abortion laws

Abortion is looked at as a taboo thing to many cultures. So many people consider it as murder and are completely against it. However, there have been many instances in which women get abortions or somehow give themselves abortions and it has led to very dangerous outcomes. The United States has made abortion legal up to a certain stage of pregnancy, but many countries have yet to do this. Countries like Burma where abortion is illegal are facing issues with illegal pregnancies and their potential consequences. Young poor women are getting pregnant and abandoned by the baby’s father, the women have no means of raising he child.

               The only times abortion is legal in Burma is when it involves saving the life of the mother. In other words, if the mother is having complications with the pregnancy, and can lead to both her and the baby dying, then terminating the pregnancy is permissible. However, when it comes to just terminating the pregnancy for other reasons, then there are extreme consequences that may come from it. The legal repercussions from having or assisting in an abortion vary. Some punishments are jailtime and others are just fines, it all depends on the stage of the pregnancy.

               For most abortions done on purpose, the punishment is 3 years of imprisonment. If the mother was caused to miscarry because of someone else causing it, only the culprit will receive punishment, but if both parties were involved then both will. The punishment becomes more severe with the longer pregnancies, punishment can be up to seven or ten years. That amount or years of punishment is the same for people who also kill the mother during the abortion whether it be intentional or not. It’s interesting that the time of imprisonment is only ten years for something that is essentially considered murder. Women who get pregnant and do not want to be, go through some very traumatizing experiences attempting to abort the child.

               A lot of Burmese women will attempt dangerous abortions, and will not even succeed in terminating the pregnancy. Many women will go to people who do not have any actual experience in properly giving abortions, and often will result in the women having to go elsewhere to receive proper care. Most times the expectant mothers are given a combination of things to kill the baby and then perform pummeling, insertion, or abdomen massaging to finish killing the baby. When these methods do not work, the women will cross the border to Thailand to a clinic that will treat them. Some women are in such bad condition that there is no hope for them, and others are able to recover from the failed abortion. This is why having abortions be illegal can have a lot of consequences.

               Even if there is a vast majority of the population who are against abortion, it only makes since to legalize it in order to prevent dangerous at home abortions. Hopefully, with time more countries will realize this and legalize abortion and in turn be able to regulate it better. For now, these women will continue to risk their lives in order to terminate their pregnancies. Abortion policies are much different here, but still have problems.

               In 2007, the United States banned abortions in the second trimester of pregnancy. Even though doctors have said that it is better for the mother’s health to do it during the second trimester. Being that a lot of politicians are prolife, has made it so most health insurances do not cover abortions, unless being done to save the mother. In order to prevent abortions, people need to have better sex education, and better access to contraceptives. However, certain laws have made it quite hard for women to get abortions even within the 20-week mark. When a woman goes to get an abortion, they are forced to take a class that tells them about the negatives sides to getting an abortion. The women also need to have at least two appointments before getting the actual abortion. Which, may risk them not having enough time to get the abortion and potentially having to keep the baby.

               The United States is a country that prides itself on freedom, and pursuit of happiness. However, the United States cannot be all that free, when women are barely even allowed to make their own decision, and lack the same rights to that of a man. The United States needs to take a look at other developed countries and consider the differences and why the United States is behind in some areas, when it is as developed in should be in line with these other countries.

Sources:

https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/federal-and-state-bans-and-restrictions-abortion

https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/types-attacks

What Motivates Serial Killers

In the article, Why do Serial Killer Kill, I learned that most serial killers are so in their own heads fantasizing about their potential crimes that their real crimes are well planned. Not only are they well planned but they rationalized every aspect of their own behavior and do not feel as though what they are doing is bad. They typically choose victims who are strangers, and view as weak. They feel that they need to brutally kill the victim, because they are a menace to society. They usually pick homeless people or prostitutes. This article states how most serial killers are white, members of the lower middle class, and between the ages of late twenties and early thirties. As children, they set animals on fire and torture them. It is also common for these children to have an interest in joining the police force type of positions, or military and security forces to have a sense of authority. This article really stresses on the mental instability of potential serial killers. It taught me that familial issues are not the only reason why people turn to killing.

Psychological Phases is an article that goes through all the phases a serial killer goes through before and after they kill. Before and while killing their victims, the killer’s mind goes through some phases. The first phase is called aura phase, which is when the killer withdraws from reality and his sense be heightened. This phase can last from hours to months up until the murder takes place. This phase can even cause the killer to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs in efforts to stop feeling this way. Next is the trolling phase where the killer identifies and stalks his victims. Then there is the wooling phase where he gains the victims trust before luring them into a trap. The capture phase is exactly what it sounds like. This is typically one of the killer’s favorite moments. The victim is either locked in somewhere or rendered unconscious by a hard blow. The murder phase is next, the killer reenacts similar situations from his childhood the difference being that he is the one with the power this time around. Totem phase is where the killer feels the need to preserve their success. They do this by keeping a souvenir from the murder or pertaining to the murder. They collect things like news clippings, parts of their bodies, eat, wear, and/or show it to there later victims. Some of them even photograph their victims and keep the photos. The last phase is the depression phase. When all is said, and done the killer still feels empty inside and has not escaped any of his old feeling of hatred towards everyone including himself. In order to escape these feeling the killer usually sets out for their next victim quickly.

I read a text called What Motivate Serial Killers to Kill and this one went into a little more depth as to why they feel the need to. The author describes how most people who become serial killers fear rejection, need to feel powerful, and perfect. These fears in turn make them quite insecure individuals, they will not even form relationships in fear of rejection. They are also terrified of being exposed, abandoned, and humiliated. This roots back to their upbringing, being that most of their fathers abandoned them. The texts states how the majority of serial killers have intercourse with their victim pre-and/or postmortem. The need for control causes for the killer to try and prolong the death of the victim in efforts to feel even more powerful, because their life is literally in his hands. For them the only power that truly matters are the one that can cause pain, kill, and destroy. Killing is usually the only way they feel empowerment. The author explains how serial killers think that they are doing a good thing by eliminating people they deem as unclean, and feel the need to continue their work. However, the main reason they continue killing is because they become addicted to it and feel some sort of euphoria each time. Another reason they do not feel the need to stop is because they rationalize their behavior. However, they still understand that there are consequences that can occur by their behavior, and usually avoid getting caught. They feel no sympathy or remorse but are able to simulate it by observing other peoples.

capital punishment

Capital Punishment is a topic of a lot of controversy, but I am not here to change anyone’s minds. I am simply here to drop some basic information that everybody should know before taking an actual stance on the issue. First things first, what is capital punishment? According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, it is death as punishment for a very serious crime. In the United States, the capital punishment varies case by case and state by state. Different states use capital punishment for a variety of different serious crimes. For example, Minnesota has had capital punishment banned since 1911, and Utah has it legal for anyone who commits a capital offense such as multiple murders and so on. Capital punishment is viewed as a necessary evil by many.

               When this topic is brought up, most people are quick to ask, “wouldn’t you want the person who raped and killed your daughter to die?” For many, this is an easy question to answer, and for most the answer is yes. The next question is, if all the other first world, developed countries have done away with capital punishment, why has the United States not? Most of the developed countries would answer, that capital punishment is barbaric and no longer necessary. They see as when killing a person because of their actions behind closed doors does not really deter the general public from committing terrible crimes. However, being that one of the five purposes of punishment in the United States is in fact retribution, there is no possibility of banning capital punishment until that form of justice is gone.

               There are some important facts that everyone must know when it comes to capital punishment. There are a lot of people who feel that lethal injection is too gentle, and that the inmate should suffer more. Others feel as though it somehow makes capital punishment okay when it is done in a humane way, such as lethal injection. What those people do not know is that lethal injection can be painful for the inmate. When an inmate is given a lethal injection, it is typically done by one of the guards and not by an actual doctor. Therefore, the inmate’s height and weight is not taken much into consideration by the guard giving the lethal injection. When the dosage is not high enough or just did not do what it was intended to do than the inmate is subject to suffering. Different people react to chemicals differently and even though they are most likely going to die from the dose, they still may react to it differently. There are three chemicals that make up the lethal injection and one of them is intended to put the inmate in a deep sleep immediately. There have been cases where this does not occur and the inmate is completely aware of what is going on but is paralyzed and suffocating. Not only can it be painful, but it is there is a very real chance of the inmate being innocent.

               Between 1973 and 2015 there were 148 people who were exonerated from death row. Those are too many innocent people that could have died for crime they did not even commit. Studies have shown that the amount of innocent people who have been sentenced to death row is even higher than the amount that was exonerated. It is estimated a 1 in 25 defendants sentenced to death row are innocent. Often times prosecutors are the ones to blame for this. Some prosecutors have hidden evidence that can be beneficial to the defense team. Statistics have also shown that race can influence if whether a not a person is sentenced to death row. When being sentenced, black people will be put on death row more than white people, even if the crime is the same. With all of that being said people will take their chances and side with capital punishment because it is the only way to get retribution for the victims.

               Capital punishment is a practice of ancient times, but people still feel the need for it today. Being capable of feeling empathy for all sides of the situation, have it be the victim, the victim’s family, the offender, or the offender’s family. It is hard to say what decision one will make when put in the situation. Many of us behave differently than we think we would have when put in one of those situations.

Sources:

https://www.aclu.org/issues/capital-punishment

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=130959&page=1

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/execution/readings/history.html

Why some people become serial killers

Serial killings have increased exponentially within a century. Being that populations are bigger and people have better chances of getting away make it easier for people to commit heinous crimes. People become serial killers because they have antisocial personality disorders or other similar mental disabilities.  People believe that there is more to becoming a psychopathic serial killer such as traumatic experiences while growing up, or the environment that they grew up in. In reality it is that some people are born with chemical imbalances in their brain, which make them more likely to have antisocial disorder or borderline personality disorder.

            Antisocial personality disorder is when a person has traits of irritability, impulsivity, and remorselessness. Not all people who have this disorder are psychopaths but the ones who are display a greater lack of empathy and grandiosity (De Brito and Hodgins, pg. 133). According to Personality, Personality Disorder and Violence: An Evidence Based Approach ASPD and Psychopathy are very different however both can cause a real burden to society. People who suffer from ASPD tend to commit crimes, do not keep a job, and harm their loved ones because of the crimes they commit. ASPD combined with psychopathy is what most serial killers have been diagnosed with.

 Only one third of people ASPD are diagnosed with psychopathy, however every individual diagnosed with psychopathy have ASPD. There are certain biological signs that can also show if a person is more prone to becoming a serial killer or not. It all starts with the brain, most psychopaths brain scans’ show low activity in areas related to self-control, empathy, and ethics (Ehrenfeld). Other markers to potential criminality are brain damage, low resting heart rate, being male, gene variants, and a mother who smoked, drank, or both during pregnancy. All of these markers can vary depending on the person and not all people with these traits are psychopaths. Adrian Raine, a college professor, did a study on people with brain scans similar to psychopaths.

In Raine’s study he discovered that there are “pro-social psychopaths” (Ehrenfeld). In other words, there are people who have all of the traits of a psychopathy but can still be contributing members of society. This is supposedly because psychopath’s who have parents who are devoted to them and show constant love and affection, have a better understanding of how people should behave in everyday situations. This theory is flawed because there have been people who come from a good and healthy family and still commit terrible crimes. Therefore, being a psychopath is the only reason why people become serial killers.

In Raven’s article What Creates Serial Killers and Psychopaths: Genetics or Environment? Raven states that “all serial killers are psychopathic, but not all psychopaths are serial killers.”  The things that drive these people to kill is their desire for control and sexual or aggressive drive towards another living, breathing being. Having psychopathy does not mean that a person is crazy or insane it means that they suffer from chronic mental disorders and violent and aggressive social behavior. They feel no guilt, sympathy, or remorse for their actions. This is the difference between psychotics and psychopaths, psychotic people go through a period of psychosis where they do not remember what they do. They can also feel remorse for their actions.

Psychopaths on the other hand can tell the difference between right and wrong but they do not feel as though it applies to them. They view themselves as being above everything including the law, this is due to their egocentric and narcissistic behavior. Over 90 percent of serial killers are white males with normal to bright IQ’s, however even with being so intelligent they are quite unstable. Most serial killers are very charming and manipulative, they can usually persuade people into thinking they actually care. They tend to not learn much from experiences and when from their actions occur they typically turn hostile. In doing so it gives them justification for more violent behavior (Raven).

Taking a look at all those characteristic in turn creates a profile for psychopathic serial killers. There are a few specific traits to look for in potential serial killers. They begin to feel depressed and fail to succeed at anything. They also become socially withdrawn, but display attention seeking behavior. These characteristics do not really explain why they choose to kill but the reason is because they like to have some sort of control of a situation. Psychopaths have the tendency to blame everything on society. When they kill and torture people they feel as though they are getting revenge for what was done to them. This furthers the idea that people who become serial killers do so because of brain abnormalities.