PROS AND CONS OF CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES

ProCon.org Promoting critical thinking on controversial issues. Researching hotly debated topics and presenting sourced pros and cons, facts, and expert opinions to encourage nonpartisan education and informed citizenship.

[proconorg]

New Jersey State Assembly passed the Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act with a 41-33 vote, followed by approval in the Senate with a 21-16 vote. Governor Phil Murphy has stated he will sign the bill, making New Jersey the eighth state with legal physician-assisted suicide(PAS). Governor Murphy stated, "Allowing terminally ill and dying residents the dignity to make end-of-life decisions according to their own consciences is the right thing to do. I look forward to signing this legislation into law." The bill, sponsored by 17 Democratic Assembly members and Senators, passed mostly along party lines with four Republican Senators and no Republican Assembly members voting for passage. The bill states that it "permits qualified terminally ill patient to self-administer medication to end life in humane and dignified manner." The structure of the physician-assisted suicide will work similarly to the six other states and DC with legal PAS via legislation (Montana has legal PAS via court ruling and thus no PAS program). Patients are required to be 18 years old or older, have a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less, and be capable of making medical decisions. Matt Valliere, Executive Director of Patients Rights Action Fund, opposed the measure and stated, "New Jersey ought to be investing in better care and support at the end of life, not enshrining this dangerous public policy into law." The law is supposed to go into effect within four months after the Governor signs the bill.

(via Physician-Assisted Suicide to Be Legal in New Jersey - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

Free college programs come in different forms but generally refer to the government picking up the tab for tuition costs, while students pay for other expenses such as room and board. [50] At least 38 states have existing or proposed variations of free college programs. [48] Tuition at public four-year institutions more than doubled over the past thirty years, and the average student loan debt more than doubled from the 1990s to the 2010s, according to the US Department of Education. [29] There are currently around 17 million students in undergraduate programs in the United States. [49] As the 2020 presidential election heats up, many candidates are bringing the issue of free college into the national spotlight. [47] Is tuition-free college an economy-boosting solution to unequal college access and sky-high college debts? Or is tuition-free college a taxpayer burden that will still result in high student debt and drop-out rates? The pros and cons of the tuition-free college debate are detailed below. 

 (via Free College - Top 3 Pros and Cons - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

DST was implemented in the United States nationally on Mar. 31, 1918 as a wartime effort to save an hour's worth of fuel (gas or oil) each day to light lamps and coal to heat homes. It was repealed nationwide in 1919, and then maintained by some individual localities (such as New York City) in what Time Magazine called "a chaos of clocks" until 1966 when the Uniform Time Act made DST consistent nationwide. [8] Approximately 1.5 billion people in 70 countries observe DST worldwide. [26][29] In the United States, 48 states participate in Daylight Saving Time. Arizona, Hawaii, some Amish communities, and the American territories (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands) do not observe DST. [8] As of Mar. 4, at least 44 bills to change daylight saving were being actively considered in 24 states in 2019. [33] 55% of Americans said they are not disrupted by the time change, 28% report a minor disruption, and 13% said the change is a major disruption. [20]

(via Top 3 Pros and Cons of Daylight Saving Time - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

Several lawsuits have been filed against the state, from groups including the NRA, now-underage gun buyers, and gun shop owners who argue that raising the minimum age infringes on their Second Amendment rights. Five other states--California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, and Vermont--have raised the minimum purchasing age for long guns (which includes semi-automatic rifles) to 21, according to Giffords Law Center, while 17 states and DC restrict the sale of handguns to those over 21. There are roughly 393 million guns in the United States, about 120 guns for every 100 people, giving America 45% of the world's total guns (and 4.3% of the world's population). The United States has 2.7 gun-related murders per 100,000 people, ranking it #59 out of 145 countries evaluated. 

 (via New Gun Control Laws Shunned by 13 County Sheriffs in Washington State - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

Of the 72.2 million American women of reproductive age, 64.9% use a contraceptive. Of those, 9.1 million (12.6% of contraceptive users) use birth control pills, which are the second most commonly used method of contraception in the United States after female sterilization (aka tubal ligation or “getting your tubes tied”). The Pill is currently available by prescription only, and a debate has emerged about whether the birth control pill should be available over-the-counter (OTC), which means the Pill would be available along with other drugs such as Tylenol and Benadryl in drug store aisles. Since 1976, more than 90 drugs have switched from prescription to OTC status, including Sudafed (1976), Advil (1984), Rogaine (1996), Prilosec (2003), and Allegra (2011).Proponents say making the birth control pill available over-the-counter would lower teen pregnancy rates, provide contraceptive access to medically underserved women, and ease access to a health-improving drug with decades of safe use.Opponents say making the Pill over-the-counter would raise the cost of contraception for women, pose a danger to teens’ and women’s health by removing the doctor’s visit requirement, and limit what options are made available. Read more background…

(via Should Birth Control Pills Be Available Over-the-Counter? - Birth Control - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

Nearly 11 million American adults use e-cigarettes, more than half of whom are under age 35. [1] One in five high school students use e-cigarettes to vape nicotine. [2] E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid into an aerosol vapor for inhalation. [3] The liquids often contain nicotine (which is derived from tobacco) and flavorings such as mint, mango, or tobacco. [4] Vaping is the act of using e-cigarettes, which were first introduced in the United States around 2006. [5] The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulated e-cigarettes as a tobacco product since 2016. [6] The JUUL brand of e-cigarettes, a vaporizer shaped like a USB drive, launched in 2015 and has since captured nearly 75 percent of the market, becoming so popular that vaping is often referred to as "juuling." [7][8][9] Sales of e-cigarettes are projected to reach $9 billion in 2019. [7] Is vaping the solution to a major public health problem caused by traditional cigarettes and a safe way to encourage adults to quit smoking? Or are e-cigarettes potentially explosive devices that addict kids to nicotine and cause serious health problems? 

 (via Is Vaping with E-Cigarettes Safe? - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

All 50 states and DC allow the concealed carry of firearms. Ten states allow concealed carry without a permit, eight states have some discretion in approving permit applications, and the rest issue permits to all applicants who meet the requirements. 

 (via State-by-State Concealed Carry Permit Laws - Concealed Guns - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

More than 300 Southern California students, teachers, and counselors took a field trip to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley. They joined ProCon.org and the Reagan Library to honor the film The Great Debaters, celebrate Black History Month, and kick off the Great Communicator debate series. ProCon.org's mission to educate on the issues and President Ronald Reagan’s call for "informed patriotism" led to an ideal partnership between the two nonpartisan organizations. Representing schools from Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties were students from Centennial, Dominguez, Smidt Tech, and Apollo High Schools, among many others, as well as foster youth from Penny Lane Centers in Northridge. The day began with an introduction from Anthony Pennay, Chief Learning Officer at the Reagan Library, followed by an homage to debate by Télyse Masaoay, a senior at Vanderbilt University, who told students: "Debate will help us become change-makers, to push back against injustice and fight for the things you care about." Next, Lauren Morganbesser, a senior at Harvard Westlake High School in Los Angeles, and Ronald Thompson, a student at Northern Virginia Community College, debated the pros and cons of felon voting using an abbreviated version of the Great Communicator debate series format. After a short break, The Great Debaters was screened for the student audience. The film tells the true story of how a novice and determined debate team from Wiley College in Texas, a small historically black college, upset the national champion Harvard University debate team. Set in the 1930s during the Great Depression, the movie starred Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, and four young actors playing the Wiley College debate team. After lunch underneath the actual Air Force One used by President Reagan, students returned to watch a Q&A panel featuring talent from the film. The screenwriter, Bob Eisele, and two of the actors, Denzel Whitaker and Jermaine Williams, who played debaters James Farmer and Hamilton Burgess, shared their experiences from making the film. A video of their discussion is available here. Eisele, who grew up in a multi-racial family, said, "I knew young black men and women who were intellectual athletes. And all we saw were sports athletes." He described the tale of Wiley College's debate team as "a great human story… one I was burning to tell." Actor Jermaine Williams said, "This was a time when we didn't have a voice, and people didn't care what we thought." Denzel Whitaker added, "Even in 2007 when we made this project, our voice was just starting to grow, and we're starting to see that now more and more in the media because we're becoming a little bit more conscious." ProCon.org CEO Kamy Akhavan summarized the day's purpose by saying that debate requires skill at thinking, speaking, and listening. He led the audience in a powerful exercise that demonstrated the importance of listening. All of the attending teachers and counselors received a 12-page film discussion guide tied to Common Core standards, created by ProCon.org researchers. This guide was also posted on the ProCon.org website, making it available to teachers everywhere at no charge. A generous grant from the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation allowed ProCon.org to host this event at the Reagan Library, as part of the ongoing Arthur N. Rupe Debate Series in LA. 

 (via ProCon.org and Reagan Library Celebrate Black History Month with The Great Debaters - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

The most recently available data show that about half of undocumented immigrants in the United States are from Mexico and 20.6% reside in California. The most popular occupations are maids/cleaners and construction laborers. Explore more about the countries of origin, states of residence, jobs, gender, and ages of undocumented immigrants. 

 (via Demographics of Immigrants in the United States Illegally - Illegal Immigration - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

CBS rejected a 60-second Super Bowl ad promoting the federal legalization of medical marijuana submitted by the cannabis investment firm Acreage Holdings. The ad features three people with health issues who say that medical marijuana helped them: Austin, a Florence, CO, boy with Dravet syndrome (a type of epilepsy); Greg Kazmierczak, a man from Buffalo, NY, who has had three back surgeries and was on opioids for 15 years; and Ryan Miller, an Oakland, CA, former Army infantry officer who lost his leg due to a combat injury. Acreage Holdings recruited former Speaker of the House John Boehner to its board of advisors in 2018. A CBS Sports spokesperson stated, "Under our broadcast standards, we do not currently accept cannabis-related advertising." George Allen, President of Acreage Holdings, said, "We're not particularly surprised that CBS and/or the NFL rejected the content. And that is actually less a statement about them and more we think a statement about where we stand right now in this country... One of the hardest parts about this business is the ambiguity that we operate within. We do the best we can to navigate a complex fabric of state and federal policy, much of which conflicts." A 30-second ad spot costs an estimated $5.2 million to run during the Feb. 3, 2019 Super Bowl game featuring the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots. The federal government classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, the most restrictive category of drugs that also includes heroin and LSD. 33 states allow legal medical marijuana, and 10 states have legalized recreational marijuana. 

(via Medical Marijuana Commercial Rejected for Super Bowl - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a list of the "Ten Threats to Global Health in 2019" on Jan. 14, 2019. The organization stated, "The world is facing multiple health challenges. These range from outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and diphtheria, increasing reports of drug-resistant pathogens, growing rates of obesity and physical inactivity to the health impacts of environmental pollution and climate change and multiple humanitarian crises." The list includes air pollution and climate change as the "greatest environmental risk to health," with the WHO estimating that 90% of people worldwide breathe polluted air daily, which kills seven million people every year. Air pollution also contributes to climate change, which the WHO estimates will cause an extra 250,000 deaths yearly from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress. The WHO states primary health care "ideally should provide comprehensive, affordable, community-based care throughout life." Many countries have what the WHO called "weak primary care," which the organization hopes to "revitalize and strengthen" in 2019. Also on the list are anti-vaxxers. The WHO defines "vaccine hesitancy" as "the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines," which the WHO says, "threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases." According to the WHO, 1.5 million deaths could be prevented if vaccine coverage improved worldwide. Fragile and vulnerable settings, such as places where there is famine, conflict, or drought, made the list because it impacts 1.6 billion people, about 22% of the global population. Non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, are responsible for over 70% of deaths, including 15 million premature deaths of people between 30 and 69. Ebola and other high-threat pathogens, HIV/AIDS dengue, and an impending flu pandemic are also on the list. And, finally, antimicrobial resistance, defined as resistance to antibiotics, antivirals, and antimalarials, "threatens to send us back to a time when we were unable to easily treat infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and salmonellosis [salmonella]," according to the WHO.

(via Climate Change, Weak Health Care, and Anti-Vaccination in WHO Ten Threats to Global Health - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legalize medical marijuana. The military-appointed National Legislative Assembly approved medical marijuana in a vote of 166-0, while 13 members did not vote. The law will legalize production, import, export, possession, and use of medical marijuana. via: ProCon.org - Thailand Legalizes Medical Marijuana

[proconorg]

On Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, Amendment 4 to Florida’s constitution went into effect, restoring voting privileges to up to 1.5 million people convicted of felonies, which represents more than 17.9% of potential black voters in Florida. In Nov. 2018, Florida voters approved the felon voting amendment by almost 65%, or more than five million Florida residents, which is more votes than any candidate on the ballot received. The amendment states that after felons have completed of all terms of the sentence including parole or probation, restoration of voting privileges is automatic. Once eligible, former felons may register to vote. Those with felony murder or sex crime convictions are not eligible for voting restoration. Before Amendment 4, Florida banned people from voting even after all sentencing requirements were completed. Florida had the country's largest disenfranchised population--1,686,318 people, or 10.43% of its potential voting population. Republican Governor Rick Scott, who served from Jan. 4, 2011 to Jan. 7, 2019, had instituted an application review process to work around the law that could take up to seven years and did not guarantee voting restoration. As of Oct. 2018, only 3,005 applicants of 30,000 were re-enfranchised under Governor Scott’s system. Clarence Office, a liaison for the Department of Veterans Affairs who completed the requirements of his felony drug conviction, registered to vote on Tuesday, stating, "It was an injustice not to be able to vote… I'm a totally different person now -- just like a lot of other people who have come to register." Office brought his friend, Jerry Armstrong, who also completed his felony conviction sentence requirements and registered to vote for the first time at the age of 45. Armstrong stated, "I never voted a day in my life. I feel like I am a United States citizen." David Ayala, who lost his vote at age 16 with a felony drug conviction, registered to vote on Tuesday, stating, "I lost my right to vote before I was even eligible to vote, and before I knew how important voting is." He added that not being able to vote for his wife, Aramis Ayala, the state's first African-American state attorney elected in Nov. 2016, "was a dark moment, not being able to participate in her moment of history… I knocked on doors, made calls, but wasn't able to do the most important thing you can do." His wife added, "I believe in a wider democracy. When a debt is paid, a debt is paid." Ron DeSantis, Florida’s new governor who was also elected in Nov. 2018, stated in Dec. 2017 that the amendment should not go into effect until "implementing language" is approved by the Legislature and signed by DeSantis, which would have pushed voter registration until at least the Mar. 5, 2019 legislative session. DeSantis stated, "It's not delaying it--the people spoke on it. But I think it's got to be implemented the way that the people intended. And I don't think they wanted to see any sex offenders fall through the cracks." It remains to be seen how many newly-eligible people will register to vote. Daniel A. Smith, Chairman of the Political Science Department at the University of Florida, stated, "I'm kind of skeptical that we’re going to see this big jump in terms of new registrations. I think it's going to be a slow trickle, and it's probably going to be realized over the next several years." Individual counties reported spikes in voter registration on Tuesday. 208 people registered in Hillsborough County, for example, a county that registered 612 people total last year. 10 states permanently ban some ex-felons from voting, including Florida, which still bans murderers and sex crime perpetrators from voting even after all prison, probation, parole, and fines. 

 (via Vote Restored to up to 1.5 Million with Felony Convictions in Florida - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

Vanuatu's government launched a vaccine delivery program using drones to reach children in remote parts of the island nation. The country is made up of 83 Pacific islands and only 20 of the 65 inhabited islands have airfields or established roads. Refrigeration, needed for vaccines to remain stable, is also limited, making transporting and storing vaccines difficult. The Ministry of Health and the Civil Aviation Authority got support for the program from UNICEF, the Australian Government, and the nonprofit Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Drone companies Swoop Aero and Wingcopter have been contracted to deliver the vaccines. Swoop Aero drones delivered vaccines to Cook's Bay on Dec. 18, 2018 in the first trial run. Cook's Bay is only accessible by foot or boat, and does not have electricity or a health center. Registered nurse Miriam Nampil vaccinated 13 children and five pregnant women. She stated, "It's extremely hard to carry ice boxes to keep the vaccines cool while walking across rivers, mountains, across rocky ledges. I've relied on boats, which often get cancelled due to bad weather... But with these drones, we hope to reach many more children in the remotest areas of the island." According to UNICEF, one-month-old baby named Joy Nowai became the first person ever to be vaccinated with a vaccine delivered by commercial drone when she received her hepatitis and tuberculosis vaccines. Joy missed her birth vaccinations because her mother would have had to carry her on a 25-mile walk across rugged land to get the vaccines. With the drone delivery, Joy's mother only had to walk 15 minutes from her home. Henrietta H. Fore, MPA, Executive Director of UNICEF, stated, "Today's first-of-a-kind vaccine delivery has enormous potential not only for Vanuatu, but also for the thousands of children who are missing out on vaccines across the world. This is innovation at its best, and shows how we can unlock the potential of the private sector for the greater good of the world's children." The drones will be able to make two deliveries a day, flying up to 62 miles while carrying about 5.5 pounds. Challenges the program faces include whether the drones will be able to fly well during the common storms and high winds, keeping the temperature of the vaccines stable at higher altitudes, and whether the communities will accept the idea of drones, the likes of which most have never seen. 

 (via Vaccines Delivered by Drones to Children in Remote Pacific Islands - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

The term "binge-watch" was first used in 2003 and means "to watch many or all episodes of (a TV series) in rapid succession," according to Merriam-Webster. [1] The phrase gained popularity in 2013 when Netflix released the full 13-episode season of House of Cards at once. [2] In 2015, "binge-watch" was declared the word of the year by Collins English Dictionary, which said use of the term had increased 200% in the prior year. [3] 73% of Americans admit to binge-watching, with the average binge lasting three hours and eight minutes. [4][5] 90% of millennials (ages 20-33) and 87% of Gen Z (ages 14-19) stated they binge-watch. 40% of them binge-watch an average of six hours of television in one sitting. [4] Helen Newstead, Head of Language Content at Collins Learning, stated "The rise in usage of 'binge-watch' is clearly linked to the biggest sea change in our viewing habits since the advent of the video recorder nearly 40 years ago." [3] Is binge-watching a harmless pleasure or a harmful addiction? 

 (via Binge Watching - Top 3 Pros and Cons - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

While 66% of Americans have heard of ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft, just 15% say they have used the services (21% in major cities). [1][2] Before app-based ride-hailing companies came along, riders would wave down taxis on the street or call a central dispatch for taxi service. [1] Taxis are still used by more riders in suburban and rural areas, while ride-hailing dominates population-dense cities. [3] Uber officially overtook yellow cabs in New York City in July 2017, when it reported an average of 289,000 trips per day compared to 277,000 taxi rides. [4] More than 2.61 billion ride-hailing trips were taken in 2017, a 37% increase over the 1.90 billion trips in 2016. [3] Is the rise of Uber, Lyft, and other ride-hailing services a welcome disruption of the taxi industry and a means of boosting human mobility and the economy? Or has ride-hailing produced more congestion, less passenger safety, and contributed to a gig economy that keeps workers near poverty? The pros and cons of the ride-hailing debate are detailed below. 

 (via Ride-Hailing Apps Such as Uber and Lyft - Top 3 Pros and Cons - ProCon.org)

[proconorg]

2018 Midterm Elections In the Nov. 6, 2018 midterm elections, Alabama and West Virginia voters supported constitutional amendments in favor of restricting abortion access. Voters in Arkansas and Missouri supported raises to the state minimum wage. In Michigan, voters supported legalizing recreational marijuana. In Florida, voters turned out to support the restoration of the right of those with felony convictions to vote. Death Penalty On Oct. 11, 2018, the Washington State Supreme Court struck down the state's death penalty, finding that it had been used in an "arbitrary and racially discriminatory manner." There are now 20 states where the death penalty is illegal. Physician-Assisted Suicide In Apr. 2018, Hawaii Governor David Ige (D) legalized physician-assisted suicide bringing the number of states where physician-assisted suicide is legal to seven. Felon Voting Not only did voters support the restoration of voting rights for those with felony convictions in Florida, the felon voting debate was renewed in New York when Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) issued an executive order establishing a process to allow felony parolees to vote. Gay Marriage In 2018, both the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice ruled in favor of gay marriage. Costa Rica and Bermuda both legalized gay marriage in 2018 bringing the total number of countries where gay marriage is legal to 30. Gun Control The gun control debate was reignited in Illinois when rural counties in the state declared themselves "sanctuary counties" in response to the legislature's efforts to pass gun control laws. An Aug. 2018 study published in JAMA found that the United States was ranked 2nd worldwide for gun-related deaths, behind only Brazil. Immigration In Feb. 2018, the United States Supreme Court ruled that undocumented immigrants can be held in detention indefinitely. In June, the court upheld President Trump's travel ban. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) remained in effect throughout 2018 while the lower courts or Congress decide its fate. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict On May 14, 2018, the US officially relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, stoking unrest in Gaza and leading to uncertainty about the role of the United States in working toward a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Marijuana In June 2018, the FDA approved its first marijuana-based drug and Oklahoma became the 30th state to legalize marijuana for medical reasons. Missouri and Utah followed suit after the Nov. 2018 midterm elections bringing the total number of legal medical marijuana states to 33. In 2018, Vermont and Michigan became the 9th and 10th states to legalize marijuana for recreational use. On Aug. 6, 2018, ProCon.org hosted a debate on the legalization of marijuana in California as part of the "Pro/Con at the Pier" debate series at the historic Santa Monica Pier. 

 (via 2018 Year in Review - ProCon.org)