International Charter Of Human Essay -- essays research papers

International Declaration of Human Rights and Freedoms History   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the war crimes committed by the Germans in the holocaust that occurred during World War II, the United nations decided to create a document guaranteeing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all people, regardless of race, sex, language, or religion. This document was called The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The declaration was voted in on December 10, 1948, which is now celebrated each year as Human Rights Day. The Declaration says that â€Å"all human beings are born free and equal† and establishes basic rights for all people and rules for the actions of governments in many areas pertaining to those rights. For example, it says that all people have the right to liberty, religious and political freedom, education, and economic well-being. It bans torture and states that all people have the right to participate in their governments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The declaration is not a law, unfortunately, and in some cases has had little actual effect on the member countries of the UN. Governments with poor human rights records, such as China, do not agree with the UN’s attempts to promote human rights, saying that such actions interfere with their internal affairs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The UN has a Commission on Human Rights. Its job is to monitor abuses of the declaration in member countries, hold international meetings on human rights issues and handle complaints about violations to the basic human rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was in 1993 that the General Assembly created the position of High Commissioner for Human Rights. The commissioner job is to oversee all of the UN’s human rights programs, work to prevent human rights violations, and investigate human rights abuses. It is also in the commissioner’s power to publicize abuses to human rights taking place in any country. However most publicity about abuses to human rights does not come from the UN but from rival countries or non-governmental groups like Amnesty International   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The UN has also written four international treaties on human rights. These treaties do have the force of law but are very hard to enforce. The treaties deal only with the problems of genocide, racial discrimination, civil and po... ...rights issues in the world. Before it was drafted, many cases involving human rights were simply ignored or kept quiet. Take for example just before World War Two, Nazi Germany was known to want to eliminate a great percentage of people not fitting into their â€Å"Aryan† master race, yet they still hosted the Olympics of 1936. At those Olympics they refused to grant a gold medal to a Jewish person, Jesse Owens, and still America and many other countries chose to ignore Germany for political reasons. After the war, almost in response to the declarations, various human rights organizations, such as amnesty international have been created. They almost always use the Declaration as their basic outline for the rights of human beings. These groups bring much attention to the human rights problems of the world. A good example was the later war in Vietnam, protests in the United States over unfair treatment of enemy civilians is one of the main reasons they were forced to pull ou t.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So in conclusion I must say that nobody can argue that forcing people to stand up and take notice is the only way to eliminate a problem and that is what the Declaration has achieved.

Nutrition considerations as key elements in the development and production of food products

Nutrition considerations are often key elements in the development and production of food products. Discuss the influence of dietary trends and guidelines such as Health of the Nation on the production of food products. Over the last 20 years the number of people who are obese has increased three fold and is still rising. In 1998 30,000 premature deaths in England were caused by obesity. It is estimated that nearly two thirds of men and over half the women in this country are now overweight or obese. This problem is increasing faster in this country than any other European country and if the trend continues to rise at the current rate then by 2010 one in four adults will be obese. Heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis are all conditions that are linked to obesity. All these conditions represent a great burden on the National Health Service. Heart disease causes 270,000 heart attacks each year in the United Kingdom and if obesity continues to rise then so will the incidences of coronary heart disease. Not only does the National Health Service carry the burden of obesity, but the economy of the country as whole through lost work days as a result of obesity related illnesses. There is no easy way for the Government of any country to tackle this problem, but there is scope for promotion of healthier lifestyles. Experts blame the rise in obesity on a combination of a less active lifestyle and changes to our eating patterns. Combating obesity relies on well-balanced, healthy eating and an increase in regular physical activity. In 1998 the Government published its Green Paper ‘Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation'. This is an action plan to tackle the poor health, realising that â€Å"good health is fundamental to all our lives†. It focused on tackling the main killers: cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke, accidents and mental illness. The Government set targets in these priority areas. One of the targets was to reduce the death rate from coronary heart disease and stroke by at least two fifths in people under 75 by the year 2010. Individual choices about lifestyle, such as diet, have a direct impact on health and as such people should be encouraged to adopt healthy eating habits. However, healthy foods, at least in Britain, are not only more expensive then unhealthy foods, but also take longer to prepare. For many people these days time as well as money costs can be an important determinant of lifestyle choice. Supermarkets have extended their range of fresh fruit in recent years with import form all over the world. Healthy foods are now clearly marked and in fact the government has legislated that all food products should be clearly marked with their nutritional values for customers to make an informed choice. Manufacturers are well aware that people are far more aware of the need to adopt a healthier diet and mark their products accordingly. Consumers can be targeted through the mass media and advertisers target certain groups. Health promotion has a role to play in educating the nation towards a healthier lifestyle, including diet. The Government is committed to improving the health of the nation and hopes to empower individuals to take charge of their own health through education. Schools have an important part to play in educating its pupils towards a healthy lifestyle. The Green Paper â€Å"Our Healthier Nation† is aimed mainly at the Health Service and the role it can play in helping to bring down the death rate and the main theme is to educate the individual to make informed choice regarding their lifestyle. It is not really aimed at manufacturers of food products, but people's awareness and demand for a healthier diet will drive the manufacturers to be more proactive in the production of healthier products. Whilst the problem of poor health caused by obesity appears to be the target of most health education programmes, it is important to remember that malnutrition can also be a problem. However, this is more often thought of as a problem of the third world countries.

Case Study The Government and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1681 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Medicine Essay Type Analytical essay Level High school Did you like this example? Case Study: The Government and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 Abstract The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 has certainly been a momentous subject for the United States history. This case study will describe the many significant processes of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. It is essential for one to understand how this Healthcare Reform has changed the way Americans receive and practice healthcare. This case study will also introduce readers about how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 was enacted and established through the United States government. Case Summary The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 was created by President Barack Obama. This was passed by Congress and signed into law on March 23, 2010. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 was implemented to help provide healthcare to uninsured Americans. According to Miller and Kirsch (2011), in 2012 it was estimated that more than 30 million Americans, under the age of 65 were uninsured or lacked health coverage (para.1). The American government has played an essential role to make this Act effective. The enactment and establishment of the health care law in 2010 has resulted in many significant debates, strategic maneuvers and partisanship, in the legislative branch of the US government. Effects of Key Stakeholders The key stakeholders in this case study are the members of the House of Representatives and Congress. President Barack Obama proposed a bill that lead to a split decision. While the bill was processed and enacted, members of the opposing side, the Republicans, did not agree so much. They were not too keen on the guidelines of the new law. They did not like the fact that the use of government funding and support, was necessary. The Republicans tried many times to repeal. No matter what the opposing side wanted, the President would just veto their requests (Klien, 2012). This affects the Republi cans, because they may feel the decisions made by the President were unfair. They may also feel as if, that they were not able to include contribute enough of their concerns and ideas in the new Act. Case Questions 1. The legislative branch of the United States government is known to be very complex system. The legislative branch is used to create and implement many bills and laws. According to John Cannan (2013), the legislative procedures is a straightforward process that has been utilized for decades (p.133). When a bill is introduced, it is released to the committee for consideration. After the bill is considered and reported by the committee, it is then released to the chamber floors (Cannan, 2013, p.132). The chamber floors consists of the full assembly of the house. The chamber floors will review the bill. When the bill is finalized and both chambers have agreed on it. The next step is voting, voting will then determine if the bill is ready be sent to the executive bran ch to be endorsed, and become into law (p.132). This legislative process is extremely important when the universal health care reform was presented. The new universal healthcare reform caused quite a stir in the White House. It was obvious, using the traditional legislative system to pass the new reform was not going to be a smooth ride. John Cannan (2013) explains that the current tradition system was time consuming and systematic. 2. Legislation has actually become more of an ad hoc (p.133). An ad hoc is defined as a concerned with a particular end or purpose, without further consideration of a wider application (Merriam-Webster, 2014). The ad hoc legislation of the Affordable Care Act was presented by President Barack Obama, during his first term in 2009. It was one of his top goal to implement during his election. As mentioned previously, President Obama wanted to strengthen existing forms of health care and expanding health coverage to be universal (Rosenbaum, 2011, p.130). Cannan (2010) explained that the ad hoc legislation involved two bills to come into law, the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (pgs.133-34). It was not until March 2009, when the three chairman of the House committee had jurisdiction, over the health care reform. They were able avoid committee turf wars and work together to propose a draft legislation (Cannan, 2010, p.137). On June 19, 2009, Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, provided the discussion draft, which included many provisions and changes to the health care reform (Cannan, 2010, p. 137). Later, the Act was developed as the House bill 3200 Americas Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 During this time, the congressional committees evaluated and altered any needed changes for the markup process. Cannan (2010) stated during the markup process committee members would discuss further on the action plans, make improvements, and then finally v oted on whether or not to send it out to the legislation (p.138). 3. The American public had many different reactions and concerns on the Act. According to Pew Research Center (2012), study showed that 48 percent of the public disapproved and 43 percent approved the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (para.2). This led to a clear partisan. A partisan was also essential to the process of the new health care reform act. The term partisan is defined as an action or spirit of partially for a specific political party (Farflex, 2014). Before the process of enacting this Act, there has been many protracted debates and discussions, between the Democratic and the Republican parties. Many Democrats were satisfied if the new law was upheld, and the Republicans wanted it to be eliminated (Pew Research, 2012). Throughout the American history, the Republican and Democratic parties rarely agreed the same ideas and beliefs on certain topics. According to Pew Research (2012), both the Democrats and Repu blicans were not in favor with one of the components of the health care reform (para.4). They did not like the idea of the individual mandate. The individual mandate is a law part of the Affordable Care Act, requiring all individuals to have healthcare. If they failed to obtain a healthcare coverage, or choose not to have one, they will end up having to pay a penalty tax. The Republicans said this law was unconstitutional (Klein, 2012). Another example of partisanship with this Act, was the governments extensive role in the health care. The Republicans were not fond of expanding the role of government in healthcare, and felt that was not a substantial method (Weissert Weissert, 2012, p.19). Research stated, 88 percent of Republicans felt the government involvement in health care was too demanding, while only 37 percent of Democrats felt that way (Pew Research, 2012). Miller and Kirsch (2011) noted many newly elected governments campaigned against this, due to the estimated $235 bil lion budget deficit (p.3). 4. The political strategic maneuvers that influenced the new health care reform of 2010, was to find the best solution to implement affordable health care for Americans. Miller and Kirsch (2011) stated there has been many road bumps and difficult challenges. One of the noticeable challenges was the time frame for the Affordable Care Act to fully function successfully. Many of the revised and new coverage provisions will not fully be effective until four years (p.2). In order to provide and educate people on how to acquire health insurance, the most efficient method is to divide it upon each state. Since the Affordable Care Act is built as a joint federal state initiative, the health care reform was to be administered primary by the states (Miller kirsch, 2011, p.3). Many responsibilities of each state consisted of implementing insurance Exchanges for small business owners and their employees, educating individual about the new healthcare reform, and ma naging the Medicaid expansion (Miller Kirsch, 2011, p.3). As a result, each state will have to plan accordingly based on their policy choices, financial resources, and staffing. According to Sara Rosenbaum (2011), as of August 5, 2010, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners acknowledge that about half of the states confirmed their health insurance department held implemented powers through explicit legislation or through their general powers (p.131). At that time, under the federal law, state implemented federal insurance regulations remained voluntary. In another study it showed that for the past 25 years, Republicans support for federal aid in health care has declined (Pew Research, 2012). According to Joanne Kenan (2011) on January 19, 2011, all Republicans and three Democrats in the United States House of Representative voted to repeal the health care reform (para.1). Since a full repeal of the Act was not granted it resulted in an ongoing battle, within the legisl ation. The opposing parties wanted to make additional changes to the Act. They requested changes to the individual and employer mandate, prohibition on states to reduce Medicaid eligibility, and the CLASS act, to name a few (Kenan, 2011). Conclusion In the end, the process and enactment of the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 has made it mark in the United States history. The process to enact this Act was also very different compared to other previous signed laws. President Barack Obamas top agenda to promote universal healthcare coverage for all Americans has proved to be a large and difficult task. The governments involvement and control on health care has led to numerous adverse views on the Act. Still, with many members of the House and unsatisfied Americans, requesting to make additional changes to the Act, will result in a unforgettable turnout during the next few years. References Ad hoc. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com /dictionary/ad hoc Cannan, J. (2013). Legislative history of the affordable care act: How legislative procedure shapes legislative history.Law library journal,105(2), Kenen, J. (2011, February 25).Health policy briefs. Retrieved from https://www.healthaffairs.org/healthpolicybriefs/brief.php?brief_id=41 Klein, E. (2012, June 25).Unpopular mandate. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/06/25/120625fa_fact_klein Miller, M. Kirsch, R. (2011, January). Where the rubber meets the road: Strategies for successful state implementation of the affordable care act.The California Endowment, Obama health care law: Where does the public stand?. (2012, June 15). Retrieved from https://www.people-press.org/2012/06/15/obama-health-care-law-where-does-the-public- stand/ Partisanism. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Partisan (political) Rosenbaum, S. (2011). Law and the publicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s health.Public Health Reports,126, Weisse rt, W., Weissert, C. (2012).Governing health: The politics of health policy. (4th ed.). Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Case Study: The Government and the Affordable Care Act of 2010" essay for you Create order