CATA 101 Research Websites/Links

Last updated 4/18/2004

Abortion

• Laws
• http://www.tourolaw.edu/patch/Roe/index.html Full text Supreme Court ruling from the Roe v. Wade Case in which Roe, a pregnant single woman, brought a class action challenge against Texas’s criminal abortion laws.  Abortion statutes of Texas were ruled as vague and infringing upon the plaintiff’s ninth and fourteenth amendments.  Roe was given standing to sue while the court did not give the Does and Hallfords justification for a case. 
• Procedure
• http://www.fwhc.org/abortion/ab-procedures.htm Presents at least five different methods of abortion procedures. This site is very informative of each method and describes the differences between each. Links to other sites containing information about abortion rights and laws.
• Pro-choice
• http://www.naral.org/ Offers a variety of articles regarding pro-choice issues and debates.  Be sure to look into all links, for they are helpful. The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League which sponsors the website states that abortion will be necessary until there is better access to contraceptives and better access to other kinds of reproductive health care and information.  The organizations goal is to find “sane, workable” answers that can reduce the need for abortion while protecting American’s rights to freedom.
• Pro-life
• http://www.roevwade.org/consequences.html Discusses the consequences of abortion including child abuse, damaged families, stress on women, and infanticide.  Claims legal abortion has contributed to a rise in child abuse due to feelings of remorse harbored by the mother.  Research shows that 70% of relationships are terminated shortly after the couple decides to have an abortion.  Besides stress on relationships, abortion adds to women’s anxieties.  Links to other areas on the website.
• Statistics
• http://www.agi-usa.org/pubs/teen_preg_sr_0699.html Offers statistics surrounding teenage pregnancy based on reports of the National Center for Health Statistics.  Findings are based on the year the pregnancy ended, whether by birth or abortion.  Data is measured from 1972 until 1996; subjects are 15 to 20 years old.  Website is supported by the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI), which is a leading authority on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States and worldwide.
• http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/00facts/trends.htm National Center for Health Statistics presents findings that U.S. pregnancy rate is the lowest it has been in two decades.  The number of pregnancies includes live births, induced abortions, and fetal losses.  Teen pregnancy rates fell 15% since 1991, while pregnancy rates remained highest among 20-year-old women.  22% of births ended in an abortion; abortion is down 16% since 1990.  Also compares birth rates and abortion rates of married and unmarried women.  Looks at economical background and sexual education as factors surrounding the statistics.

Constitutional Rights

• Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia
• http://www.iaetf.org/faq.htm Offers basic information based on frequently asked questions surrounding euthanasia.  Describes the difference between assisted suicide and euthanasia.  Slightly biased against euthanasia, but still provides good facts to start on, no matter what position one takes on the topic.
• http://www.euthanasia.com/page4.html Includes several links to specific areas of assisted suicide and euthanasia, such as charts and fact sheets.  Also offers debates against the legalization of euthanasia.  Best for those arguing against assisted suicide because it goes through a variety of the problems of both assisted suicides and euthanasia.
• http://www.religioustolerance.org/euthanas.htm Defines terms surrounding assisted suicide and euthanasia and explains why it is an issue.  Presents both sides of the argument fairly and equally.  Breaks down the argument and looks at the key components that make the issue so hotly debated.  Personal choice is one of those components; it is brought up that personal choice is at the root of many debates.
• Children’s Rights
• http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep99/nl8.html Describes how children’s stress is often overlooked in emergency rooms due to a lack of training in children psychology.  Gives suggestions regarding how emergency care-workers and medical professionals can better adapt to children’s needs.
• http://www.apa.org/releases/childcare.html Discusses the negative affects of childcare and the mother-child relationship.  Children who regularly spend time in nonmaternal care have more negative interactions with their mothers; this is connected to the idea of mother and child be “in tune” with one another.  Higher quality childcare is also linked to increased maternal sensitivity.  Full text article also available.
• Crime and Punishment
• Capital Punishment/Death Penalty
• http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/history1.html Looks into the history of the death penalty.  Numerous links that investigate early death penalty laws, the abolitionist movement, the constitutionality of the death penalty, and recent developments in capital punishment.  Charts show the increase and decrease of executions since the 1600s.
• http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/ Provides a more pro death penalty view on information on issues surrounding capital punishment and the death penalty.  Contains personal stories and current news of the week dealing with the death penalty. Has a very helpful link of ‘death penalty links’ that contains information for students and teachers and that offers a variety of other resources on the topic.
• Juvenile Justice
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7570-2000Dec14.html Gives statistics showing that juvenile crimes have actually decreased in the past few years.  Includes graphs, detailing arrests for violent crimes and murders.  Looks into possible reasons for the decline, including stricter sentencing among adolescents.
• http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/juvchar.html Brief facts and figures regarding juveniles on death row.  Juveniles make up 2% of the death row inmate population.  All of those sentences to death were male, and all had been convicted for murder.  Texas has the largest population of death row juvenile offenders.  Also presents data and findings in tables for easy reference.
• http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/offenders/faqs.asp Offers answers to a variety of questions that pertain to juvenile as offenders. Contains information about juveniles who commit homicides and other violent crimes. Goes into detail the time of day patterns of juvenile crimes. Compares adult offenders versus juvenile offenders.
• Violence in Video Games
  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3680481.stm Grand Theft Auto comes under fire. This article in BBC News shows the controversy between of adolent violence and video games. US lawyers blame the game industry while the representatives from the game industry say that there is no recognized link between games and the violent behavior. This article provides an example of violence that maybe due to video games.
  • http://web4.epnet.com/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=dbs+afh+sid+9644171D%2D229B%2D47AD%2DBFA8%2D4AF893C2BB56%40sessionmgr4+FCA6&_us=dstb+ES+fh+0+hd+0+hs+0+or+Date+ri+KAAACBYA00036981+sl+%2D1+sm+ES+ss+SO+E0F0&_uso=cli%5B0+%2DFT+clv%5B0+%2DY+db%5B0+%2Dafh+ex%5B0+%2Dproximity+hd+0+op%5B2+%2DAnd+op%5B1+%2DAnd+op%5B0+%2D+st%5B2+%2D+st%5B1+%2D+st%5B0+%2DViolence++in++Video++Games+tg%5B2+%2D+tg%5B1+%2D+tg%5B0+%2D+7035&fn=1&rn=4 This is an EBSCOhost full article. This sheds light more on the limiting of violent video games to the public. It provides a variety of examples from different states, such as California, Missouri, and Florida.
• Freedom of Religion
• http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/08-1995/religion.html Richard Riley, U.S. Secretary of Education, expresses his opinion on religious expression in public schools.  He supports guidelines set in 1995, which clarify the First Amendment’s position on freedom of religion.  The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment does not prohibit purely private religious speech of students; therefore, students may pray and perform other religious acts privately, in a non-disruptive behavior.  Disruptive behavior is at the discretion of the local government and schools.
• http://www.aclu.org/library/aaprayer.html Discusses the Newt Gingrich’s proposal to amend the U.S. constitution regarding freedom of religion.  The proposal would have allowed public officials to dictate how, when, and where students should pray.  Describes the American Civil Liberties Union’s position on freedom of religion: opposition to school-sponsored prayer is a key principle to the organization.  Lists arguments backing its position. 
• Freedom of Speech/Freedom of Expression
• Censorship
• http://www.ncac.org/issues/digitalcopycontrol.html Investigates the courts recent recognition of the issue of censorship and art.  Describes Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which sets ground rules for communication via electronic media.  The DMCA has already targeted Napster; the Napster controversy brought to surface fair use of copyright doctrines.  There is a serious risk that new legislation may wear away freedom of expression and artistic freedom, and undermine the principle that copyright requires a balance between content owners and the public. 
• http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/winter96/pubCONN.html Looks at banned books in American Libraries.  Banning books has become a common practice in the 1990s; in 1994 the request for removal of books from libraries increased by 50%.  42 % of the 4,500 plus requests made were granted.  Banned books are not limited to soft-porn, racist material, and witchcraft propaganda, but also included books with homosexuality, curse words, other problematic language, violence, controversial areas, and rebellious behavior.  People who do not bring formal complaints forward may resort to stealing the books off of the shelves to prevent children from reading them.  The author argues that parents attempt to protect their children are misguided.
• Verbal Harassment
• http://users.telerama.com/~jdehullu/speech/sphist.htm Supplies the detailed history of the first amendment based on verbal speech. Goes from state action to the First World War. Describes how freedom of expression has changed through interpretation. Even discusses about a few hate speech crimes.
• Illegal Downloading of Music

  ·        http://www.star.niu.edu/rhythm/news/articles/011204-downloading.asp This is more like an article found in a magazine thus it is easy reading. It states, “of the 1,358 Internet users polled in November and December, 14 percent fessed up to unauthorized file-sharing.” File-sharing is still continuing and still a problem.

• Smoking in Public

  ·        http://www.uk-learning.net/t13165.html The link provides a variety of options of others. This would be great in for a testimony for a speech. This may not be the most creditable however.

  ·        http://www.airinitiative.com/images/airtoolbox/charterguide.pdf A sample of a guild to the public places charter on smoking. This will give you a nice background on the topic. It provides information of no-smoking signage, ventilation, and information for businesses.

  ·       http://firstsearch.oclc.org/WebZ/FSFETCH?fetchtype=fullrecord:sessionid=sp07sw02-58400-dtvyckol-xo82n0:entitypagenum=3:0:recno=9:resultset=1:format=FI:next=html/record.html:bad=error/badfetch.html:entitytoprecno=9:entitycurrecno=9:numrecs=1 This is a PsychINFO file. Be sure to read the full text. This study was conducted after California made smoking in public illegal. The introduction and the discussion will be the most helpful of this article.

• Legalization of Drugs

o       http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/dea/pubs/legaliz/intro.htm#DEAPosition Against the legalization of drugs because it may lead to reduced perceptions of the risks and the costs of drug use; increased availability of and access to harmful drugs; and increased demand and use.  It may also remove the social sanction against drug abuse making it more socially acceptable. 

o       http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/debate/myths/myths1.htm Analyzes numerous arguments used by advocates of drug legalization, and provides counter arguments.  Organized into “chapters” for easier reading.  Also has suggested structured format for a public debate.  Includes a bibliography for more resources.  An excellent place to start a speech against the legalization for drugs.

o       http://www.sarnia.com/groups/antidrug/argument/myths.html Takes a more against approach to the legalization of drugs. Provide developed reasoning that contradict many myths and facts of legalizing drug use, such as illegal drugs are more addictive and dangerous than legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco.

• http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/debate/opinion.htm Contains a number of opinions on the drug policy debate. Opinion consist of those from Dear Abbey, Bob Dole, Libertarian Party of America, Federal Judges, college professors, and many more.
• Right to Bare Arms/Gun Control
• http://www.saf.org/Constitutions.html Outlines Second Amendment and states that have provisions for it.  The amendment is individual-right based according to its original intent and textual analysis.  The Second Amendment states that people have a right to maintain “well-regulated” militias to protect the freedom of the state and people have the rights to bear arms.  Many states have made legislation, which clarifies the purpose of bearing arms.
• http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/schools/gun.control/ Looks at each states gun control laws.  Investigates each states child access prevention law, juvenile possession law, and juvenile sale/transfer law; answers if a permit is necessary for the purchase of a fire arm, if registration is required for fire arms, if a license to own is required, and if a permit to carry is required.  Information is taken from 1999-2000 legislation collected by the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action and Handgun Control and the Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 
•  http://www.vpc.org/ Offers articles on the myths of guns and self-defense, recent school shootings and action      taken in light of those, gun shows, and legislation regulating the gun industry, as well as many other topics and issues surrounding gun control.  Also investigates video games put on the market by the gun industry and advertising behind them.
• Sexual Harassment
• http://www.mun.ca/sexualharassment/Definition.html Provides an explanation of what sexual harassment described as and the misconduct. Explains in detail the many different types of sexual harassment. Contains a variety of links to related information, such as the legal definitions and what to do if harassment occurs.
• http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/s1/sexualha.asp Defines sexual harassment as verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature aimed at a particular person or group of people especially in the workplace, academic environment, or other institutional setting that is actionable.  Recent debates have centered on differences between females and males definition of sexual talk.  Protection from sexual harassment and protection of freedom of speech continue to clash.

 

Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues

• Hate Crimes
• http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has year by year statistics of hate crimes starting with 1995 to 2002. Hate crimes are motivated completely or in part by a bias against the victim’s perceived race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
• http://www.infoplease.com/spot/hatecrimes.html Shows that hate crimes are not just focused on the racial hate. Explains that hate crimes are still an issue in the United States, for in 1998 there were over 500 hate groups operating. Goes from defining the issue, discussing the controversial legislation, to understanding the perpetrators and victims.
• Marriage and Families
• http://www.apa.org/pi/parent.html Summarizes research findings on gay and lesbian parenting.  Gay and lesbian parents are often subject to discrimination and prejudice that sometimes result in loss of custody, restrictions on visitations, and prohibitions against adoption.  The children can often be victims of these prejudices.  Scientific comparisons of heterosexual parents and homosexual parents began in the 1950s; homosexual parents were and continue to be open to these empirical tests.
• http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Center&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=63&ContentID=17353 Include several article dealing with gay or same sex marriages. A more supportive view. Looks at certain states and how they are supporting the same sex marriages. Then takes the amendments and laws that oppose marriage equality. And lastly looks into understanding the issue, which is helpful for viewing this issue from the pro-marriage equality side.
• Military
• http://www.instant-essays.com/sexuality_issues/homosexuals-in-military.shtml An essay regarding pro-homosexuals in the military. This ban of homosexuals serving in the military was originally instituted in 1942, then altered in 1982 and 1994. Focuses more on a military service performance and not on sexuality.

Government and Economy

• Affirmative Action

o       http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/ Presents diverse opinions regarding Affirmative Action.  Looks at gender and race as an issue during hiring.  Offers news and announcements, university links, and numerous sub-categories, including individual rights, language rights, legislation, court cases, history, and alternatives.  The alternatives offered are excellent as proposed action for a persuasive speech; the information provided could be used in a speech that argues either way.  Other links are handy as well for further information.   

• Medicare

o       http://www.medicare.gov/ Official U.S. Government site for Medicare information provides options to compare health care plans, nursing homes, and prescriptions medications.  Even more useful to an informative speech are the contacts that are available for possible interviews.  Also has a list of frequently asked questions regarding Medicare.

o       http://www.medicare.gov./basics/overview.asp Offers an overview of the entire Medicare program, which can be helpful for any speech as a base to start from. Provides several helpful links.

• Welfare

o       http://www.financeprojectinfo.org/win/ Contains information, policy analysis, and technical assistance on welfare reform.  Breaks welfare into several sub-categories.  Excellent site to gather information, but offers little basis for any debate.  Also has links to other resources.

o       http://ctct.essortment.com/welfarereform_map.htm Investigates the downfalls of welfare reform.  Discusses the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TAFNF), and the Omnibus Appropriations Act, along with other legislation surrounding welfare.  62.8% of companies still do not hire welfare recipients.  94% of welfare recipients do not own a car, making transportation part of the debate.  The article offers a start for a persuasive speech.  

Health

• Cancer
• http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/overview General information on the National Cancer Institute; offers a basic definition of the disease.  Looks into possible cause of cancer, as well as methods of prevention.  Describes the process of screening, diagnosis of symptoms, treatment, including side effects of, and rehabilitation.  Also has information available on living with cancer. 
• Diabetes
• http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/1728.70218 An article on the rising cases of “adult” diabetes in children.  Obesity and lack of exercise are suggested as culprits.  It is also strongly advised to watch children who have a genetic predisposition to the disease being diabetes has been found to run in families.  Distinguishes between type one (“childhood”) and type two (“adult”) diabetes and looks into complications of type two.
• Eating Disorders
• Anorexia

§          http://familydoctor.org/063.xml Describes what anorexia nervosa is and the difference of it and bulimia. Although there is no known reason why some get anorexia this site covers some issues related to anorexia such as, problems caused by this disease, treatment options, and how others may help.

• Bulimia

§         http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-et02.html The description of bulimia nervosa from the American perspective. This covers the two main types of bulimia: Purging and Nonpurging. Be sure to use the link at the top, “Bulimia Nervosa”. There is an animation clip that could be useful as an attention getter or a visual aide.

§         http://www.mamashealth.com/bulimia.asp Describes what Bulimia is in great detail. Offers advise for family members to do if a loved one has this illness. Discusses the causes possible causes of bulimia, however there is no specific known cause, yet. Describes medical complications, risk factors, and symptoms of bulimia. Also contains a few statistics of this disease.

• General

§        http://archfami.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/9/1/88  Looks at stereotypes associated with all eating disorders.  Looks into why these stereotypes have been formed and how experiments were biased in their subjects.  Encourages early treatment of the disease because treatment is more effective if begun soon after the disease becomes present.

§         http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00042446.htm Advocates educational programs as a means to prevent eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and obesity, as well as under nutrition and malnutrition.  Gives basic definitions of the previously mentioned.  Very general information but does offer ideas for taking action against eating disorders and related health issues.

• Cosmetic Surgery

  ·        http://www.cosmeticsurgery.org/ Through this site one can find information about a variety of cosmetic procedures. There are at least twelve different cosmetic procedures outlined here. Be sure to connect to the FAQ for it describes what is cosmetic surgery and much more.

• HIV/Aids
• http://www.fda.gov/oashi/aids/hiv.html  This is HIV/Aids viewed from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Provides assess to approved HIV testing and therapies for the infected. Contains FDA milestones of significant events dealing with HIV/Aids since 1981 to 2001. Helpful when needing history or a variety of testing options.
• http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/facts.htm Offers prevention ideas for healthcare personnel, mothers, or the sexually active. Has a variety of links to facts, such as “there are an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 people currently living with HIV in the U.S., with approximately 40,000 new HIV infections occurring in the U.S. every year.” Provide that there is a race different will the infections of this disease and much more.
• Mental Health
• http://www.mentalhealth.com/ General website for information on a variety of mental disorders and other mental health issues.  Extensive research on disorders and medication, as well as links to other resources in this area.  The links are broken down into smaller categories, including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, childhood disorders such as attention deficit disorder, and many more.  Appropriate website for starting an informational speech and possibly a persuasive speech; one would have to narrow the topic of discussion down.

International Affairs

• Hunger/Poverty

o         http://nutrition.tufts.edu/academic/hungerweb/overview/world/ Contain at least five articles or site related to world hunger. One has world hunger fact from 2002 while another has twelve myths about poverty and hunger. Be sure to check all links to the articles for they all are useful.

• Trade/Commerce

o        http://www.ftc.gov/ The Federal Trade Commission for the Consumer provides a variety of information whether it be for the consumers or for a business. It has new press releases as well as information on legal resources and formal actions.

o        http://www.fita.org/webindex/index.html Searchable database of International Trade Web Resources.  Sub-categories include international finance, government and multi-lateral organizations, legal resources for international business, international trade associations, and chambers of commerce.  Shortcuts also available to individual countries and international market research.

• War Crimes/Warfare

o        http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/auox.htm Lists several war crime cases, Nuremberg being the most popular.  Discusses conventions and legislation like statutory limits.  Also looks at prevention and punishment.  Basic website and does not have an abundant amount of information to work from.

o        http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/imt.htm Collection of documents, mainly focused on the Nuremberg trials and Nazism.  Looks at the Holocaust and its post-war effect.  List rules and procedures to set up a uniform basis for war crime trials.  Has links to other websites; however, these sites focus solely on Holocaust and Nuremberg trials.

o      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Tribunal_for_the_Former_Yugoslavia  Overviews the history of Kosovo and facts leading up to the conflict, and the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia.  Looks into violation by the United Nations and NATO and charges for the offenses.  Also links to a full document of the complaint.

o        http://www.deoxy.org/wc/wc-index.htm A report on the United States war crimes against Iraq to the Commission of Inquiry for the International War Crimes Tribunal.  The United States attacked withdrawing Iraqi soldiers, a violation of the Geneva Convention in 1949, killing tens of thousands, leaving their charred bodies lining what the media has labeled the “Highway of Death.”  The attack is seen as an extensive use of force.

Science

• Animal Testing

o        http://caat.jhsph.edu/ Promotes the use of alternatives to animals in biomedical research, product safety testing, and education.  Website offers general information on the program put out by John Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT).  Most useful for a persuasive speech against animal testing.  The issues link is beneficial and links to information more focused on the topic.

o        http://www.aavs.org/ The American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) is dedicated to ending experimentation on animals for education, research, and testing.  The site contains numerous stories of animal testing and some of AAVS’s successes.  Discusses xenotransplantation, which is the transplanting of non-human animal tissue, cells, and organs into humans.   

• Bioethics

o       http://www.georgetown.edu/research/nrcbl/ Linked to Georgetown’s library on National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature, including world’s largest library of information regarding ethical issues in medince and biomedical research.  An in-depth research resource for anyone.

• Genetics/Genetic Engineering

o       http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/medicine/genetest.html Defines gene testing and describes the process.  Looks at the pros and cons of genetic testing.  One such benefit is detecting and preventing diseases; however there still exists uncertainties in the interpretation of some of the tests and some fear risks of discrimination and social stigmatization.  Discusses diseases for which genetic testing is available.

o       http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/elsi/legislat.html Discusses federal and state genetics policy; no federal legislation has been passed on genetic discrimination in individual insurance or genetic discrimination in the workplace, both being negative issues presenting by genetic testing.  Existing federal anti-discrimination laws can be applied to genetic testing currently.  Recommendations and support for the need of these changes are given for future legislation.  Also provided links to further sources.

o       http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/medicine/genetherapy.html Defines gene therapy and the hurdles it faces.  Provides ethical issues surrounding gene therapy, along with several articles from Human Genome News, American Scientist, Signals, Scientist, ABC News, Time, Medscape, New Scientist, National Post, and HMS Beagle.  Also has links to Vanderbilt University, the FDA, National Cancer Institute, various medical and science journals, and others.