Personal Autonomy
Mourdock’s Akin Moment
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Personal Autonomy on October 23rd, 2012
Richard Mourdock has a problem. Unlike his ideological clone, Mike Pence, he has a tendency to tell the truth. About 45 minutes into the Senate debate, he was asked about his pro-life beliefs, and whether those beliefs included an exception for rape and/or incest. In the course of the explanation Mourdock suggested that rape should [...]
Continue reading...
Our Public Discourse
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Personal Autonomy on August 26th, 2009
The Board of Directors of the American Society for Bioethics has issued a statement responding to accusations about “death panels” that have become a theme of attacks on healthcare reform efforts. The final paragraph of that statement reads as follows: “The Board of Directors of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities deplore the attempts by [...]
Continue reading...
The Idea of Liberty
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Personal Autonomy on September 29th, 2008
When I was initially asked to speak, I asked if there was a subject you wanted to hear about. I was told “Oh, something about liberty.” As my older grandchildren might say, that seemed pretty specific—NOT. When I thought about it, though, I decided that the subtext to the assignment was really something like: [...]
Continue reading...
Fear of Fucking
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Personal Autonomy on August 2nd, 2006
This morning, the Indianapolis Star ran an article suggesting that the FDA might retreat from its insistence that access to “Plan B”—the morning-after pill—be only by prescription. The agency “might” allow women over 18 to purchase it over the counter, despite deep concerns that its ready availability might “encourage promiscuity.” And I thought the [...]
Continue reading...
The Nanny State
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Constitution, Local Government, Personal Autonomy on June 6th, 2000
The powers that be have recently decreed that Indiana motorists can be stopped and ticketed solely for failure to use their seatbelts. Prior to the new rule, a traffic cop who had stopped you for another violation -speeding, or a missing taillight — could issue a secondary citation if he also found you without proper [...]
Continue reading...
Recent Comments