economic growth and political stability as a result of its fortuitous endowment of mineral wealth and sound macroeconomic management. Despite this development, Curry (1985) suggests that this growth strategy has produced underdevelopment and economic stagnation in rural agriculture, as well as increasing economic dependency on the republic of South Africa. Increases in mineral revenue has enriched the elite who have joined white farming families as the country’s large scale cattle owners, purchasing land and cattle from savings of relatively high salaries in the mining and public sectors. This situation has created two factions in Botswana. One rich and the other poor and there is an emerging clash between the rich and the poor that could destabilise and threaten an African success story as described by Curry (1985). In effect, mineral revenue in Botswana while it has helped to fuel economic development is threatening the growth of the agricultural sector and has also helped to widen the gap between the rich and the poor. Botswa na’s case is consistent with the Dutch disease which is consistent with the idea that a boom in one sector threatens a recession of other important sectors of the economy. The boom in the mineral sector has helped to fuel a recession in the agricultural sector in Botswana. 4. Conclusions and Recommendations This paper aimed at studying why mineral-based developing economies have witnessed more of economic problems than economic development. Nigeria’s case indicates that the country has suffered from autocratic and fractional democracies that have resulted to a poor management of the revenues from oil booms. As a consequence, mineral revenue has been spent without any fiscal discipline. This has led to the satisfaction of the desires of an influential minority at the expense of the welfare of the greater majority. Nigeria has basically not witnessed any economic development throughout boom in its oil sector. On its part, Botswana has witnessed growth and development as a result of its mineral resources. However, the boom in the mineral sector is hurting the agricultural sector and the situation has only benefited the rich who are using the mineral revenue to take over all land in Botswana for cattle rearing. Like Nigeria, Botswana’s mineral revenue has to some extent benefi t an influential minority. Based on the above, this paper recommends a more democratic regimes in mineral-based economies as well as an emphasis of the importance of all sectors in the economy. Governments in developing countries need to understand the importance of the manufacturing industry. Nigeria for example should be more concern about building its own oil refineries so as to boost its manufacturing industries. In Botswana, the government should implement high taxes on the rich elite so as to help redistribute the mineral income to the poor. Subsidies should be provided to the poor farmers. By so doing, there can be an equitable distribution of land, which will in turn boost the agricultural sector. Bibliography Abubakar A. (1989). Africa and the Challenge of Development: Acquiescence and Dependency Versus Freedom and Development. Praeger Publishers. New York. Auty R. M. (2001). Sustaining Development in Mineral Economies: The Resource Curse Thesis. Routledge. Auty R. M. (2001). The Underperformance of resource-abundant economies. Resource Abundance and Economic Development. Edited by R.M Auty. UNU/WIDER studies in Development Economics. Oxford. Curry R. L (1985). Mineral-based growth and development-generated socioeconomic problems in Botswana: Rural Inequality, Water scarcity, food insecurity, and foreign dependence challenge governing class. American Journal of Economics and Sociology, vol. 44, No. 3, pp. 319-336. Davis G. A. (1998). The minerals sector, sectoral analysis, and economic development. Resource Policy, vol. 24, No. 4, pp 217-228. Davis G. A. (1995). Learning to Love the Dutch Disease: Evidence from the Mineral Economies. World Development, vol. 23, No. 10, pp. 1765-1779. Eifert B., Gelb A., Tallroth N. B. (2002). The Political Economy of Fiscal Policy and Economic Management in Oil-Exporting Countries. Policy Research Working Paper, No. 2899. The World Bank, Africa Regional Office. Lievesley G. (2003).DependencyThe Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Ed. Iain McLean and Alistair McMillan. Oxford University Press, Oxford Reference Online. Tà ©treaul M. A., Abel C. F. (1986). Dependency Theory And The Return Of High Politics. Greenwood Press. New York. Footnotes [1] Dependency theory built upon the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) which characterized the world as divided into centre (the developed, inudstrialised North) and periphery (the underdeveloped agricultural South). (Tà ©treaul and Abel, 1986; Lievesley, 2003). Dependency theory tries to explain the external mechanisms of control exerted by the centre on the periphery. The centre maintained the periphery in a state of underdevelopment for purposes of super exploitation. (Tà ©treaul and Abel, 1986; Lievesley, 2003). Dependency theory therefore indicates that underdevelopment was not an original or inherent condition, it could rather be explained by the historical relationship between the developed and developing world.

Anabolic Steroids Essay -- Drugs, Sports

When you are presented an easier way to achieve a goal its first nature to automatically be interested correct? When you feel overwhelmed with a task and the saying â€Å"you did your best† doesn’t apply to you its safe to say that most people would do anything they can to succeed. Maybe as a child you were instructed by your p.e. teacher to run two timed laps but you found a way to cheat and you only ran one. Imagine having to live up to the expectations of signing a multimillion dollar contract most people would do anything legal or not to make sure that they are not considered failures. It’s considered human instinct to cheat or to take an easy way out when you there is one presented and that is one of the main reasons why steroids are such a problem in sports today. Anabolic steroids, also know as steroids or â€Å"roids† are synthetic versions of testosterone. The word anabolic comes from the Greek word â€Å"anabole† which â€Å"means to build up.† Steroids are drugs that are used to stimulate the growth of the human body. The use of steroids without medical approval is strictly prohibited as congress classified the drug as a controlled substance in the late 1900s. The discovery of steroids came in the early 1930’s. Leopold RuÃ… ¾iÄ ka born in Vukovar, Croatia, was the chemist who created the drug. He received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1939 and is considered one of the brightest biochemists during the 1900’s. At first scientists pronounced the drug as medicine. It was used to help find ways to cure aids, cancer, and other terminal diseases. It was also given to men who have not yet gone through puberty because it was discovered that steroids help produce testosterone. Men who lacked the ability to produce enough naturally were given as a ... ...heir success through hard work and determination have to now worry that they will be perceived as cheaters due to the fact that there are so many athletes on steroids. Sports are all about testing your physical abilities and pushing your body to it’s furthest limits but when you are under the influence of steroids. Your performance is rigged and that eventually will be the reason as to why Barry Bonds achievements are no longer considered. Steroid abuse also hurts professional leagues, after the steroid era in baseball, many beloved fans, retired players, owners, analysts felt ashamed when it came to how baseball had turned into a laughingstock. As a fan I was embarrassed that I believed in and encouraged the athletes who were criminals. I followed their careers and cheered when they broke the records of some of the greatest players in the history of baseball.

The Declaration of Independence :: essays research papers

The Declaration Of Independence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Declaration of Independence includes four parts. The first part is the Preamble, which explains why the Continental Congress drew up the Declaration. They felt their reason should be explained to England. The Purpose of Government is to Protect Basic Rights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This section is about the basic unalienable rights that every human should have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are some of the rights that are talked about in this section. It also talks about how some people have the right to overthrow an unjust government. It states that government should not be changed for light or unimportant reasons. An example of just reason would be if a government was destructive in any way. Another reason would be if a government took away our basic rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Wrongs Done By The King   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the third section of the Declaration Of Independence states all the wrongs the people thought the king of England did to them. The colonists thought the king was treating them unfairly. For example he refused to approve laws that would help the colonists. He also made them pay taxes without their consent along with forbidding trade with other countries. They tried to talk to the king about their complaints but he ignored them. All of this made the colonists very angry. In this section the colonists write that they have had it with Britain’s Tyranny Rule. Declaration Of Independence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the fourth and last section of the Declaration Of Independence.

Art Gallery Essay

In completion of this assignment the art gallery that I chose to visit was Mark Gallery in Englewood New Jersey. When you walk up to the establishment there are floor to ceiling glass windows that allow you to see everything inside. Facing the gallery there were so many colors that enticed you to enter. The arrangements and art work was spaced out nicely not causing clutter. This allowed you to individually take in each piece on by itself. All of the pieces were very nice but the artist that caught my attention was Mr. Mark Oberndorf. Oberndorf was born in New York but is currently residing in Bergren County New Jersey. He is a contemporary realist painter. Since the age of 10 he has been interested in the visual arts. At an early age some of his beginning works were illustrating his school yearbook to painting murals on his elementary school building. From 1995 to present Oberndorf has had art in various group and solo exhibitions and galleries. Currently his work is currently represented by Mark Gallery of Englewood New Jersey and Westwood Gallery in Westwood New Jersey. I found several of his pieces interesting because they were so basic. Not meaning they did not have levels or dimensions but they put me in the mind of simpler times and relatable memories. His pieces display three dimensional effects on a two dimensional surface with natural lighting effects. All painting are created with oil on linen canvass. Such pieces as the â€Å"Wyckoff Train Station†, â€Å"Dairy Queen† and â€Å"Gas† all represent the Bergren County area and parts of New York prior to the gentrification phase. â€Å"Gas† depicts an old two pump station as you would see it in the 1970’s. The piece of the â€Å"Dairy Queen† shows the classic franchise that was shaped somewhat of a barn prior to the new modernized look you may see today. I can remember as a kid having one of these in our neighborhood. We frequently visited it for a Sunday cone after attending church. I could not wait to stand in line for my soft serve on a cone. Lastly the â€Å"Wyckoff Train Station† is truly a classic single standing building not so big on the side of the tracks. Much dated compared to the enormous train stations and subway stations you see in the big cities such as New York. Through viewing these pieces I would think this is his way of holding on to a piece of history, before all common landmarks that held tradition and memories were torn down. Prior to gentrification in many of our communities there were several sites or establishments that were a common thread to our community. Be it the mom and pop store on the corner to the old fashioned ice cream stand. Gentrification has erased these things with more modernized establishments that help to bring economic wealth for some but forces others out of the neighborhoods and communities that they have been a part of for quite some time.

Abortion Outline 3

Why choose Pro-Life over Pro-Choice Thesis: Although convenient, abortions are cruel, and inhumane alternatives to pregnancy. I. What is abortion? A. Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy, either by choice, or for medical reasons. B. There are two possible ways to terminate a pregnancy (pill and in-clinic. ) C. There are also two kinds of abortion. Therapeutic abortion, which the baby is aborted for the safety of the mother, and elective abortion, in which the abortion is performed due to a choice that the mother has made for an unborn child. II. What is life? A.Most people who feel strongly of abortion and religion believe that life is created upon conception. (egg + sperm) B. Viability is when the fetus is 18 weeks old, and can live outside the womb. The fetus can still be aborted at 18 weeks, but if it were outside the womb, it would have the legal rights of a person. C. At three weeks old the fetus’ heart begins to pump blood to the body. III. Why is abortion chosen o ver adoption, or keeping the child? A. Some women feel its incontinent. B. Rape or incest only accounts for less than 2 percent of abortions. C. Since its not mandatory, some women don’t know the alternatives. IV.How is an abortion performed? A. There are 2 ways it can be performed. B. Aspiration abortion is the most common method of abortion. C. The average time for an abortion to be performed is 10-20 minutes. V. What are the legal attributions in an abortion? A. Abortions are 100% confidential (unless the patient is under 18. ) B. Obama’s executive order won’t protect the unborn. C. Since 1973 it has been the responsibility of 7 non-elected judges on the Supreme Court to make decisions on abortions for our nation. VI. Will the mother suffer any complications? A. Post traumatic stress disorder is very common among mothers. B.Many mothers suffer complications if they become pregnant after their abortion. C. 47% of women who have one abortion will have another. VII. Should abortion be illegal or just frowned upon? A. 53% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in some circumstances. B. 22% believe that it should be illegal in all situations. C. Banning abortion, would make it a violation of human rights to some. VIII. Does ethnicity affect abortion statistics? A. African American women are almost 5 times as likely to have an abortion than a white woman is. B. The two main ethnicities that have abortions are Caucasian and African American.C. Most Mexican Americans are Catholic, and Catholics only contribute to 27% of abortions. IX. Abortions aren’t always performed in a safe environment. A. Unsafe abortions kill upwards of 70,000 women each year. B. Africa has the worlds highest maternal mortality (100x more than developed countries. ) C. In Latin America 21% of maternal deaths are associated with unsafe abortion. X. Unborn babies have characteristics of humans outside the womb. A. By 20 weeks fetuses have pain receptors. B. At 4 weeks fetuses can hear C. At 5 weeks the fetus is just a sac of DNA. XI. Abortion is not globally acceptedA. Abortion in Eastern Europe is higher than any other developed country. B. In Russia where abortion is legal 19/1,000 women have abortions. C. Whereas in Poland where abortion is illegal and highly frowned upon, not 1 % of the population has abortions. XII. Differences between pro-life and pro-choice. A. Pro-life tends to be more of a republican base and believe that everyone has a right to life. B. Pro-choice are more of a Democrat base and believe that a woman has the right to be in control over her body. C. Most people don’t know the extent of abortions, and their specific procedures.