Ethics in Theory and Practice

Sarah Bott
Mrs. Boresen
Expository Writing 6th hour
Ethics in Theory and Practice Essay
5/19/09
Abortion
Imagine a sixteen year old girl with a boyfriend in high school. They had sex and even though protection was used, she got pregnant. She and her boyfriend break up and now she has a decision to make; should she have the baby or get an abortion? Abortion is one of the most debated issues among our society today. It is constantly debated and opinions in America seem to be split. About half of Americans are pro-choice, while the other half is pro-life. There are many reasons a woman might get an abortion such as rape, incest, financial difficulties, goals, age, and etcetera. In relation to this debatable topic, I believe it is ok for a woman to terminate a pregnancy before the third trimester.

Pro-life and pro-choice arguments disagree on several things. Religion plays a large part in ideas about abortion, but I want to come from an ethical perspective. The biggest question is whether or not abortion is murder. Pro-lifers argue that abortion is murder. They say it violates the God-given right to life of a “pre-born child” (Hsieh 1). However, abortion is defined as “the intentional termination of a pregnancy,” while murder is described as “the intentional killing of a human life which is a person.” From an ethical standpoint, if the killing of a human life is not a person, then it does not constitute murder. Some ethicists have a large list of criteria as to what personhood is, but three are necessary pertaining to this topic: they are consciousness, self-awareness, and memory. If the brain is not fully functional, then there is no personhood. Most scientists believe personhood is not developed until the 26th week of pregnancy, but some don’t even consider it developed until a year or so after the pregnancy (Tucker 1). My personal belief is that a baby definitely has developed personhood by the time it is born. If the brain is fully developed, it must be aware of itself. The ethical conclusion of this question is that a fetus is plainly not a person during the first, and possibly into the third trimester so therefore, an early term abortion does not constitute murder.

The other major argument concerning abortion deals with the rights of women. According to the website Christianet, “Today children in the womb are sacrificed to the idols of selfishness, convenience, and so called ‘women’s freedom.’” I disagree with this quote because women should have the freedom to choose what to do with their lives and bodies. Gideon Reich writes about individual rights in response to one of Diana Hsieh’s pro choice articles: “A ‘right,’ as Ayn Rand pointed out, ‘is a moral principle defining and sanctioning a man’s freedom of action in a social context.’ Thus, the freedom of action that ought to be guaranteed to an individual is the freedom to think and act without interference from others in society for the achievement of his goals…... The very first requirement for such a freedom to apply is that the ‘individual’ in question actually be a separate individual in a social context — not a mere potential that is part of another actual individual.”

A pregnant woman has the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy with a clear conscious before the third trimester of pregnancy. Before the brain is fully developed, the fetus has no sense of awareness so an early term abortion is not the same as killing a person. The embryo or fetus is not an individual human being because it is not a biologically separate unit capable of individual actions, like a baby. A baby is a person, while a fetus is an extension of the woman’s body. Therefore, abortion can not classify as murder and it is a woman’s right to decide what to do with her body.

Bibliography

Sarah Bott
Mrs. Boresen
Expos. writing 6th hr.
Bibliography
2/4/09

"Causes of Phobias." Uncommon Knowledge. 2009. 25 Jan. 2009.

Gersley, Erin. "Phobias: Causes and Treatments." AllPsych Online.

"Phobias." Bupa. Feb. 2008. 25 Jan. 2009

Essay

Sarah Bott

Mrs. Boresen

Expos. 6th hour

Phobia Classification Essay

2/4/09

Do you happen to have any exaggerated or unrealistic ideas about the harmfulness of a situation? This is one way to describe a phobia. The feeling of panic in a situation or around an object is a symptom of a phobia. You will also know if you have a phobia if the fear goes beyond normal boundaries, your reactions are uncontrollable in the situation, and you take extreme measures to avoid the object or situation you are afraid of. We all know that there are several different phobias, but phobias are also classified into three different types. The three groups are agoraphobia, social phobia, and specific phobia.

Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces. It is also, however, used to describe fear of being away from home or family. This is mostly because of fear of having a panic attack. When away from home, people with agoraphobia have overwhelming physical symptoms of anxiety. Other fears associated with agoraphobia are claustrophobia, main roads, and public transportation. This type of phobia seems to be more common in women rather than men, and six out of ten people who go to a psychologist for a phobia are agoraphobics (Bupa 2). According to the latest specific phobia statistics, approximately 3.2 million Americans have agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is very hard to treat because so many fears are associated with it. People with this kind of phobia are afraid of being in situations in which immediate escape is not possible or help is not available in the case that the person has a panic attack or is overwhelmed by anxiety (AllPsych 1). A panic attack is an intense attack of anxiety characterized by feelings of impending doom, and trembling, sweating, pounding heart, and other physical symptoms. Agoraphobics usually are very lonely because they tend to stay home a lot or only go to places they feel very comfortable. This can often lead to depression and, sadly, some cope with their depression by turning to drugs or alcohol.

Social phobia is quite different form agoraphobia. Social phobia can disrupt normal lifestyle by intruding on relationships with others and work. Some cases are more sever than others. Social phobia can begin during childhood but the average age for onset is 15 to 20 years of age (AllPsych 1). People with social phobia are constantly worried about being judged by strangers. They are very uncomfortable around people they don’t know and are afraid of embarrassing themselves. Some people with this phobia feel they need alcohol before attending social event for a sort of confidence booster. These people often get very lonely because even though they might have the social skills they need, they avoid social situations. Some people may be afraid of meeting new people, especially potential partners, or could even have a fear like being afraid to eat in front of others (Bupa 2). Having a social phobia makes it very difficult to have any type of relationship outside of their immediate family. People who suffer from this phobia may also have difficulty with their jobs because they don’t communicate as well with other workers. About 5.2 million Americans deal with these problems because of their social phobia. Having a social phobia makes having a normal life with normal relationships challenging.


Specific phobias are the third and final classification of phobias. Within this group of phobias are four types of fears divided up. The four types are animal phobia, fear of the natural world, situational phobia, and blood-injection-injury phobia. These phobias often start in childhood and are more common in women. Because these phobias are simple, people with a specific phobia rarely have any other psychological problems. There are over 350 types of specific phobias ranging all the way from fear of looking up, to fear of snakes. Specific phobias are very common, but it is also common for people to grow out of them. For example, most young children are afraid of the dark but as they get older they grow out of that fear. Statistics show that 6.2 million United States citizens have a specific phobia. Although specific phobias are more common than agoraphobias or social phobias, these kinds of phobias affect lives the least out of the three classifications.


Phobias are separated into three different categories to group their differences. First off are agoraphobics that are constantly worried about having a panic attack. Then, there are people with a social phobia who are scared of any type of social situation. Lastly, are people with a specific phobia that have fears of a certain object or situation other than those that fall under agoraphobia and social phobia categories. It is interesting how people are afraid of so many different things; things that other people, or even the person with the phobia, can not understand. There is not a concrete explanation for phobias. One theory I find interesting is that certain fears were important for survival of the human species thousands of years ago and they are still in our brains today. Other theories have to do with traumatic events during one’s childhood and genetics. Yes, as strange as it sounds, it is believed that some phobias run in families. Over all, these three types of phobia are likely to affect between five and ten people out of every one-hundred, and the best way to get rid of any phobia is to face it.

Extra Credit Visual

Winter Narrative

Winter break is a time every high school kid looks forward to during the beginning of the school year. There are always big plans to be made with friends and a lot of time spent with the family. One of the days I had the most fun on break was the day I met some friends at Winterpark. It was nice to spend time with these friends because I don’t see them much and we have a lot of fun together. Snowboarding is one of m favorite sports and a great activity to do with friends.
The day started out with a long drive through the mountains with my dad. It turned out a light pole had fallen on I70 and traffic was horrible. It took an hour longer than usual to get there and my friends, Rohan and Jason, were getting impatient. After a few hours in the car, we finally reached the resort. It was a gorgeous day and there was plenty of fresh powder from the night before. After taking one run with my dad, I met up with the guys at the bottom of Mary Jane Mountain. They had gotten on the mountain early because they were staying in Jason’s cabin not far from the resort. Along with Rohan and Jason were Jason’s cousin Tom, and his friend Matt. We started the day off taking the Super Gage lift to the top of the mountain. All the guys were on skis so they thought it was funny to attempt to push me over getting off the lift. This type of thing continued throughout the day. They also made me go down the double black diamonds, which is not something I recommend to snowboarders considering the difficulty of the moguls. The guys, of course, thought it was pretty funny. Another funny thing that happened that day was when Rohan launched off a jump in the terrain park and fell in front of everyone. He made it over the first jump but something went very wrong on the second. He ended up losing both ski poles and one ski. When he came down for the landing, he fell back, sat on the ski that he still had, and could not come to a stop for a while. Jason and I watched from the bottom of the hill laughing and wishing we got the crash on video. Once Rohan gathered his scattered poles and missing ski, he came over and laughed with us. Although we thought it was funny, we were glad to see that he was alright. While the rest of the day was fun, that had to be my favorite part. I’ll be at Winterpark with those two again soon so I am sure we will have another great experience.
My day in the mountains with my friends Jason and Rohan is one I won’t forget. Snowboarding is something I recommend to everyone because you are guaranteed to have fun experiences with friends. Winter break is one of the best times to go since you can go up week days when it is not so busy. Snowboarding is probably the best way to spend winter break and I am definitely looking forward to next time.