Abortion

Since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973 the debates over abortion have not ceased but instead have gotten more contentious with changes in focus and strategies by both sides. Both sides use legal, scientific, as well as emotional arguments with which to make their points and as a result, for many, the issue becomes muddled and confused. Today, your task will be to try to make sense of those arguments. Please blog your responses to the following:

1. The leading organizations on each side of the debate are NARAL-Prochoice America and National Right to Life. Click on the links and explore each of their websites. Look at their explanations of abortion laws, of different methods of abortion, and of current events in the abortion debate. Then, do a comprehensive analysis of each site/organization. Whose arguments were better and why? Which side seems to be winning the debate and why? How does either influence your opinion on the issue?
2. What do you, as a 17 or 18 year old high school student, think of these positions? Should a parent have the right to know if their daughter is having an abortion? Should they have the right to consent to it? Why or why not?
3. Should there be a requirement that the father is notified of a woman's decision to have an abortion? Should he have a right to consent to it or not? Why or why not?
4. Examine Illinois Abortion Laws (Note, these are compiled by NARAL,thus they are spun in a way that supports their position) and describe your thoughts on Illinois' positions on the abortion. Are there Illinois laws that you agree or disagree with? Is there anything in Illinois law that you would change?

Connecticut Case update

Courtesy of Jake G.
See the update here.

Death Penalty #3

Now that you've looked at an individual case study and explored the law, it's time to examine the current status of the death penalty and how it operates. Please follow the steps below and blog your responses to the questions. Your responses can be separate paragraphs or one larger integrated piece.

• Read about the STAGES in a death penalty case. Be sure you understand all of the different steps inolved.
• RESPOND-What aspects of the stages in a capital case are designed to protect the rights of the accused? Do you believe that this system is sufficient to guarantee that only the guilty are convicted?

• Read about the different METHODS of execution.
• RESPOND-Which of these (if any) are the most humane? Should any be considered “cruel and unusual” according to the 8th Amendment? If so which? Why?

• Explore the state by state data found here. You can also see it in table form here, and here.
  Questions to consider as you explore include: Which states have the most inmates on Death Row? Which states have no death penalty? Which state has the most inmates on death row? Are there more blacks or whites on death row? Which state has the most women on death row? Are more men or women on death row? Why aren’t there any statistics for juveniles on death row? Which states currently do not have a life without parole option? What is the most commonly used method of execution in those states that have the death penalty? What is the current status of the death penalty in Illinois? Which state has committed the most executions as of 9/08? Which state has committed the second most executions as of 9/08? Are there differences in number of executions by ethnicity? What method of execution is most common?
• RESPOND-What sorts of conclusions can you draw from this data? What does the state by state data tell us about how the death penalty is used? What regional or other trends do you see? What might this data tell us about issues of equality, arbitrariness,and justice?

• Take a look at the updated CHART put out by the death penalty information center.
• RESPOND-How does the information here influence your previous response? What does this data say about the economics of the death penalty? What does the data say about the influence of race on the death penalty? What does the data say about public opinion for the death penalty? Looking at the information overall, what point of view would you say that the Death Penalty Information center has? Is it convincing? Why or why not? What additional information would you like?

Death Penalty #2

Go to my website.
Open the Death Penalty folder.
Read the Constitutionality of the Death Penalty Document.
Using the document, type your responses to the questions found on the Constitutionality worksheet. You do not need to print either of these out. Let me know if you want hard copies of the reading or the worksheet.
Be sure to use your own words in your responses. You will print out your responses to the worksheet and turn them in for a grade. They are due on Wednesday, 11/10.

Death Penalty #1

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Should Clifford Boggess have been executed?
In responding to this question consider the following:
The aggravating and mitigating factors of his case.
Whether or not you believe people can change. Whether you believe that Boggess did or not.
Whether or not Boggess' life has societal value either as a Christian or an artist.
Wheter or not the victims' families got the justice they were after.

Bullying

Over the last week or so we've been examining the topic of bullying in schools. We talked about the rash of suicides connected to online harassment; looked at several articles about bullying that told stories about several kids who had been bullied, their sometimes tragic reactions, and potential legal consequences to the bulliers; and watched two films, Bullied and If You Really Knew Me. The first told the story of Jamie Nabozny and his fight to overcome the daily physical and mental harassment in school and to hold not just the bulliers but also the school responsible. The second offered a potential solution to bullying by offering students a chance to get to the know their "real" selves. For your blog post on this topic you must:

1. Respond to any of the materials used in class. Be sure to use details from the source.
2. Do some quick research and get an update on any of the cases read about in class. Be sure to summarize details of your story and offer your thoughts on it.
3. Reflect on bullying here at DHS. Is it a problem? If so, for whom? If not, is DHS different than other schools or do we just not see the behavior that takes place (or perhaps do we not define certain behaviors as bullying)?
4. Offer potential solutions. Think about institutional as well as individual responsibility. (You may do additional research to find what other schools are doing (i.e. "Challenge Day") and reflect on those0.

Students and the Fourth Amendment

The Supreme Court in the case N.J. v. T.L.O. stated that while students do still have an expectation of privacy in school, Fourth Amendment rights and requirements are reduced in a school setting. There is no need for a warrant or probable cause, yet the reason for the search and the method must still be "reasonable". The Court in Vernonia v. Acton said that a suspicionless drug test of athletes was constitutional and the Court in Board of Education v. Earls further stated that suspicionless drug testing of those involved in extracurriculars was also constitutional. In class, we debated the merits of a drug testing policy at DHS by sharing evidence from The Student Drug Testing Coalition and the ACLU. Now it is your chance to share your final resolution about this issue. Do a post in which you come down firmly either in favor of or against drug testing in schools. Be specific and use information from class to support your point of view.
Then expand your look at student privacy in schools by exploring a news story about the most recent Supreme Court case regarding student searches found here; A description of a lawsuit filed on behalf of a student whose cell phone was searched found here (you can read about the settlement of that case here); And a recently filed lawsuit against a Missouri school district and their suspicionless searches of student purses and backpacks during lockdowns that you can find here. Then add to your original post or do a second one about one or more of these articles. Work to make links to what was discussed in class.

Freedom of Religion

In our discussions about Park51, there was a definite consensus that most perspectives believed the First Amendment allowed the Islamic Center/Mosque to be constructed at the site. However, in order to fully understand the issue and all of its implications, it is encumbent upon us to make sure we have a clear idea about the state of American society and its law as it applies to the freedom of religion. Much as we did for the freedom of speech, we will be examining the relationships between students and this individual right. In order to do so please follow the steps below.

1. Take a look at the results to the State of the First Amendment survey.
2. Take notes about any results that are interesting, surprising, and/or significant.
3. Go here and read the overview about religious liberty in public schools.
4. Take a look at the right hand column from the link above and choose a topic that interests you.
5. Read the overview associated with your topic.
6. Choose an article at the bottom of the overview that seems important or interesting and read it.
7. Do a blog post in which you reflect on the information from steps 1-6 above.
8. If time, read and comment on the post for the student's blog that is directly under yours on this site.

Let's Blog!

Greetings Issues Students. Welcome to blogging, a world in which you will be able to comment and discuss on the topics and issues from class as well as any other topic that interests you. I encourage you to use it for more than the minimal requirements for class, allowing it to truly represent you, your voice, your concerns and passions.
For class purposes, our primary use of the blog will be as the place to respond to our "outside readings" (more to come later) but we will also use it as a place to engage in dialogue about the issues of the day.
To get started, go to my website (link is also available in the link list to the right) and open up the Let's Blog document. Follow the instructions and start blogging!