Are Calcium Supplements Really Necessary? Essay -- Health Nutrition Pa

Are Calcium Supplements Really Necessary? Are calcium supplements really necessary, and if so, are they necessary for all age groups? This is a debated issue at this point, and there are facts and studies that have results going both ways. The difficult part is deciphering which studies are accurate, which are applicable to specific groups of individuals, and which are simply ploys to make a profit. But no matter what the conclusions, all studies agree that calcium, in one form or another, is essential for forming and maintaining strong bones. BONE BUILDING AND BONE LOSS First of all, calcium is essential for the strengthening of teeth and bones, muscle and nerve function, and is also a necessary factor for blood clotting. Although most people are aware of this, calcium is severely deficient in most of our diets. As a result, we are experiencing an epidemic of osteoporosis in our society and high blood pressure, which causes kidney and heart damage and stroke. The human body is constantly building and destroying bone mass. As long as it is receiving sufficient calcium, exercise, and hormones, bone building stays ahead of bone loss; osteoporosis occurs in older people when bone loss outpaces their bone building. This was once considered to be an inevitable part of the aging process, but it is now recognized as the most common skeletal disease in the world, leading to debilitating injuries that can have serious complications and even result in death. Factors of this disease include genetics, ethnicity, family history, and body type. (http://www.ghc.org /nwhealth/julaug96/women.html) CALCIUM NECESSARY FOR ALL AGES An adequate calcium intake is essential for all ages. Young children need high doses because th... ...oducts improve bone density in adolescent girls?" School of Allied Health Professions, University of Connecticut, Storrs 06269-2101, USA. Levenson DI. Bockman RS. Nutrition Reviews 52(7):221-32, 1994 Jul. "A review of calcium preparations." New York Hospital, Cornell University Medical Center, NY. Saggese G. Igli Baroncelli G. Annali dell Instituto Superiore di Sanita. 31(4):461-79, 1995. "Nutritional aspects of calcium and Vitamin D from infancy to adolescence." Istituto di Clinica Pediatrica Universita degli Studi, Pisa, Italy. Whiting SJ. Wood R. Kim K. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 9(4):187-92, 1997 Apr. "Calcium supplements." University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. Whiting SJ. Nutrition Reviews 52(3):95-7, 1994 Mar. "Safety of some calcium supplements questioned." University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.

Ethical Issue: Abortion

ETHICAL ISSUE: ABORTION INTRODUCTION The root question to ethics is whether abortion is considered murder or a justified killing? Is it morally wrong and if so, should it be made legal or illegal? There are mainly 2 views towards abortion. The pro-choice regard abortion as acceptable in some circumstances as women should be given a freedom of choice. Whereas the pro-life regard abortion an absolute act of wrong and should be criminalized. Let us first take a look at various approaches to help us better understand and justify both sides of the argument. RIGHTS APPROACHA pro-choice would argue that women have the rights to her life, body and health. Before abortion was permitted, women will either have to carry their pregnancy to term or desperately seek to abort due to various reasons (eg. health, incest, rape, career), thus resorting to unsafe and life-threatening procedures. However, with access to safe and legal abortions, women will have the basic right of managing their own bodie s and the risk of health will be reduced. One example is an article extracted from the National Organization for Women which mentioned the deaths of women who turned to illegal and unsafe abortions. Refer to Example 1) Besides, women have the rights to liberty and thus have the power to exercise their rights to abortion. In the event a woman needs to continue her employment or meet other obligations, she will not be forced to bear a child against her will which can result in misery as it becomes impossible for her to carry out her duties and obligations in the usual manner. An example is from the New York Times Magazine (LIVES – When One Is Enough). A woman named Amy Richards explains why she decided to go for abortion. (Refer to Example 2) In addition, women have the rights to sovereignty.By allowing abortion, women would not be unjustly forced into motherhood which in turn forces them into submissive roles in society. Thus their rights to livelihood and continuation of educ ation and profession will not be depleted. They can have the potential of being on equal status, dominion and power as men. Under the concept of personhood, it is argued that fetuses are not yet born and are not sentient beings. They do not have the capacity to have experiences (eg. feeling pain) and are not yet reasoning, self-aware beings capable of moral reciprocity.Hence, they do not have a substantial right to life yet. However, I feel that fetuses are considered human beings from conception and thus they should enjoy the full moral status of born human beings. It is said that although fetuses may not be persons yet, they have the potential to become one and thus, fetuses should enjoy basic moral rights to life. Hence, the rights of an unborn should not be compromised against the rights of the mother. UTILITARIAN APPROACH On one hand, it is argued that legalizing abortion diminishes the maternal mortality rate of women within the society.Studies have indicated that after the le galization of abortion, it has resulted in a much lower percentage of maternal death rates due to greater access to safer and legal methods of abortion and timely abortions, thereby reducing the risk of health complications. (Refer to Example 3) Besides, timely abortions can be made. Abortions done in early stages (1st trimester) will greatly reduce the fetus’s suffering compared to later stages where the fetus starts developing into a sentient being (capability to experience suffering).In addition, it can potentially reduce the number of unwanted children. In the cases of rape or physical and mental defects of the unborn child, abortion will be the better alternative to reduce the potential physical and mental suffering the mother feels that her child will possibly face in future. For instance, the child suffers psychologically due to his peers teasing his physical defects. Furthermore, it can help diminish the growth of over-populated areas especially in countries like Sing apore. The New Statesman indicated that â€Å"The world as a whole is overpopulated by 2 billion†.A decrease in population can help to reduce the rate at which natural resources are being used and reduce competition for employment opportunities which results in a higher standard of living. However, I believe banning abortion has its benefits as well. A study revealed that women who had undergone abortions place themselves at a higher death risk than women who give birth. A Finland study revealed a 7 fold increased death rate among aborting women resulting from suicide due to post-abortion distress. Besides, it encourages economic growth.Parents will have to spend financial resources on their child for the purposes of education, clothing and food. Due to the increase in expenditure, demand increases, leading to a rise in supply. The overall effect will lead to an increase in the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Furthermore, it encourages population growth in under-popu lated countries such as Australia. This prevents the excessive exploitation of resources such as food, energy and minerals and helps to better maximize the utility of such resources.In addition, in the event that the mother decides to send her child for adoption due to reasons like being financially handicapped, there will be more opportunities for infertile couples to adopt a child. COMMON GOOD APPROACH On one hand, allowing abortion reduces the overall suffering of unwanted children in the society which; can be due to the inexperience and financial instability of the mother. Some children thus remain in the foster care where a sense of loss and overwhelming rejection is developed.It also gives women the liberty to abort the baby based on their right to privacy as they might not want others to learn about their pregnancy. The US Supreme Court found that women have better mental health when offered abortion as an option. This means children who are born are wanted more by their fami ly and thus they will be able to attain a better welfare and education. In addition, abortion has allowed women to have an opportunity to pursue their life and educational goals which they may not be able to pursue after being a mother.Furthermore, legalizing abortion serves to protect the safety of women as now; many will not turn to illegal abortion but instead seek proper medical aborting procedures. Nonetheless, I feel that banning abortion emphasizes on the importance of responsible contraceptive usage and birth control methods which is crucial to help reduce the occurrence of accidental pregnancy.. According to the National Abortion Federation, 78% of teenage pregnancies are unintended, out of which 35% sought abortion.It also increases the awareness of respect for sex. It is important to understand that a woman is not an â€Å"object† for sexual gratification nor is sex to be abused without regard. Thus, banning abortion stresses on the importance for taking responsibi lity for one’s actions. Furthermore, it helps us to better appreciate human lives. A life of an unborn cannot be undermined to the life of a born human. This teaches us to have compassion and empathy towards any human life. VIRTUE APPROACH By allowing abortion, one of the virtues developed is love.Love leads the mother to abort the baby as she is unconfident of being a good mother to the child, thus she rather not let him live a difficult life in the long run. Self-accountability is also developed as the mother has to face possible consequences that could arise as a result of her abortion. (Eg. Depression, guilt) Besides, courage and fortitude is developed as the mother has to confront the reality of abortion and take courage to accept the responsibility of abortion and its aftermath effects (Eg. post traumatic stress disorder).In addition, resilience is developed in the mother throughout the entire abortion process for having the strength and ability to cope with the reality and effects of abortion. This helps them to move on with their lives instead of being overwhelmed with emotional trauma and setbacks. On the other hand, by banning abortion, it gives the mother determination to carry on her pregnancy despite external factors that may sway her decision such as being a single mother and unconfident of bringing her child up singlehandedly.It also develops self-accountability as one has to responsible for one’s own actions. In addition, courage and fortitude is developed as the mother may have to face possible consequences for taking responsibility for the child such as spending more financial resources for the child’s sake. Impartiality can also be developed as the mother is able to be objective in her views and preserve the life of an innocent despite the fact that her child was the result of rape. Self-sacrifice and selflessness can also be developed as the mother decides to put aside her own needs to keep the child.She may have to qui t her current job and terminate all other obligations even though she might not be mentally prepared to raise a child yet. Fore-sightedness is developed as the mother would have to plan ahead of time to provide her child the best treatment possible. FAIRNESS/JUSTICE APPROACH It is argued that if abortion is allowed, everyone will be given an option to abort regardless whether they want to. Since everyone is given a choice, it is fair as it respects everyone’s individual rights.Since an unborn is only considered human when it is a sentient being, it is fair to abort it in its early stages and not treated as homicide. Furthermore, since it is not born yet, it does not possess human rights to life and thus its life should be decided by its mother. Furthermore, it is only fair that the mother has the right and option to decide what to do with her child since it is her flesh and blood. On the contrary, I believe a human life is determined at conception. Hence abortion equates to t he murder of any born human. Thus, it is only fair to grant an unborn an equal right to living as any born human.Additionally it is also fair to grant the baby the right to live as the baby is an innocent party that should not be dragged into abortion as a result of rape, incest, careless or irresponsible acts of humans. PERSONAL STAND In conclusion, multitudes have come to believe that they benefit from abortion. However, they had failed to realize that if a choice needs to be made, it should be done so before conception of the child. There is no real difference between killing a child before or after it is born. In the case of rape, it is true that the mother may not have come to terms ith carrying her pregnancy to term. However, it is important to adopt an objective view. An unborn should not be killed simply to alleviate the suffering of the mother. Moreover, if abortion is so easy attainable, how many would stop to think of the cruelty of taking away a life of an innocent? Now that legal abortion gives women a safeguard, more will turn to it. Since the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, there had been a 64% increase in the number of abortions in the United States. In addition, family values may be distorted in generations to come.By aborting her baby, the mother-to-be will lose part of her motherhood and respect. Legalizing abortion also makes it easier for one to overlook the negative consequences and take abortion for granted. Whereas, banning abortion allows people to think twice before acting and take responsibility for their actions. Therefore, I believe abortion should be banned. (1930 words) EXAMPLE 1 [pic] EXAMPLE 2 [pic] EXAMPLE 3 [pic] REFERENCES Josh Levinson. (2004). Abortion poses great ethical dilemma. In The daily campus. Retrieved 18 May 2012, from http://www. dailycampus. com/2. 7438/abortion-poses-great-ethical-dilemma-1. 067241. Josh Marshall. (2004). The Abortion Dilemma: Legal Isn't Always Ethical. In Ethics s coreboard. Retrieved 18 May, 2012 from http://www. ethicsscoreboard. com/list/abortion2. html Claire Pomeroy. (2008). Abortion and Women's Rights: Unification of Pro-Life and Pro-Choice through Feminism. In Serendip. Retrieved 18 May, 2012 from http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/exchange/node/1845 Amy Richards. (2004). LIVES; When One Is Enough. In nytimes. Retrieved 18 May, 2012 from http://www. nytimes. com/2004/07/18/magazine/lives-when-one-is-enough. html Unknown. (2008). Utilitarianism vs.Moral Duty: Ethical Dilemmas of Abortion. In ivythesis. typepad. Retrieved 18 May, 2012 from http://ivythesis. typepad. com/term_paper_topics/2008/02/utilitarianism. html Abortion Access Project. (2003). The impact of illegal abortion. In ourbodiesourselves. org. Retrieved 18 May, 2012 from http://www. ourbodiesourselves. org/book/companion. asp? compID=100&id=20 Unknown. (2005). When abortion was illegal. In socialworker. org. Retrieved 18 May, 2012 from http://socialistworker. org/2005-2/562/562 _06_Abortion. shtml EI. (2002). Abortion Increases Women’s Mortality Rate. In afterabortion. rg. Retrieved 18 May, 2012 from http://afterabortion. org/2002/abortion-increases-womens-mortality-rates/ Austine Cline. (Unknown). Abortion is a serious ethical issue. In atheism. about. Retrieved 18 May, 2012 from http://atheism. about. com/od/abortioncontraception/p/AbortionEthics. htm Kundan Pandey. (2011). Ethical Issues on Abortion. In goaccess. org. Retrieved 18 May, 2012 from http://www. goaccess. org/ethical-issues-on-abortion. html BrookesB. (2005). Abortion: An ethical dilemma. In writework. Retrieved 18 May, 2012 from http://www. writework. com/essay/abortion-ethical-dilemma

What Is Patriotism How Is It Different from Nationalism

Simply stated, patriotism is the feeling of love for one’s country. Demonstrating patriotism—being â€Å"patriotic†Ã¢â‚¬â€is one of the necessities of being the stereotypical â€Å"good citizen.† However, patriotism, like many well-intentioned things, can be harmful when taken to an extreme. Key Takeaways Patriotism is the feeling and expression of love for one’s home country, along with a feeling of unity with those who share those feelingsThough it shares patriotism’s love of country, nationalism is the belief that one’s home county is superior to all othersWhile considered a necessary attribute of good citizenship, when patriotism becomes politically mandatory, it can cross a line Patriotism Definition Along with love, patriotism is the feeling of pride, devotion, and attachment to a homeland, as well as a feeling of attachment to other patriotic citizens. The feelings of attachment may be further bound up in factors like race or ethnicity, culture, religious beliefs, or history. Historic Perspective While patriotism is evident throughout history, it was not always considered a civic virtue. In 18th-century Europe, for example, devotion to the state was considered a betrayal of devotion to the church.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other 18th-century scholars also found fault with what they considered excessive patriotism. In 1775, Samuel Johnson, whose 1774 essay The Patriot had criticized those who falsely claimed devotion to Britain, famously called patriotism â€Å"the last refuge of the scoundrel.† Examples of Patriotism There are countless ways of showing patriotism. Standing for the National Anthem and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance are obvious ones. Perhaps more importantly, many of the most beneficial acts of patriotism in the U.S. are those that both celebrate the country and make it stronger. A few of these include: Participating in the representative democracy by registering to vote and voting in elections.Volunteering for community service or running for elected government office.Serving on juries.Obeying all laws and paying taxes.Understanding the rights, freedoms, and responsibilities contained in the U.S. Constitution. Patriotism vs. Nationalism While the words patriotism and nationalism were once considered synonyms, they have taken on different connotations. While both are the feelings of love people feel for their country, the values upon which those feelings are based are very different. Feelings of patriotism are based on the positive values the country embraces—like freedom, justice, and equality. The patriot believes that both the system of government and the people of their country are inherently good and work together for a better quality of life. In contrast, feelings of nationalism are based on a belief that one’s country is superior to all others. It also carries a connotation of distrust or disapproval of other countries, leading to the assumption that other countries are rivals. While patriots do not automatically denigrate other countries, nationalists do, sometimes to the point of calling for their country’s global dominance. Nationalism, through its protectionist beliefs, is the polar opposite of globalism. Historically, the effects of nationalism have been both positive and negative. While it has driven independence movements, like the Zionist movement that created modern Israel, it was also a key factor in the rise of the German Nazi Party, and the Holocaust.   Patriotism versus nationalism arose as a political issue when U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron verbally sparred over the meaning of the terms. At a rally on October 23, 2018, President Trump defended his populist â€Å"Make America Great Again† platform and protectionist policies of tariffs on foreign imports, officially declaring himself a â€Å"nationalist: â€Å"A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly, not caring about our country so much,† he said. â€Å"And you know what? We cant have that. You know, they have a word. It sort of became old-fashioned. Its called a nationalist. And I say, really, we’re not supposed to use that word. You know what I am? I’m a nationalist, OK? I’m a nationalist.† President Macron, speaking at the 100th Armistice Day ceremony in Paris on November 11, 2018, offered a different meaning of nationalism. He defined nationalism as â€Å"putting our nation first, and not caring about the others.† By rejecting the interests of other countries, Macon asserted, â€Å"we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what makes it great and what is essential, its moral values.† Pros and Cons of Patriotism Few countries survive and prosper without some degree of patriotic feelings among their people. A love of country and shared pride bring the people together, helping them endure challenges. Without shared patriotic beliefs, colonial Americans may not have chosen to travel the road to independence from England. More recently, patriotism brought the American people together to overcome the Great Depression and achieve victory in World War II. The potential downside of patriotism is that if it becomes a mandatory political doctrine, it can be used to turn groups of people against each other and can even lead the country to reject its fundamental values. A few examples from United States history include: As early as 1798, extreme patriotism, spurred by fears a war with France, led Congress to enact the Alien and Sedition Acts allowing the jailing of certain U.S. immigrants without due process of law and restricting the First Amendment freedoms of speech and the press. In 1919, early fears of Communism triggered the Palmer raids resulting in the arrest and immediate deportation without trial of more than 10,000 German- and Russian-American immigrants. After the December 7, 1941, Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, the Franklin Roosevelt administration ordered some 127,000 American citizens of Japanese ancestry imprisoned in internment camps for the duration of World War II. During the Red Scare of the early 1950s, the McCarthy era saw thousands of Americans accused without evidence by the government of being communists or communist sympathizers. After a series of so-called â€Å"investigations† conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy, hundreds of those accused were ostracized and prosecuted for their political beliefs. An Oakland, California grocery store bears a SOLD sign as well as one proclaiming the patriotic loyalty of its owner. The Japanese-American owner of the shop, a graduate of the University of California, put up his I Am An American sign the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Soon afterward, the government shut down the shop and relocated its owner to an internment camp. Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images Sources Johnson, Samuel (1774). â€Å"The Patriot.† SamuelJohnson.comâ€Å"Nationalism.† Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Plato.stanford.eduBoswell, James, Hibbert, â€Å"The Life of Samuel Johnson.† Penguin Classics, ISBN 0-14-043116-0Diamond, Jeremy. â€Å"Trump embraces nationalist title at Texas rally.† CNN (October 23, 2018)Liptak. Kevin. â€Å"Macron rebukes nationalism as Trump observes Armistice Day.† CNN (November 12, 2018)