The contentious 1983 Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Ireland introduced a prohibition on the provision of abortion within the Irish State. In the decades since, further referendums, court cases, and legislation have tried to adjust and clarify the scope of this provision, in the midst of bitter and angry debate. With the current government promising a referendum on the Eighth in May/June 2018, the debate is growing again. But in the midst of claim and counter-claim, media debates, Twitter rants, and false news fears on Facebook, what are the arguments for retaining or repealing the Eighth? Here, sixteen contributors put forward their positions.
Pros and Cons: A Debaters Handbook offers a unique and invaluable guide to the arguments both for and against over 140 current controversies and global issues. Since it was first published in 1896 the handbook has been regularly updated and this nineteenth edition includes new entries on topics such as the right to possess nuclear weapons, the bailing out of failing industries, the protection of indigenous languages and the torture of suspected terrorists. Equal coverage is given to both sides of each debate in a dual column format which allows for easy comparison. Each entry also includes a list of related topics and suggestions for possible motions. The introductory essay describes debating technique, covering the rules, structure and type of debate, and offering tips on how to become a successful speaker. The book is then divided into eight thematic sections, where specific subjects are covered individually.
Erik Root's book, Sons of the Fathers explores the Virginia Slavery Debate of 1831D1832, conducted in the House of Delegates. This is possibly the greatest debate to have occurred in any southern state before the Civil War. The speeches in this book provide, for the first time ever, an unedited version of that debate where many of the sons of America's Founders deliberated over the necessity of emancipating the slaves in Old Dominion. In August 1831, Nat Turner led the most successful slave rebellion in America's history, killing some 60 men, women, and children. This insurrection provided the historical backdrop to the proposal for a gradual emancipation plan. The forces for emancipation, led by Thomas Jefferson's grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, were defeated in the course of the debate as the members of the House of Delegates rejected that it was a necessity to free the slaves. As a result, rift between what is now Virginia and Western Virginia developed, never to heal. Some in the debates believed slaves had the same rights as every human being. Those who balked at emancipation diminished slavery as an 'evil' and came closer to the view that the slaves were mere property. They affirmed that the slave was property and rejected the natural rights grounding of the Founding. In this collection of primary source material-which consists of the speeches made public to the press and the people-the reader will be able to decide just how close the emancipation forces attached themselves to the 'laws of Nature and Nature's God.' The reader will also be able to decipher how far many Virginians departed from not only the Declaration of Independence, but the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
In a storytelling approach that weaves contemporary examples together with historical context, By the People explores the themes and ideas that drive the great debates in American government and politics. It introduces students to big questions like: Who governs? How does our system ofgovernment work? What does government do? and Who are we? By challenging students with these questions, the text gets them to think about, engage with, and debate the merits of U.S. government and politics.
Award-winning professor and author Matthew Lippman enhances teaching and learning with his newest text, Striking the Balance: Debating Criminal Justice and Law. Organizing the book around clashing points of view on contemporary issues in criminal justice and criminal law, Lippman puts each debate into context for students to help them develop a better understanding of the issue. Designed to develop the reader’s critical thinking skills, the text offers students summaries of contrasting views from original sources, questions for classroom discussion, and engaging “You Decide” activities. Additionally, chapter topics are independent of one another, giving instructors the flexibility to customize the material to their individual course organization. Edited to minimize technical legal terms, the text is the perfect companion to any criminal law or introductory criminal justice textbook.
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908 edition. Excerpt: ... APPENDIX VIII SPECIMEN DEBATE "Resolved, that the United States government should inaugurate a movement to bring about reforms in the Congo Free State." FIRST SPEECH FOR THE AFFIRMATIVE Speaking of the Congo Free State, Professor Hart says, "The whole thing is a scandal and a blot upon the civilization of the twentieth century. Considering the progress of sentiment upon the question of slavery, it is the blackest and most inexcusable case of the bondage of the negro for the benefit of a few white people, that ever occurred." I purpose to devote my time to the consideration of three points: First, that slavery and atrocity must inevitably result from the system by which the government of the Congo State is at present carried on; second, that the actual condition of the natives is slavery of the most wretched and abominable sort, a condition which cannot and must not be prolonged; and, third, that Leopold II of Belgium, sovereign of the state, will not of his own free will rectify the system. Now for my first point, that slavery and atrocity must inevitably result from the system in operation. At the system's head, with the guiding reins in his hand, Leopold rules the Congo State, with its twenty million of inhabitants and its eight hundred thousand square miles of territory, in much the same manner as, before the Civil War, a Southerner ran his cotton or rice plantation. No constitution, no parliament to restrain his action, which is governed only by his insatiable greed. Now, in spite of his unctuous protestations of philanthropy, which sound rather peculiar in the mouth of the dissolute and tyrannical rake which the world knows Leopold to be, his greed is self-evident. He has appropriated every square foot of land not immediately...
An investigation of the literary structure and rhetorical challenge that prompted the book's production. Moller argues that the book of Amos captures and presents the debate between Amos and his eighth-century audience. When read in the light of Israel's fall, the presentation of Amos struggling (and failing) to convince his contemporaries of the imminent divine punishment functions as a powerful warning to subsequent Judaean readers.
