Childhood obesity assoicated with soical disadvantage of school age Research Paper

Childhood obesity assoicated with soical disadvantage of school age children - Research Paper Example Generally speaking, an obese person is considered to be any individual who carries more body fat than is considered healthy for their specific gender, height, age and gender. Although obesity is typically only thought of as an adult problem, children are even more at risk. While other conditions may be easier to hide under clothing or to mask in other ways, obesity cannot be hidden under clothing and often leads to children being teased or becoming the recipient of cruel jokes perpetrated on them by their misunderstanding classmates. The negative looks and disapproving stares from other children and adults greet them each time they meet the next set of eyes. This often unconscious reaction on the part of others can contribute to severe psychological damage that lasts a lifetime. Even when the weight is defeated, these emotional scars can significantly impact the individual’s ability to achieve the kind of happiness and fulfillment that should be everyone’s right. The ph ysical ramifications of obesity are also unacceptably great. It is a well-known fact that obesity can dramatically lower life expectancy regardless of age. With obesity now recognized as being at epidemic proportions, it is of utmost importance to identify the most prevalent causes of obesity and the most effective means of treating it to help school-age children overcome some of the social disadvantages of being overweight. One of the most troubling aspects of obesity is its close connection with at least 30 adverse health conditions and innumerable psychological ramifications. Increasingly younger people are beginning to experience arthritis of the knees, back, hips and hands as a result of the long-term abuse their systems must endure. The risk of breast cancer is doubled for obese people as compared to those who maintain a relatively stable

Assisted Suicide, The Right to Die Research Paper

Assisted Suicide, The Right to Die - Research Paper Example l, social and cultural levels for decades and, even at the global level, this activity still does not seem to be able to reach any societal consensus about whether it is appropriate. However, assisted suicide allows individuals with varying health problems or handicaps to have a means to escape their complications and avoid the anguish of dying without a sense of personal decorum. Washington and Oregon are the only two states in the US where assisted suicide is a practice allowable by law (Ball and Mengewein, 2010). Since both states are located on the West coast, this might be representative of a cultural perspective that is quite different from the rest of the continental United States. Both of these states now support the perspective of different right-to-die organizations and protect the medical community from being the victims of lawsuits. The efforts of these states further supported what ended up being a victorious lawsuit in Montana, filed by truck driver Robert Baxter, a patient with lymphocytic leukemia, who actively challenged Montana’s homicide statute. Even though this particular case was victorious, Baxter died of his illness on December 5, 2008 which happened to be the exact same day that his case won in the First Judicial District Court in Helena (Blesch, 2009). However, this set the precedent for future lawsuits of this nature in suppo rt of the right-to-die agenda. Even at the global level, there is much progression in areas of assisted suicide, with Belgium taking the lead in support for euthanasia. In 2007, almost two percent of all deaths reported involved assisted suicide at the request of the patient, with the rate of the Belgium medical community withholding life-extending treatment increasing from 14.6 percent to 17.4 percent in just six years (Bilsen, Cohen, Chambaere and Pousset, 2009). At the global level, these measurable increases in assisted suicide show that there is an active, global market looking for alternatives to prolonged