Korean Immigrants and Refugees in New York

The Korean population in the US is about one million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). This is an increase of 1500 percent since 1970 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Korean Immigrants and Refugees in New York specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Korean immigrants and refugees are concentrated in cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC. New York is the second largest city with Korean population after Los Angeles this is attributed to its earliest link with early immigration of Koreans in the US. In New York, they are mostly found in Northern Boulevard, Flushing and Great Neck. Besides, they concentrated on Union Street on 35th and 41st street avenues in Flushing. Today, Korean population is the seventh largest population in the US (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000) Historical Background The Koreans migrated to the US in three consecutive phases. The early immigrants settled along the West Coast of the US. Mostly, they came to the US as students and farmers. Between 1905 and 1964, among the 600 Korean immigrants that moved to the US were composed of Korean political refugees who rebelled against the Japanese influence in Korea. They attended universities in Columbia, Princeton and New York. The second phase of Koreans to immigrate to the US occurred in 1950 to 1953, this was after the Korean War. It was prompted by strong Korean and US ties (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). The second phase noted more than 15,000 Koreans immigrate to the US. Similarly, the Hart-Celler Act, which the US government enacted in 1965, creating a maximum of number of immigrants at 30,000 per country, further encouraged the immigration of Koreans to US (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). By 1976, the Korean immigrants to the US reached the maximum limit of 30, 000 per year, this limit was maintained by the Koreans through 1980s. From 1980s to 2007, the number of Koreans immigrants in the US had increased. Critical to note about the Korean population in New York is the challenge of mental health. Depression among this population has increased steadily since they immigrated to New York; hence, it has affected their general health. Culture and cultural practices has created the acculturation stress which has amplified diagnosis of depression among the Koreans immigrants and refugees in New York.Advertising Looking for assessment on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Acculturation stress appoints to the difficulties a person faces while adapting to the daily tasks in a foreign environment (Jang, Kim Chiriboga, 2005). Korean population has to learn new language, deal with limited employment opportunities and face intergenerational cultural conflicts within the family. These sources of acculturation stresses have contributed to depression. Immigration stressors such as the loss of fr iends, disruption of extended family networks, traumatic journeys involving risks has played a significant factor for prevalent of depression among the Koreans immigrants and refugees in New York (Jang et al., 2005). Challenges of Koreans immigrants and refugees in New York Stigma towards depression is common. Koreans view that the presence of depression is a sign of weakness on the part of an individual, causing a sense of shame for an individual and the family (Karger Stoesz, 2010). Because of this factor, they feel reluctant to seek Western mental health services until they exhaust all other avenues of intervention (Hovey, Kim Seligman, 2006). This has complicated early intervention of depression. The Koreans seek specialized treatment when depression has advanced than was originally recognized by the individual. The challenge of differing levels of acculturation within the household has been cited by Kim, Kim and Kelly (2006) as a source of stress contributing to depression for immigrants and their families. Korean parents embrace Korean language whereas their US born children speak English with little Korean, thus, language barrier within the family has contributed to family conflicts. Also, the conflict of value difference has increased family suffering and individual psychopathology. Most Korean parents value education, social status, hard work and family ties (Hovey et al., 2006). On the other hand, their children are more interested in American mainstream values. These opposing conflicts have, in way, contributed to depressions among the Korean immigrants and refugees in New York (Karger Stoesz, 2010). Kim et al (2006) note the Korean population in New York has the lowest coverage of health insurance among other races in the US. Hence, this has had a far reaching implication on their mental health status. Although few Koreans work in highly specialized professions, majority of Koreans are self-employed and working in small businesses. Advertisin g We will write a custom assessment sample on Korean Immigrants and Refugees in New York specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These businesses do not guarantee employment based insurance; hence, many of them fail to access state sponsored health insurance schemes. These assertions complicate access to healthcare services through which intervention of depression would have effectively been handled. Strength of Korean immigrants and refugees in New York Despite the mental health related problems, Korean immigrants and refugees have strong family and shared values. Family and shared values help them maintain their emotional status, coping strategies and interpersonal relationship. Similarly, Koreans base their cultural orientation on Confucianism which emphasizes harmony in family and interpersonal relationship. In this context, sacrifice and patience of oneself is critical to family and interpersonal harmony. The Korean community churc hes play a critical role, it helps the Koreans achieve cultural, spiritual and social needs, of which are important in averting depression. The Koreans meet and maintain interactions with fellow Koreans besides helping them to preserve Korean language and culture (Kim et al., 2006). Moreover, the church provides vital information and other services for prospective immigrants so as they are better prepared in adjusting to the life in the US. Thus, these initiatives have been critical in reducing depression among them. Policies Affecting Korean immigrants and refugees in New York The challenge of medical cost sharing in state medcaid program has had far reaching effects on Koreans. The US government has advocated for this policy to enhance quality and efficient services in state run healthcare facilities. Medcaid is a policy where a person is required to pay out of pocket for medication. It occurs in a form of co-payment or copay. Cost sharing transfers the costs of healthcare to pa tients. This action has affected Koreans, particularly those with ongoing health problems or severe depression problems. Similarly, the US government implemented the Mental Health Parity Act in 1996. This act supports financial equity for lifetime mental health reimbursement and compels uniformity treatment limits. It also expands all equity provisions to dependence services. Although the act has been successful over the years until 2008 in providing financial equity, many insurance firms have used flaws in the act by applying disparate co-payments or fixing confines on the duration a patient spent in out-patient and in-patient treatment.Advertising Looking for assessment on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Impact of the Policies on Korean immigrants and Refugees Positive implication of the policies The cost sharing in state medcaid programme has positively transformed salaried Koreans who suffer from depression illness. Through this plan, Koreans are able to pay half of the cost of treatment while the rest is paid for by the state. On the other hand, Mental Health Parity Act has provided financial equity for Koreans who suffers from depression. This policy has ensured parity in disbursement of funds to all US citizens with mental illness. Negative Implications of the policies The policy of cost sharing has affected Koreans significantly. This is because many of them are not actively involved in active formal employments or are not salaried. Therefore, the policy has stressed the Koreans to an extent that those with acute depression complications are compelled to abandon medication, thus, this has amplified the severity of depression on this population. Similarly, the policy has burde ned the vulnerable patients, hence, reducing adherence to medications for depression conditions which ultimately has contributed to poor health outcomes and high costs. Though the Mental Health Parity Act has been instrumental in assisting Koreans access affordable mental healthcare, flaws in the act has made insurance firms to benefit on their behalf. Policy Gap These policies have failed to address Koreans plights in term of understanding their cultural barriers to mental health services, hence, this has resulted in what Hovey et al (2006) call a ‘cultural gap’. The policies formulated should aim at bridging this gap so as to break the stigma surrounding depression within this population. Policy Recommendation Language barrier has hampered communication between Koreans and healthcare givers in addressing depressions on Korean population (70 percent of Koreans speak Korean at home). This has augmented the severity of depression. A policy that will enhance communication will be significant in allowing Koreans with depression challenge to articulate their problems (Kim et al., 2006). Perhaps, the services of interpreters will prove useful in this case. Presently, Koreans face barriers because of lack of information on public programmes such as insurance cover and medcaid. Hence, engaging them directly through affordable and culturally sensitive healthcare options will be useful. Policy Advocacy A policy that encompasses mental needs of Koreans will provide an efficient way in which Koreans can augment their problems. Therefore, to come up with a working policy, all stakeholders need to be involved. Also, Korean immigrants and refugees should identify themselves as part of the American citizens and commit towards addressing the depression as it pertain to them. The issues presented should be brief and factual besides being supported with relevant statistics. This will allow relevant legislations to be enacted. Conclusion Depression has been a major issue of contention affecting the Korean population in New York. Factors such as stigma associated with depression, differing level of acculturation and lack of insurance cover has been noted as contributory factor for the cause of the illness. Despite these challenges, Koreans shared family values and the contribution of community ethnic churches has been significant in sustaining their strength and coping with the challenge. To ensure access to quality health care, the government has tried its best to come up with policies which can aid in preventing mental health problems among the Koreans. Although policies such as cost sharing in state medicare and Mental Health Act has played a critical role in guaranteeing Koreans access the needed intervention of the illness, their high cost and flaws associated with them has augmented the severity of the disease. Thus, policies which grants parity and inclusiveness will be vital in assisting them access quality healthcare and ensure a heal thy population References List Hovey, J. D., Kim, S. E., Seligman, L. D. (2006). The influences of cultural values, ethnic identity, and language use on the mental health of Korean American college students. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, (140), 5, 499-511. Jang, Y., Kim, G., Chiriboga, D. (2005). Acculturation and manifestation of depressive symptoms among Korean-American older adults. Aging Mental Health, (9),6, 500-507. Karger, H.J., and Stoesz, D. (2010). American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach (6th Edition). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Kim, I. J., Kim, L, I. C., Kelly, J. G. (2006). Developing cultural competence in working with Korean immigrant families. Journal of Community Psychology, (34), 2, 149-165. U.S. Census Bureau. (2000). Population Census. Washington, DC: United States Department of Commerce. This assessment on Korean Immigrants and Refugees in New York was written and submitted by user Sue Storm to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Sun Also Rises Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays

The Sun Also Rises Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays The Sun Also Rises The Hemingway Hero Prevalent among many of Ernest Hemingway's novels is the concept popularly known as the Hemingway hero, an ideal character readily accepted by American readers as a man's man. In The Sun Also Rises, four different men are compared and contrasted as they engage in some form of relationship with Lady Brett Ashley, a near-nymphomaniac Englishwoman who indulges in her passion for sex and control. Brett plans to marry her fiancee for superficial reasons, completely ruins one man emotionally and spiritually, separates from another to preserve the idea of their short-lived affair and to avoid self-destruction, and denies and disgraces the only man whom she loves most dearly. All her relationships occur in a period of months, as Brett either accepts or rejects certain values or traits of each man. Brett, as a dynamic and self-controlled woman, and her four love interests help demonstrate Hemingway's standard definition of a man and/or masculinity. Each man Brett has a relationship with in the novel possesses distinct qualities that enable Hemingway to explore what it is to truly be a man. The Hemingway man thus presented is a man of action, of self-discipline and self-reliance, and of strength and courage to confront all weaknesses, fears, failures, and even death. Jake Barnes, as the narrator and supposed hero of the novel, fell in love with Brett some years ago and is still powerfully and uncontrollably in love with her. However, Jake is unfortunately a casualty of the war, having been emasculated in a freak accident. Still adjusting to his impotence at the beginning of the novel, Jake has lost all power and desire to have sex. Because of this, Jake and Brett cannot be lovers and all attempts at a relationship that is sexually fulfilling are simply futile. Brett is a passionate, lustful woman who is driven by the most intimate and loving act two may share, something that Jake just cannot provide her with. Jake's emasculation only puts the two in a grandly ironic situation. Brett is an extremely passionate woman but is denied the first man she feels true love and admiration for. Jake has loved Brett for years and cannot have her because of his inability to have sex. It is obvious that their love is mutual when Jake tries to kiss Brett in their cab ride home: 'You mustn't. You must know. I can't stand it, that's all. Oh darling, please understand!', 'Don't you love me?', 'Love you? I simply turn all to jelly when you touch me' (26, Ch. 4). This scene is indicative of their relationship as Jake and Brett hopelessly desire each other but realize the futility of further endeavors. Together, they have both tried to defy reality, but failed. Jake is frustrated by Brett's reappearance into his life and her confession that she is miserably unhappy. Jake asks Brett to go off with him to the country for bit: 'Couldn't we go off in the country for a while?', 'It wouldn't be any good. I'll go if you like. But I couldn't live quietly in the country. Not with my own true love', 'I know', 'Isn't it rotten? There isn't any use my telling you I love you', 'You know I love you', 'Let's not talk. Talking's all bilge' (55, Ch. 7). Brett declines Jake's pointless attempt at being together. Both Brett and Jake know that any relationship beyond a friendship cannot be pursued. Jake is still adjusting to his impotence while Brett will not sacrifice a sexual relationship for the man she loves. Since Jake can never be Brett's lover, they are forced to create a new relationship for themselves, perhaps one far more dangerous than that of mere lovers - they have become best friends. This presents a great difficulty for Jake, because Brett's presence is both pleasurable and agonizing for him. Brett constantly reminds him of his handicap and thus Jake is challenged as a man in the deepest, most personal sense possible. After the departure of their first meeting, Jake feels miserable: This was Brett, that I had felt like crying about. Then I thought of her walking up the street and of course in a little while I felt like hell again (34, Ch. 4). Lady Brett Ashley serves

It depends on the writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

It depends on the writing - Essay Example On the contrary, you find the same bosses, employers or supervisors advising on safety and against overloading. Despite all the overload, there is little motivation done to the workers as they still the same amount of compensation they get on normal routine. The cartoonist, Rick Enright, has been creating cartoons that especially criticize on industries, motivation, work effort, enthusiasm, delegation and responsibility, weights and heavy lifting which are mostly published on the website: jantoo.com (Enright 1). In his cartoon above, there are two people with uniforms and helmet, representing workers. However, between the two workers, one is adding more load onto the other’s already heed load. At the same time, the one adding the load is giving out a caution that the one being loaded should not to â€Å"over-do it.† The writing, â€Å"SAFETY FIRST† is put here to show how people usually say what they don’t actually mean. This is because, if one was to put safety first, then there was not supposed to be the overloading to the point that some boxes have even fallen. The fallen box shows how the rate of overload to an extent that some cannot be attended to. If we take the loader to be the one delegating responsi bilities, we can say that the cartoon depicts a situation where those who delegate duties usually try to show they care about your safety, so they advise you not to overload yourself. However, in the real sense, it is them; the loaders, or those who delegate duties, who delegate much responsibilities and duties to you. One might wonder whether it true that these people really mean what they say. The main problem here, is that these delegators would like to accomplish targets. By so doing, they delegate excess duties to their juniors to be accomplished within a shorter period. On the contrary, when it comes to the time of giving bonuses, the same delegators do not remember those who really worked hard and deserves the bonus. Instead, those who do not

Banking policy in Burma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Banking policy in Burma - Essay Example The indigenous banks of Burma were not started, until after the county’s independence in 1948.The banks that started operations in Burma during the colonial times, targeted the export trade of rice. They centralized their operations around Rangoon, engaging mainly in Chettiar lending, except a few like Dawson’s bank, which exited Burma after the 1942 invasion by the Japanese (Econ 335 a). Remarkable in the philosophical and the ideological banking profile of colonial Burma, are the exchange banks, which initiated western banking services at Burma. These exchange banks trace their origins to the trading firms of Burma, which mediated the commercial dealings of Burma with the outside world – throughout the nineteenth century. These firms include the Wallace Brothers, which was a remarkable example of the transition from being merchants, towards assuming the role of merchant bankers. By the end of the 19th century, the traders and the merchants that had operated as banks across the British Empire, either converted or left business for international banks. Most of these banks were headquartered at London, including Lloyds Bank and the National Bank of India (Econ 335 a). Most of the banks did not engage in the service of the entire population, particularly the countryside, but focused on the financing of rice trade, among a few other commodities at Rangoon. The finances of these banks were mostly outsourced from outside Burma, particularly London; the banks, later diversified towards the collection of deposits from European professionals, managers, and Burmese and Indian traders. The banking sector of colonial Burma was characterized by trade finance and the sale of bills of exchange. The bill of exchange is among the finance tools that revolutionized international trade during the nineteenth century; the instrument allowed exporters to receive the value of their exports, immediately after the sale of the exports, and in the local currency. The service was offered by exchange banks, which marked a reduction in the risks borne by exporters and importers; it also increased their access to credit. The bills of exchange were a short-term credit instrument, ordinarily 60 days, and not longer than 90 days. Banking institutions like the British banks, concentrated in the provision of financial services, and funding to businesses, particularly European as well as the colonial administration and its agencies. For instance, the Imperial bank offered wholesale financing to Chettairs, thus was an import financier of the Burmese agricultural sector. Despite the dominance of British banks, non-British exchange banks like Citibank started their operations in Asia, during 1812. The bank started its operations at Rangoon in 1919. For example, some Chinese banks arrived into Burma, immediately after the completion of Burma Road, in 1938 targeting the upcoming opportunities (Econ 335 a). There was the rise of Burmese banks, including  "U Rai Gyaw Thoo and Dawson’s Bank†. Dawson’s Bank was started in 1905, with the role of assisting Burmese agricultural players, so that they could free their lands from Indian-money-tenders. The local banks sought closeness to the farmers, so that they would ensure that they would get cheap credit, and, so that the banks would ensure that they used the money for the specified purpose. U Rai Gyaw Thoo was among the first Burmese-operated and owned bank, which grew out of shipping, trading and money lending. There

Friedrich Nietzsche’s Influence on Hitler Essay Example for Free

Friedrich Nietzsche’s Influence on Hitler Essay Friedrich Nietzsche had broached the idea of Ubermensch (translated as Superman) as one of the core features of his philosophy. This idea which set the stage for individualism by touching on concepts of self-surpassing and self-mastery is explicitly propounded in his most famous work, Thus Spake Zarathustra where the protagonist, Zarathustra said: I teach you the superman. Man is something that is to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass man? The Superman is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: The Superman shall be the meaning of the earth! I conjure you, my brethren, remain true to the earth, and believe not those who speak unto you of superearthly hopes! Poisoners are thy, whether they now it or not. Despisers of life are they, decaying ones and poisoned ones themselves, of whom the earth is weary: so away with them! (Nietzsche, 1999: 3) This, together with another concept introduced by Nietzsche, the will to power had triggered in Hitler a narcissistic interpretation of Nietzsches philosophy where Hitler most certainly identified himself, and served as his justification for his concept of racial superiority. Although Nietzsche may not have intended to influence Hitler towards anti-Semitism, it was in his language to which Hitlers distortion could be attributed. His use of the concepts whole-man and half-man as well as master morality and slave morality as means towards the achievement of a new order gave Hitler a ground for his Anti-Semitic ideas. Nietzsche believed that noble morality, in contrast to slave morality, contributed towards the improvement of the race. Nietzsche describes the nobles as people who see themselves as creators of civilization, saviors of the all and protectors of everyone from everything contemptible (Nietzsche, 1999). Meanwhile, the slaves are those who see the nobles as oppressive and themselves, the oppressed, being incapable of production and giving rise to their resentment towards creativity. As Hitler sees them, through their inherently oppressed status, they induce in the nobles a feeling of guilt and resentment towards their own superhuman status, hindering their own productivity and thus, serve as a bar against the realization of their full potential. To him, the salvation of humanity dwells only in the hands of the nobility and definitely not in the slaves. In Mein Kampf, Hitler writes: A human community appears well organized only if it facilitates the labors of these creative forces in the most helpful way and applies them in a manner beneficial to all†¦ In this it must proceed from the principle that the salvation of mankind has never lain in the masses, but in its creative minds, which must therefore really be regarded as benefactors of the human race (Hitler, 1971: 367). Compounded by Hitlers narcissistic interpretation, his identification with the Superman, and his anti-Semitic philosophy, it is not surprising that Hitler would identify himself with the nobles who, applying Nietzsches concept of will to power and Nietzsche’s affirmation of the existence of destroyers of the earth who must be eliminated: â€Å"Poisoners are thy, whether they now it or not. Despisers of life are they, decaying ones and poisoned ones themselves, of whom the earth is weary: so away with them! (Nietzsche, 1999: 3) must have felt the urge to cleanse the race from such impurities as the slaves who prevent the human race from reaching the zenith of civilization and whom he most likely associated with the Jews. His determination of the nobles and slaves in the real world can be best demonstrated in Mein Kampf: The most unbeautiful thing there can be in human life is and remains the yoke of slavery. Or do these schwabing [? ] decadents view the present lot of the German people as aesthetic? Certainly we dont have to discuss these matters with the Jews, the most modern inventors of this cultural perfume. Their whole existence is an embodied protest against the aesthetics of the lords image (Hitler, 1971; 154). In Hitlers mind, this facilitation of the labor of creative forces involves mass killings to an end of racial extinction. For Nietzsche, it is the Superman who would create a new morality in order to harness the will to power and destroy slave moralities. He believes that with an increase in greatness in a man, there is a contemporaneous increase in his wickedness and terribleness. This is justified because such increase in wickedness and terribleness are the only means to bring the status of humanity to a higher state; a means to surpass himself; to move away from the lesser creature that he was; as consistent with the purpose of the Superman. In Thus Spake Zarathustra, Nietzsche, through his protagonist said: Man is something that is to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass man? All beings hitherto have created something beyond themselves: and you want to be the ebb of that great tide, and would rather go back to the beast than surpass man? What is the ape to man? A laughing-stock, a thing of shame. And just the same shall man be to the Superman: a laughing-stock, a thing of shame (Nietzsche, 1999: 3). If it is true that Hitler was influenced by Nietzsche’s writings, Hitler read Nietzsche’s â€Å"terribleness† to mean the need for brutality and destruction in order to refine humanity and remove all traces of imperfection to achieve a race of Superhumans. Humanity can only be cleansed of imperfection if such lesser human beings are prevented from interbreeding, propagating their genes to allow further continuance of the slave line, To Hitler, this is the only means to which a Superman, that is, referring to himself, can rule the world. In Mein Kampf, he says: †¦when the highest type of man has previously conquered and subjected the world to an extent that makes him the sole ruler of the earth (Hitler, 1971: 288). Extermination, then, becomes an essential element for the realization of Hitler’s utopia. He, in his own hands sought the application of Darwin’s evolution by ruthlessly eliminating his â€Å"weaker† and â€Å"lower† human beings. According to him: â€Å"Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live (Hitler, 1971: 289). † That said, for Hitler, mass killings and the use of violence can be justified if only for the purpose of saving mankind from the slaves who are the sole source of its degeneration, that is, those who lack the motivation for self-preservation and those who impose guilt on the nobles by perpetually seeking others help. His resolve was characterized by alienating any manifestation of slavery by exterminating them. It cannot be gainsaid that Hitler used Nietzsche’s philosophy to justify his own. What Hitler had done however, cannot in any way be imputed to Nietzsche. Reading all of Nietzsche’s works as a whole, one cannot help but doubt whether Nietzsche truly shared whatever anti-Semitic sentiments that prevailed during their time. At most, the resultant justification that Hitler was able to get hold of from Nietzsche was merely a product of his megalomaniacal search for an intelligent bearing to support his propaganda and to further cultivate his delusions of grandeur and personal hatred against specific races, accepting what phrases that apply to his vision and rejecting those that did not. Works Cited Hitler, A. (1924). Mein Kampf (James Murphy, Trans. ): NL: Fredonia Books. (Original work published 1927-1927). Nietzsche, F. (1999). Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Thomas Common, Trans. ): New York: Dover Publications. (Original Work published 1883-1885).

Lance Armstrong and Overcoming Obstacles Essay -- Expository Essays Re

Pedaling strong through the Pyrenees Mountains at remarkable speed, Lance Armstrong approached the tenth stage of the Tour de France. Beginning at an elevation of thirty-three feet above sea level, Armstrong was in sixteenth position with five minutes and fifty-four seconds separating him and the leader. For many this would be an insurmountable amount of time to makeup, especially on a stage containing such a grueling and exhausting climb, but Armstrong saw it as an opportunity to put his great mountain-climbing skills to work (Stein 60). Pacing himself through the majority of the stage, he remained well behind the leader. Then it happened; he reached the horrendous Mount Hautacam, and began his "eight-mile sprint through the rain and up the Pyrenees" (Thomsen 45; Stein 60). Each mount... ... * Stein, Joel. "Uphill Racer." Time 24 July 2000: 60. * Sterling, Michael & Associates. Lance Armstrong Online. Feb. 2003. 9 Mar. 2003 <http://lancearmstrong.com/lance/online2.nsf/html/bio>. * Thomsen, Ian. "Heavenly Ascent." Sports Illustrated 24 July 2000: 42+. * Vecsey, Laura. "Armstrong's Uphill Climb is Far More Than a Bike Ride; Cycling." The Baltimore Sun 20 Dec. 2002: 1D. Â  

Condom Availability in High Schools Essay

In 1991 the New York City Board of Education created a program to make condoms accessible to all high school students upon request. The program caused parental disagreement and the school board was taken to court. Parents claimed that making condoms available to students was a health service and could not be provided to students. The board argued that the condom plan was not a medical service. They explained it was one part of a comprehensive educational program that did not require direct parental consent. The school board lost the case. The program may have survived had the case been heard by the New York State Supreme Court â€Å"Massachusetts is the most significant, it is the highest court to address the issue, and it rejects,†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ the claim that condom availability interferes with parental liberties† (Karen Mahler). In 1977 the United States denied a New York State Law prohibiting the distribution or sale of non-prescription contraceptives to teens under the age of 16. The United States Supreme Court seems to have support for the condom availability program. With teen pregnancy rates and the number of STD’s reported in teens on the rise, schools are beginning to realize that the parents are not doing their job when it comes to sexual education. The school system already has classes on sexual education; these classes are based mainly on human anatomy. Most schools do not teach their students about relationships, morals, respect, self-discipline, self-respect, and most importantly contraceptives. Everyday students engage in sexual activity, many of them without condoms. This simple act jeopardizes these students’ futures and possibly their lives. An increasing amount of school systems are starting to combine messages involving abstinence from sexual activity, and expanding availability of contraceptives, especially condoms. Schools are now stepping in to further equip their students for life. The distribution of condoms in public high schools will lower the rate of pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers. Eighty percent of teen mothers end up in poverty for long periods of time due to the fact that they never finished high school. They become financially dependent on programs such as Welfare and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children). Welfare provides money and food stamps for low-income families. WIC provides milk, cheese, eggs, cereals, fruit juices, dried beans or peas, peanut butter and infant formula for all participants. WIC also provides nutritional education and health care referrals at no cost. Programs such as these help millions of families every year. Considering the fact that the majority of teens will participate in sexual activity, Sex Ed should focus more on methods of contraception and less on abstinence. Giving adolescents more information about sex and making condoms more available are ways to cut the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The condom is the only type of birth control that protects against the transmission of STD’s when properly used. Experts say the lack of knowledge on how to use a condom correctly and the lack of motivation to use a condom every time means that condoms fail more often. This could result in pregnancy or the contraction of STD’s. Teenagers reuse condoms or they use it with a petroleum-based lubricant which can dissolve the condom’s latex. Birth control products are only effective if used properly. Rates of failure for condoms are between 2 percent and 14 percent. Inexperienced users make up a larger percentage of failure rates because of improper use. This failure rate is also due to inconsistent use among teenagers. With the proper knowledge and training students can effectively use a condom to protect themselves. Health Resource Centers, or HRC’s are centers located in middle and high schools promoting safe sex. HRC’s provide reproductive health inf ormation, condoms, and general health referrals to students. All students in the participating schools are taught about the importance of abstinence, but they are provided with condoms if they choose to be sexually active. Trained staff members and volunteers, including health professionals, educators, nurses, psychologists and graduate interns provide counseling for students upon request. Students attending the junior high school also have access to condoms; however; counseling is mandatory for these students before they can receive condoms. Informational brochures can be obtained in the nurses’ office. Students are also able purchase condoms from vending machines located in remote places throughout the school. The HRC’s have large levels of administrative and staff support for its objectives. Students who used the program generally viewed the services they received favorably. Expanded condom availability, when accompanied with the proper education and information about safer sex, will decrease the amount of unprotected sexual encounters and the spread of sexually transmitted disease. Making love is not something to play around with. When people decide to do it, they make a life and deat h decision. If they contract an STD they risk their life for death. And if a woman gets pregnant, the woman is not guaranteed to live through it (although chances are that she will), and the child is not guaranteed to live for many reasons including abortion. Shouldn’t steps be taken to educate teenagers about what they are getting into before schools start handing out condoms? This would be a better way to prevent the spread of pregnancies and of STD’s and H.I.V. If teenagers do not have sex to begin with the risk of infection goes down because, condoms are not 100% effective. However, it is known that regardless of the consequences or risks, teens will partake in sexual inter course, it is the teacher’s job to help educate how to have safer sex. If the students know more about the risks, then they can make an educated decision about sex, and then it will be very likely that they will use a condom if they do decide to have sex. Rather than having one year of Sex Ed in High School like the majority of schools do across the nation, students should have Sex Ed classes starting in junior high school. They should learn about pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and H.I.V. There would be a course or a section of a course dedicated to health where students learn about these subjects. Then in high school, students should do a more in-depth study of the consequences of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This could be done as a part of a biology course or as a research project in an English class. Finally, students should learn about H.I.V. and AIDS, how it affects the lives of those who have it, and what can be done about it. Again, this could be a separate course that is required or a part of another required course. Then, pamphlets about all these things should be made available at the health (or nurse’s) office and suggested for the students to read before they receive condoms. If this is done, then teenage sex should become much less of a problem than it is now. Abstract Over the past twenty years, the number of teen, unplanned pregnancies has nearly doubles in size. This is a problem to all people that it affects because it hurts people financially, not to mention all of the unexpected stress that comes along with being pregnant. Making condoms available in High Schools would surely decrease this number to what it once was and hopefully drastically decrease the number of orphans and teen parents in debt that we have in this country. References Furstenburg, Frank , Mariarz, Geitz , Teitler, Julien , Weiss, Christopher â€Å"Does Condom Availability Make a Difference? An Evaluation of Philadelphia’s Health Resource Centers† Family Planning Perspective Volume 29, Issue 3 (May-Jun.,1997), 123-127. Kreiner, Anna Learning to Say No to Sexual Pressure New York: The Rosen Publishing Group Mahler, Karen â€Å"Condom Availability in the Schools: Lessons from the Courtroom† Sexuality Volume 4, Article 63 1993-1996 Natale, Jo Anna â€Å"The Hot New Word is Sex Ed† School Volume 5 Article 30, 1994-1996 â€Å"Sex education: Anything goes.† Washington Times 1 Nov. 2000 Stewart, Gail B. Teen Parenting. San Diego: Lucent Books 2000 â€Å"Teens Regret Having Sex.† Maryland Abstinence Education and Coordination Program. Summer 2000