Your Thoughts and Feedback Are Appreciated!

Well another quarter has come and gone!  I have enjoyed getting to know all of you and hearing your opinions in class!  When we started together, most of you hated politics, and now you are ready to go out and change the world!  I wish all of you blessings and success in the future.  Next quarter, for the first time ever, I will not be teaching this class.  I'm not sure how often I'll be posting on the blog, but at the very least, I'll have an open forum for students to post, check-in and stay in touch!

So for our last blog post, I would like to get your thoughts and feedback on the class.  "What did you like or dislike about the class?  What could I do to make it better?"  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, March 25th, 2015.  After that, the blog will be down until class resumes next quarter. Enjoy the break!

Who's Your Daddy?

Last week, we had a good discussion regarding marriage equality, and other rights denied to homosexuals in class.  We also covered the Full Faith and Credit Clause earlier this quarter. You are literally living history when it comes to marriage equality.  President Obama became the first President in history to go on the record in support of marriage equality.  After decades of avoiding the issue, the Supreme Court is heard two cases in 2013 that drastically affected our country’s stance on the issue. For this week’s blog I would like to expand on that issue and discuss adoptions by homosexual couples.

Adoptions laws differ from state to state. Mississippi and Utah have banned same sex couples from adopting. Other states allow second parent adoption by law. Second parent adoption is when one person adopts the biological child of his partner. These states include: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. There are 16 states that definitely joint adoptions by gay couples, which includes: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.  

Opponents of same sex adoptions, often say that children being raised with same-sex parents will have psychological issues, be bullied or teased at school, have unclear gender role models and perhaps even become gay or lesbian themselves. Supporters of adoptions by same sex couples include the National Adoption Center, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Pediatrics, all of which state that adoptions by gay or lesbian couples do not negatively affect children.

The issue of same sex adoption is one that inspires debate across America and will probably be left up to the courts to decide, however one thing is clear: we all want what is best for our children. So my question to you this week is, “What do you think of same sex adoptions? Why do you feel the way you do?” Answers are due by Wednesday, March 18th, 2015.  Just for fun, here's a video I saw recently that I thought proved a great point that love has no boundaries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cen7NhfpMVE 

The V-word Debate

I don’t remember when I first started hearing about the controversy regarding whether or not vaccines cause autism.  I know when I heard Jenny McCarthy say she believed vaccines caused her son to develop autism, it seemed plausible to me.  I’ve never been one to trust the media, big corporations, the government or the status quo.  I also already believed that the pesticides, preservatives, antibiotics and dyes that contaminate our food supply cause higher rates of allergies, including my own.  So the theory of vaccines as somehow harmful wasn’t that much of a stretch for me.  I saw this video narrated by Rob Schneider and it just seemed to confirm what I already thought. Big pharmaceutical companies were putting profits before health and being shielded from penalties by the U.S. government.  You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv_IaLHwgAQ

My sister generally shares my political views, and certainly agrees with my views on the environment and our food supply. So when my sister became pregnant, I asked her if she planned to vaccinate the baby.  She looked at me like I was the dumbest person on the planet before informing me that of course she was going to vaccinate her! You see, my sister is also a scientist. She knows that not vaccinating your kids helps spread diseases, many of which have been dormant or close to eradication for years. I’m no scientist and even I know, in fact all doctors and researchers know, that vaccines have saved thousands, perhaps even millions of lives. The National Institute of Health, the Institute for Medicine, and the Center for Disease Control have all stated that there is no link between vaccines and autism.

As I mentioned last week, I’m leaving for Uganda in a few months, and guess what I’ll be doing before I go?  That’s right – getting all the necessary vaccines I need, so I don’t get sick.  Still….the argument against vaccines just sounds compelling.  So, my question to you this week is, “Do you think there is a link between vaccines and autism? Why do you think this has become such a controversy?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, March 11^th, 2015.  Some of you might have seen Jimmy Kimble speak in favor of vaccines on his show.  Just for fun, check out his response to the hateful backlash he received after he did so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2mdwmpLYLY