BM-44

MRS. GERTRUDES OCHOA

FAMILY
PLANNING
ABELLA, DINELS P.
MARQUESES, CHARIZ R.
MORON, BERNADETTE
PARAYNO, LORRAINE
PASIA, CHARMAINE 1OYCE
REYES, DONA MARIE
FAMILY PLANNING
BACKGROUND

Family Planning involves decisions made by women and men concerning their
reproductive lives and whether, when, and under what circumstances they have children
Family Planning most o!ten involves the decisions o! whether to engage in se"ual activity
that could lead to pregnancy, whether to use #irth $ontrol, and whether to terminate a
pregnancy Individuals !aced with these decisions o!ten rely on moral and religious
belie!s vary widely in the %nited &tates, !amily planning laws are !re'uently
controversial

HISTORY

(uring the nineteenth century in the %nited &tates, birth rates began to decline, in
part due to an increase in scienti!ic in!ormation about conception and contraception, or
birth control )he average white woman in *+,, gave birth seven times- by *.,,, that
number dropped to an average o! three/and/a/hal! At the beginning o! the nineteenth
century, early stage abortions were legal )he use o! birth control and abortion, however,
declined as growing public opinion considered in!ormation about birth control methods
to be obscene and abortion to be unsa!e

FAMILY PLANNING

Family Planning o! when to have children, and the use o! birth control and other
techni'ues to implement such plans 0ther techni'ues commonly used include se"ually
education, prevention and management o! se"ually transmitted in!ections, pre/
conceptions counseling and management, and in!ertility management

Family Planning is sometimes used in the wrong way also as a synonym !or the
use o! birth control, thought it o!ten includes more It is most usually applied to a !emale/
male couple who wish to limit the number o! children they have and1or to control the
timing o! pregnancy 2also 3nown as spacing children4 Family Planning may encompass
sterili5ation, as well as abortion

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING (NFP)

NFP is a term re!erring to the Family Planning methods approved by the 6oman
$atholic $hurch In accordance with the church7s re'uirements !or se"ual behavior in
3eeping with its philosophy o! the dignity o! the human person, Natural Family Planning
e"cludes the use o! other methods o! birth control
BIRTH CONTROL

#irth control is any method used to protect a woman !rom getting
pregnant #eginning in the *+,,s, laws in the %nited &tates prohibited birth control, when
temperance and anti/vice groups advocated outlawing birth control devices and
in!ormation about birth control devices )hese groups considered birth control
in!ormation to be obscene, a belie! that was popular enough that in *+89, $ongress
passed the $omstoc3 Act outlawing the dissemination o! birth control devices or
in!ormation through the mail Most states !ollowed suit by passing their own laws
outlawing the advertising, sale, and distribution, o! contraception

)he turn o! the century brought increasing attention to issues involving women:s
rights Margaret &anger, a strong advocate o! birth control, opened the country:s !irst
birth control clinic in New Yor3 $ity in *.*; and was prosecuted !or violating New
Yor3:s version o! the $omstoc3 Act &he served a 9,/day sentence in a wor3house but
later established the National $ommittee !or Federal Legislation !or #irth $ontrol
&anger proposed a !ederal bill that outlined the health and death ris3s to women who
underwent illegal abortions or who completed unwanted pregnancies )he bill sought to
reverse the !ederal position prohibiting birth control, but under pressure !rom religious
groups such as the $atholic $hurch, $ongress did not pass &anger:s bill

&anger then sought to challenge the $omstoc3 Act by sending contraception
through the mail to a doctor <er actions were prosecuted, but she achieved her goal
when a !ederal district court deemed that the $omstoc3 Act did not prohibit the mailing
o! contraceptives when such an act could save a li!e or promote the health o! a doctor:s
patients &anger continued to lead a growing national movement advocating more
in!ormation and access to birth control, and in *.=* she !ounded the American #irth
$ontrol League

In *.>=, the American #irth $ontrol League became the Planned Parenthood
Federation o! America, still in e"istence today Planned Parenthood advocates !or a range
o! sa!e, legal, and accessible birth control options In the *.?,s, &anger and Planned
Parenthood supported the research e!!orts o! (r Gregory Pincus that led to the
development o! the birth control pill )he birth control pill revolutioni5ed !amily
planning, and by the *.;,s popular opinion was shi!ting in !avor o! ma3ing contraception
and in!ormation about contraception readily available

#y the *.?,s and *.;,s, most states had legali5ed birth control, but many state
laws still prohibited the dissemination o! in!ormation about contraception, and some
states still prohibited the possession o! contraception A *.;? landmar3 &upreme $ourt
decision !urther eroded these laws sanctioning birth control In Griswold v $onnecticut,
the $ourt addressed the prosecution o! a Planned Parenthood e"ecutive director charged
with violating a $onnecticut state law that prohibited the distribution o! contraceptives,
in!ormation about contraceptives, and prohibited the possession o! contraceptives )he
$ourt !ound that although the % & $onstitution does not e"plicitly o!!er a right to
privacy that right can be in!erred !rom the language in various sections o! the BILL
0F RIG<)& )he $onstitution there!ore does contain what the $ourt called a @5one o!
privacy@ $onnecticut:s &)A)%)A violated that 5one o! privacy in the realm o! marriage
because it permitted police o!!icers to search the bedroom o! a married couple
!or Avidence o! contraception )he $ourt deemed this action to be overly intrusive and an
unconstitutional violation o! the right to marital privacy, and it threw out the $onnecticut
law inso!ar as it applied to married couples

In *.;;, the !ederal government, with an endorsement by % & President Lyndon
# Bohnson, began public !unding o! contraception services !or low/income !amilies
President 6ichard M Ni"on in *.8, signed into law an act promoting research o!
population and !amily planning issues Finally, in *.8*, $ongress repealed the 3ey
elements o! the $omstoc3 Act

&ome states, however, 3ept birth control laws despite the 6APAAL o! the !ederal
$omstoc3 Act In *.8=, the &upreme $ourt !ound unconstitutional a Massachusetts law
that only permitted married couples to receive contraception )he $ourt !ound this law to
violate the AC%AL P60)A$)I0N rights o! single persons In *.88, the $ourt addressed
a New Yor3 state law that permitted only physicians to distribute contraceptives to
minors under the age o! si"teen, and only physicians or pharmacists to distribute
contraceptives to adults )he $ourt struc3 down this law as well It became clear that the
&upreme $ourt viewed as constitutionally protected the right o! an individual, married or
unmarried, to ma3e personal decisions regarding whether to have children

Some Families use modern medical advances in family planning. For
example in Surrogacy treatments a woman agrees to become pregnant and deliver a
child for another couple or person.

In sperm donations, pregnancy are usually achieved using donated sperm by
arti!icial insemination 2either by intracervical insemination or intrauterine insemination4
and less commonly by In Ditro Fertili5ation 2IDF4, usually 3nown in this conte"t as
Assisted 6eproductive )echnology 2A6)4, but insemination may also be achieved by
donor having se"ual intercourse with a woman !or the sole purpose o! initiating
conception )his method is 3nown as natural insemination

)here is generally a demand !or sperm donors who have no genetic problems in
their !amily, =,1=, eyesight, with e"cellent visual acuity, a college degree, and sometimes
a value on a certain height and age

HIV/AIDS

)he 6< bill provides !or Eprevention and treatment o! <ID1AI(& and other,
&)(7s1&)I7s,F especially since the number o! <ID cases among the young nearly tripled
!rom >* in =,,8 to **, in =,,+ Primary among the means is distribution o! condoms
)he proponents applauded government e!!orts last February =,*, when it distributed
condoms in some areas o! Manila

0n the other side o! the debate, (r 6ene Bose! #ullecer, (irector o! AI(&/ Free
Philippines, said that in *.+8, )hailand had **= AI(& case, more or less the same
number as the Philippines 2*9?4 #y the year =,,9, there were around 8?,,,,, cases in
)hailand, where there was an intense campaign !or the E*,,G $ondom %se ProgramF,
while there were only *,.9? cases in the Philippines, whose population is around 9,G
greater than )hailand7s Pro/li!e groups re!er to the (irector o! <arvard7s Aid Prevention
$enter, Adward $ Green, who said that the Ebest evidenceF agrees with #enedict HDI7s
statement that condom distribution ris3ed e"acerbating the spread o! the virus, because
availability o! condoms leads to ris3ier se"ual behavior



PENALTIES

)here is mandatory se"uality education starting grade ?, and Emalicious
disin!ormationF is penali5ed All health care service providers which provide
reproductive health services, including !aith/based hospital administrators, may be
imprisoned or !ined i! they re!use to provide !amily planning services such as tubal
ligation and vasectomy )he same may happen to employers who do not provide !ree
services to employees Imprisonment ranges !rom 2*4 month to si" 2;4 months or a !ine
ranging !rom )en )housand Pesos 2P*,,,,,,,4 to Fi!ty )housand Pesos 2P?,,,,,,,4
Former Finance &ecretary, 6obert de 0campo, stated that these punitive provisions Eare
tantamount to an a!!ront to civil liberties and smac3 o! religious persecution

(e!ending the bill, (r Felipe Medalla, !ormer dean o! the &chool o! Aconomics
o! %P, said that EAlthough the poor7s access to !amily planning services can be improved
even without the law ma3es it easier to bloc3 the program

MALE CONTRACEPTION METHODS

$ontraceptive or protective measures !or sa!er se" should be ta3en by both the
partners )here are certain speci!ic contraceptive methods meant separately !or males and
!emales Mentioned here are the contraception methods which can be opted by menI

Abstinence
- Avoiding the indulgence in any 3ind o! se" act

Condoms
- Late" cover !or penis

Outer course
- &e" play without vaginal intercourse

Vasectomy
- &urgically, bloc3ing the tubes carrying the sperm
- Jithdrawal
- Pulling the penis out o! vagina Kust at the time o! eKaculation

Spermicide
- Prevents sperm !rom moving

FEMALE CONTRACEPTION METHODS

)here are a number o! di!!erent options that can be opted !or birth control and
!amily planning by !emales )he !emale contraception methods !or avoiding unwanted
pregnancies includeI



Birth Control Implant (Implanon)
/ A thin match stic3 li3e implant inserted in the arm to prevent the !ormation o!
eggs

Birth Control Patch (Orthro Evra)
/ A thin plastic path stuc3 on the s3in to 3eep the ovaries !rom releasing the eggs

Birth Control Pills
/ Pills ta3en on a daily basis to avoid pregnancy


Birth Control Shot (Depo Provera)
/ An inKection that prevents pregnancy

Birth Control Sponge (Today Sponge)
/ A so!t, round sponge inserted deep in the vagina to avoid pregnancy

Birth Control Vagina Ring (Nuva Ring)
/ A !e"ible ring inserted into a woman7s vagina so as to 3eep the ovaries !rom
releasing eggs

Cervical Cap (Fem Cap)
/ $ervical cap re!ers to a silicon cup that is inserted into the vagina to cover cervi"
It bloc3s the opening to the uterus and also stops the sperms !rom moving

Diaphragm
/ (iaphragm is similar to cervical cap It is a late" cup inserted into the vagina to
cover cervi" so as to bloc3 uterus as well as prevent sperms !rom moving

Female Condom
/ )hese are pouch li3e condoms with !le"ible ends which cover the inside o! vagina
to prevent the sperm meet the egg )his measure also sa!eguards a !emale !rom &)(7s
and &)I7s

Sterilization
/ &terili5ation can be done in a number o! ways It basically involves bloc3ing the
!allopian tubes to prevent pregnancy temporarily or permanently as per the choice

IUD
/ Intrauterine (evice or I%( is a L)7 shape device inserted in the uterus to prevent
pregnancy


COMMON SIDE EFFECTS OF BIRTH CONTROL PILLS

Acne, although birth control pills can also improve acne
#reast tenderness and enlargement
<eadaches
$hanges in se" drives 2typically a decrease4
Migraines
<igh blood pressure 2hypertension4
<igh cholesterol
$hest pain or heaviness, which may be signs o! a Kheart attac3
Dision or speech changes
(ar3 %rine
%ne"plained rash
Itching
%ne"plained swelling

COUNTRIES ALLOWED FAMILY PLANNING

China (one-child policy)
/ $hina7s one/child policy !orces some couples to have no more than one child
$hina7s population policy has been credited with a very signi!icant slowing o! china7s
population growth which had been higher be!ore the policy was implemented.

/ It involved !orced abortions and !orced sterili5ation, while the punishment o!
unplanned pregnancy is a !ine, both !orced abortion and !orced sterili5ation can be
changed with intentional assault, which is punished with up to *, years imprisonment

Hongkong
/ )he Augenics League was !ound in *.9; which became the !amily planning
association o! <ong3ong )he association provides !amily planning advice, se"
education, birth control services to general public o! <ong3ong *.8, due to rapidly
rising population <ong3ong launched the Etwo is enoughF campaign with reduced the
general birth rate through educational means

India
/ $ontraceptive usage has more than tripled and the !ertility rate has more than
halved, but the national !ertility rate is still high enough to cause long/term population
growth

Iran
/ <as a comprehensive and e!!ective program o! !amily planning Iran population
grew at a rate o! more than 9G per year between *.?; /*.+; )he growth rate began to
decline in the late *.+,7s M *..,7s a!ter government initiated a maKor population control
program #y =,,8 the growth rate had decline to 8G per year #irth control policy in Iran
to be e!!ective with the country topping the list o! greatest !ertility decreases


COUNTRIES NOT ALLOWED FAMILY PLANNING

Ireland
/ )he sale o! contraceptive was illegal in Ireland !rom *.9?/ *.+,, when it was
legali5ed with strong restrictions, later loosened It has been argued that the resulting
demographic dividend played a role in the economic boom in Ireland in the *..,7s was in
part due to the legali5ation o! contraception in *.8. and subse'uent decline in the !ertility
rate

Pakistan
/ Pa3istan7s Poverty 6eduction strategy paper has set speci!ic national goals !or
increases in !amily planning and contraceptive use

Philippines
/ RH Bill- aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and in!ormation on
birth control and maternal care
/ 2 bills with the same goals:
* HOUSE BILL / An act !or a comprehensive policy on 6esponsible Parenthood,
6eproductive <ealth and Population and (evelopment and !or other purposes
= SENATE BILL - Act providing !or national policy in reproductive health and
population and development

Singapore
/ Introduced in*.>. started by clinics o!!ering contraception but despite
government !inancial support there was no o!!icial government policy in !amily planning
until *.;,7s *.;; Family Planning and population #oard establish Advocating small
!amilies but eventually pushing !or 5ero population growth into what became popularly
3nown as the stop at two program/pushed !or small = children !amily

RELIGIONS ON BIRTH CONTROL

Roman Catholic Christianity and Birth Control
/ 6oman $atholicism is popularly associated with a strict anti/contraception
position )here was more debate on birth control, but it was generally condemned li3e
abortion )his is because se" treated as having no value e"cept !or reproduction, there!ore
hindering reproduction encouraged sin!ul uses o! se"/bans on contraception are not an
in!allible teaching and could change


Protestant Christianity and Birth Control
/ 0ne o! the most di!!use and de/centrali5ed religions traditions in the world
0pposition to birth control is increasing in conservative evangelical circles that are
seriously relying heavily on catholic teachings )he vast maKority o! protestant
denomination, theologians and churches at least permit contraception and may even
promote !amily planning as an important moral good

1udaism and Birth Control
/ Ancient Budaism was naturally pro/natalist, but without a central authority
dictating orthodo" belie!s, there has been rigorous debate on the 'uestion o! birth control

Islam and Birth Control
/ )here is nothing in Islam that would condemn contraception- on the contrary,
Muslims scholars investigated and developed birth control methods which were ta3en to
Aurope 6easons why contraception is Kusti!ied include pressuring the 'uality o! the
!amily, health, economics and even helping the woman pressure her good loo3s

P6AMA6I)AL &AH
CAPIO, MARY GRACE A.
FATALLA, MICHELLE V.
HERNANDEZ, CHLOE DIXIE E.
SAMSON, ARTHUR A.
Premarital se"

Also called non/marital se", youth!ul se", adolescent se", and young/adult se"
is se"ual activity, including vaginal intercourse, oral se", mutual masturbation, andanal
se", practiced by persons who are unmarried Although it has always been practiced, in
the Jest it has increased in prevalence since the mid/*.?,s <istorically considered
taboo by many cultures and considered a sin by numerous religions, it has become more
commonly accepted in the last !ew decades %ntil the *.?,s, the term @premarital se"@
re!erred to se"ual relations between two people prior to marrying each other (uring that
period, Jestern societies e"pected that men and women marry by the age o! =* or ==- as
such, there were no considerations that one who had se" would not marry )he term was
used instead o! !ornication, due to the negative connotations o! the latter
)he meaning has since shi!ted, re!erring to all se"ual relations a person has prior to
marriage- this removes emphasis on who the relations are with )he de!inition has a
degree o! ambiguity It is not clear whether se" between individuals legally !orbidden
!rom marrying, or the se"ual relations o! one uninterested in marrying could be
considered premarital
Alternative terms !or premarital se" have been suggested, including non-marital
sex which overlaps with adultery youthful sex, adolescent sex, and young-adult sex )hese
terms also su!!er !rom a degree o! ambiguity, as the de!inition o! having sex di!!ers !rom
person to person
In some cultures, !or e"ample in many modern/day Jestern cultures, se"ual
abstinence be!ore marriage is not valued In some cultures, se"ual abstinence is
discouraged



F06M&
Daginal intercourse
Daginal intercourse is the penetration o! a woman:s vagina by a man:s penis Although its
biological purpose is reproduction, it is o!ten per!ormed entirely !or pleasure and1or as an
e"pression o! love and emotional intimacy

0ral se"
0ral se" is the use o! the mouth to se"ually stimulate a partner:s genitals in an attempt to
bring him or her to orgasm In Jestern societies, premarital oral se" has become more
!re'uent as it becomes less taboo <istorically, a couple would practice oral se" only a!ter
practicing vaginal intercourse 0ral se" is now o!ten practiced prior to intercourse
A"planations !or this trend include the reduction o! the ris3 o! se"ually transmitted
diseases and the retention o! virginity without sacri!icing se"ual satis!action

Anal se"
Anal se" is the insertion o! a male:s penis into the anus o! his partner )his can occur in
either homose"ual or heterose"ual partnerships Li3e oral se", anal se" is sometimes used
as an alternative to vaginal se" by girls who wish to maintain their virginity )his practice
is sometimes re!erred to as saddlebac3ing

Mutual Masturbation
Mutual Masturbation is the mutual se"ual arousal o! one:s partner, by use o! the hand
most o!ten, to stimulate the !emale or male se" organ o! the other, to ultimately reach a
state o! orgasm Mutual Masturbation can be an end in itsel!, or be!ore clima", can, and
o!ten is, a prelude to se"ual intercourse In and o! itsel!, Mutual Masturbation is the
choice o! many !or the ultimate se"ual e"perience, creating sensations not always
a!!orded by se"ual intercourse )his techni'ue is seen as a normal progression !or youth
towards building intimate relationships and a 3nowledge about se" that will later be
!ul!illed in long/term adult relationships

)his techni'ue may also be valuable !or those

incapable o! se"ual intercourse, temporarily incapable o! se"ual intercourse, or those
incapable o! marriage, or those delaying marriage, or where marriage is delayed



Risks
Physically, premarital se" poses the same ris3s as post/marital se" It can be a disease
vector, transmitting chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, <ID and other such diseases
)here is also a ris3 o! an unplanned pregnancy in heterose"ual relationships

As such, it is
recommended that practitioners o! premarital se" use a condom

Jhat are the advantages and disadvantages o! premarital se"N

)he change in the =,th century o! American society in the scope o! premarital se" is the
dramatical increasing o! premarital se" behavior According to the survey data, in the
past, premarital se" rate was low, and premarital se" will o!ten lead to marriage Jomen
born in the *.,,7s, only +G had premarital se" be!ore the age o! =,- women born !rom
*.*, to *.*., the rate o! premarital se" increased to =9 G
According to the *.8> National &urvey data, adults, =? years o! age, .8G o! men and
+*G o! women had premarital se" France in *.8=, the survey indicates that =. years o!
age, 8?G o! men and ??G o! women have had se"ual relations be!ore marriage )he
most e"treme !igures !rom &weden, the ratio o! men and women that have premarital se"
e"perience is as high as ..G In other words, in &weden, people enKoy the high degree o!
se"ual !reedom and gender e'uality Premarital se" e"perience bene!its us both
physically and psychologicallyMconducive to health, because o! the urgent need, not
towed until adulthood According to psychological studies, it shows that when the organs
o! our body become mature because o! hormone secretion Psychologically, people will,
accordingly with the changes, have se"ual desire, which is normal I! the desire cannot be
satis!ied, it will a!!ect people7s wor3, learning, and li!e <owever, it varies according to
the di!!erent people M some are very strong, and some are very wea3 Jhen people are
with a strong desire, the so/called Ese"ual energyF, they can temporarily alleviate the
se"ual energy produced by having se", which can give them a happy !eeling, and a sense
o! achievement
The Side Effects of Premarital Sex Experience

Many modern young women do not mind the long/term relationship )hey thin3 that as
long as men love them, they do not care about i! it is a long relationship In !act, these
women can only see the sur!ace )hey do not 3now what would happen later actually
Premarital se" in general have occurred in the students and those without a stable source
o! community among the youths )hey have se" because se" is something curious !or
them, and they will not be responsible, or in any obligations
Jhen the se"ual desire is gone, and something une"pected happens, some o! them have
the psychological !ear, in!eriority #ecause premarital se" occurred in the maKority o!
those who lac3 the 3nowledge o! se" and e"perience, they may be pregnant a!ter having
se", which may do great harm to these women physically and psychologically &ome o!
the disease once in!ected, there is no way to treat the disease, such as AI(&
According to analysis and what we discussed above, I thin3 premarital se"ual e"perience
has pros and cons, and by and large, the bene!it o! premarital se" is !ar less than the
disadvantages <ow to solve the problem o! premarital se" behavior still remains an
arduous tas3 and a problem !or us to tac3le

Almost all Americans have premarital se", says a report published )uesday that analy5es
!ederal data over time and suggests programs !ocusing on se"ual abstinence until
marriage may be unrealistic@)he reality o! the situation is that most people had
premarital se", and it:s been that way !or several decades,@ says Lawrence Finer, director
o! domestic research at the Guttmacher Institute, a New Yor3 $ity/based non/pro!it
organi5ation that studies reproductive and se"ual health)he study, which used statistics
!rom the *.+=, *.++, *..? and =,,= National &urvey o! Family Growth, as3ed about
>,,,,, people ages *?/>> about their se"ual behavior and traced the trends in premarital
se" bac3 to the *.?,s0! those interviewed in =,,=, .?G reported they had had
premarital se"- .9G said they did so by age 9, Among women born in the *.>,s, nearly
nine in *, did At the same time, people are waiting longer to marry- =,,? data show
median age at !irst marriage is Kust over =? !or women and =8 !or men)he study may
!uel the debate over e!!orts by the !ederal government and others to !und programs that
encourage abstinence until marriage &uch programs stress that abstaining !rom se" is the
only e!!ective or acceptable way to prevent pregnancy or disease






Median age o! !irst premarital se",
by age group
)urned
*? inI
Age in
=,,=/,9
Median age
at !irst
premarital se"
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*.;>/89 >?/?> *+;
*.8>/+9 9?/>> *+,
*.+>/.9 =?/9> *89
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=,,9
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Abortion is de!ined as the termination o! pregnancy by the removal or e"pulsion
!rom the uterus o! a !etus or embryo prior to viability An abortion can occur
spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be
purposely induced )he term abortion most commonly re!ers to the induced abortion o! a
human pregnancy
Abortion, when induced in the developed world in accordance with local law, is among
the sa!est procedures in medicine
P*Q
<owever, unsa!e abortions 2those per!ormed by
persons without proper training or outside o! a medical environment4 result in
appro"imately 8, thousand maternal deaths and ? million disabilities per year globally
P=Q
An estimated >= million abortions are per!ormed globally each year, with =, million o!
those per!ormed unsa!ely
P=Q
)he incidence o! abortion has declined worldwide as access
to !amily planning education and contraceptive services has increased
P9Q
Forty percent o!
the world:s women have access to induced abortions 2within gestational limits4
P>Q
Induced abortion has a long history and has been !acilitated by various methods including
herbal aborti!acients, the use o! sharpened tools, physical trauma, and other traditional
methods $ontemporary medicine utili5es medications and surgical procedures to induce
abortion )he legality, prevalence, cultural and religious status o! abortion vary
substantially around the world In many parts o! the world there is prominent and
divisive public controversy over the ethical and legal issues o! abortion
TYPES OF ABORTION
Induced
Appro"imately =,? million pregnancies occur each year worldwide 0ver a third
are unintended and about a !i!th end in induced abortion
P?Q
Most abortions result !rom
unintended pregnancies
P;Q
A pregnancy can be intentionally aborted in several ways )he
manner selected o!ten depends upon the gestational age o! the embryo or !etus, which
increases in si5e as the pregnancy progresses
P8QP+Q
&peci!ic procedures may also be selected
due to legality, regional availability, and doctor or patient pre!erence
6easons !or procuring induced abortions are typically characteri5ed as either therapeutic
or elective An abortion is medically re!erred to as a therapeutic abortion when it is
per!ormed to save the li!e o! the pregnant woman- prevent harm to the woman:s physical
or mental health- terminate a pregnancy where indications are that the child will have a
signi!icantly increased chance o! premature morbidity or mortality or be otherwise
disabled- or to selectively reduce the number o! !etuses to lessen health ris3s associated
with multiple pregnancy
P.QP*,Q
An abortion is re!erred to as an elective or voluntary
abortion when it is per!ormed at the re'uest o! the woman !or non/medical reasons
P*,Q
Spontaneous
Main article: Miscarriage
&pontaneous abortion, also 3nown as miscarriage, is the unintentional e"pulsion o! an
embryo or !etus be!ore the =,th to ==nd wee3 o! gestation
Pnote =Q
A pregnancy that ends
be!ore 98 wee3s o! gestation resulting in a live/born in!ant is 3nown as a @premature
birth@ or a @preterm birth@
P**Q
Jhen a !etus dies in utero a!ter viability, or during delivery,
it is usually termed @stillborn@
P*=Q
Premature births and stillbirths are generally not
considered to be miscarriages although usage o! these terms can sometimes overlap
P*9Q
0nly 9, to ?,G o! conceptions progress past the !irst trimester
P*>Q
)he vast maKority o!
those that do not progress are lost be!ore the woman is aware o! the conception,
P*,Q
and
many pregnancies are lost be!ore medical practitioners have the ability to detect the
presence o! an embryo
P*?Q
#etween *?G and 9,G o! 3nown pregnancies end in clinically
apparent miscarriage, depending upon the age and health o! the pregnant woman
P*;Q
)he most common cause o! spontaneous abortion during the !irst trimester is
chromosomal abnormalities o! the embryo1!etus,
P*,QP*8Q
accounting !or at least ?,G o!
sampled early pregnancy losses
P*+Q
0ther causes include vascular disease 2such
as lupus4, diabetes, other hormonal problems, in!ection, and abnormalities o! the uterus
P*8Q
Advancing maternal age and a patient history o! previous spontaneous abortions are
the two leading !actors associated with a greater ris3 o! spontaneous abortion
P*+Q
A
spontaneous abortion can also be caused by accidental trauma- intentional trauma or
stress to cause miscarriage is considered induced abortion or !eticide
Induction methods
Gestational age may determine which abortion methods are practiced
Medical
Main article: Medical abortion
Medical abortions are those induced by aborti!acient pharmaceuticals Medical abortion
became an alternative method o! abortion with the availability o! prostaglandin analogs in
the early *.8,s and the antiprogestogen mi!epristone in the *.+,s
P=,QP=*QP==Q
)he most common early !irst/trimester medical abortion regimens use mi!epristone in
combination with a prostaglandin analog 2misoprostol or gemeprost4 up to . wee3s
gestational age, methotre"ate in combination with a prostaglandin analog up to 8 wee3s
gestation, or a prostaglandin analog alone
P=,Q
Mi!epristoneMmisoprostol combination
regimens wor3 !aster and are more e!!ective at later gestational ages than methotre"ateM
misoprostol combination regimens, and combination regimens are more e!!ective than
misoprostol alone
P=*Q
In very early abortions, up to 8 wee3s gestation, medical abortion using a mi!epristoneM
misoprostol combination regimen is considered to be more e!!ective than surgical
abortion 2vacuum aspiration4, especially when clinical practice does not include detailed
inspection o! aspirated tissue
P=9Q
Aarly medical abortion regimens using =,, mg o!
mi!epristone, !ollowed =>M>+ hours later by +,, mcg o! buccal or vaginal misoprostol are
.+G e!!ective up to . wee3s gestational age
P=>Q
In cases o! !ailure o! medical abortion,
surgical abortion must be used to complete the procedure
P=?Q
Aarly medical abortions account !or the maKority o! abortions be!ore . wee3s gestation in
#ritain,
P=;QP=8Q
France,
P=+Q
&wit5erland,
P=.Q
and the Nordic countries
P9,Q
In the %nited &tates,
the percentage o! early medical abortions is !ar lower
P9*QP9=Q
Medical abortion regimens using mi!epristone in combination with a prostaglandin
analog are the most common methods used !or second/trimester abortions in $anada,
most o! Aurope, $hina and India,
P==Q
in contrast to the %nited &tates where .;G o!
second/trimester abortions are per!ormed surgically by dilation and evacuation
P99Q
Surgical
A vacuum aspiration abortion at eight wee3s gestational age 2si" wee3s a!ter
!ertili5ation4
1: Amniotic sac
2: Ambryo
3: %terine lining
4: &peculum
5: Dacurette
6: Attached to a suction pump
In the !irst *? wee3s, suction/aspiration or vacuum abortion is the most common surgical
method
P9>Q
Manual vacuum aspiration 2MDA4 abortion consists o! removing
the !etus or embryo, placenta and membranes by suction using a manual syringe,
while electric vacuum aspiration 2ADA4 abortion uses an electric pump )hese
techni'ues are comparable, and di!!er in the mechanism used to apply suction, how early
in pregnancy they can be used, and whether cervical dilation is necessary MDA, also
3nown as @mini/suction@ and @menstrual e"traction@, can be used in very early
pregnancy, and does not re'uire cervical dilation Dilation and curettage 2(R$4, the
second most common method o! surgical abortion, is a standard gynecological procedure
per!ormed !or a variety o! reasons, including e"amination o! the uterine lining !or
possible malignancy, investigation o! abnormal bleeding, and abortion Curettage re!ers
to cleaning the walls o! the uterus with a curette )he Jorld <ealth
0rgani5ation recommends this procedure, also called sharp curettage, only when MDA
is unavailable
P9?Q
From the *?th wee3 until appro"imately the =;th, other techni'ues must be used (ilation
and evacuation 2(RA4 consists o! opening the cervi" o! the uterus and emptying it using
surgical instruments and suction Premature labor and delivery can be induced
with prostaglandin- this can be coupled with inKecting theamniotic !luid with hypertonic
solutions containing saline or urea A!ter the *;th wee3 o! gestation, abortions can also
be induced by intact dilation and e"traction 2I(H4 2also called intrauterine cranial
decompression4, which re'uires surgical decompression o! the !etus:s head be!ore
evacuation I(H is sometimes called @partial/birth abortion,@ which has been !ederally
banned in the %nited &tates
In the third trimester o! pregnancy, abortion may be per!ormed by I(H as described
above, induction o! labor, or by hysterotomy <ysterotomy abortion is a procedure
similar to a caesarean section and is per!ormed under general anesthesia It re'uires a
smaller incision than a caesarean section and is used during later stages o! pregnancy
P9;Q
First/trimester procedures can generally be per!ormed using local anesthesia , while
second/trimester methods may re'uire deep sedation or general anesthesia
P9=Q
Other methods
<istorically, a number o! herbs reputed to possess aborti!acient properties have been used
in !ol3 medicineI tansy, pennyroyal, blac3 cohosh, and the now/
e"tinct silphium 2see history o! abortion4
P98Q
)he use o! herbs in such a manner can cause
seriousSeven lethalSside e!!ects, such as multiple organ !ailure, and is not
recommended by physicians
P9+Q
Abortion is sometimes attempted by causing trauma to the abdomen )he degree o! !orce,
i! severe, can cause serious internal inKuries without necessarily succeeding in
inducing miscarriage
P9.Q
In &outheast Asia, there is an ancient tradition o! attempting
abortion through !orce!ul abdominal massage
P>,Q
0ne o! the bas relie!s decorating the
temple o! Ang3or Jat in $ambodia depicts a demon per!orming such an abortion upon a
woman who has been sent to the underworld
P>,Q
6eported methods o! unsa!e, sel!/induced abortion include misuse o! misoprostol, and
insertion o! non/surgical implements such as 3nitting needles and clothes hangers into the
uterus )hese methods are rarely seen in developed countries where surgical abortion is
legal and available
P>*Q
&a!ety
)he health ris3s o! abortion depend on whether the procedure is per!ormed sa!ely or
unsa!ely )he Jorld <ealth 0rgani5ation de!ines unsa!e abortions as those per!ormed by
uns3illed individuals, with ha5ardous e'uipment, or in unsanitary !acilities
P>=Q
Abortion,
when per!ormed in the developed world in accordance with local law, is among the sa!est
procedures in medicine
P*QP>9Q
In the %&, the ris3 o! maternal death !rom abortion in *...
was ,?;8 per *,,,,,, procedures, ma3ing abortion appro"imately *=? times sa!er than
childbirth 28,; maternal deaths per *,,,,,, live births4
P>>Q
)he ris3 o! abortion/related
mortality increases with increasing gestational age, but remains lower than that o!
childbirth through at least =* wee3s: gestation
P>?QP>;Q
Dacuum aspiration in the !irst trimester is the sa!est method o! surgical abortion, and can
be per!ormed in a primary care o!!ice, abortion clinic, or hospital $omplications are rare
and can includeuterine per!oration , pelvic in!ection, and retained products o! conception
re'uiring a second procedure to evacuate
P>8Q
Preventive antibiotics 2such
as do"ycycline or metronida5ole4 are typically given be!ore elective abortion,
P>+Q
as they
are believed to substantially reduce the ris3 o! postoperative uterine in!ection
P9=QP>.Q
$omplications a!ter second/trimester abortion are similar to those a!ter !irst/
trimester abortion, and depend somewhat on the method chosen
)here is little, i! any, di!!erence in terms o! sa!ety and e!!icacy between medical abortion
using a combined regimen o! mi!epristone and misoprostol and surgical abortion
2vacuum aspiration4 in early !irst trimester abortions up to . wee3s gestation
P=9Q
Medical
abortion using the prostaglandin analog misoprostol alone is less e!!ective and more
pain!ul than medical abortion using a combined regimen o! mi!epristone and misoprostol
or surgical abortion
P?,QP?*Q
Unsafe abortion
&oviet poster circa *.=?, warning against midwives per!orming abortions )itle
translationI @Abortions per!ormed by either trained or sel!/taught midwives not only
maim the woman, they also o!ten lead to death@
%nsa!e abortions are a maKor cause o! inKury and death among women worldwide
Although data are imprecise, it is estimated that appro"imately =, million unsa!e
abortions are per!ormed annually, with .8G ta3ing place in developing countries
P*Q
%nsa!e abortion is believed to result in appro"imately ;+,,,, deaths
P?=Q
and millions o!
inKuries annually
P*Q
Groups such as the Jorld <ealth 0rgani5ation have advocated a
public/health approach to addressing unsa!e abortion, emphasi5ing the legali5ation o!
abortion, the training o! medical personnel, and ensuring access to reproductive/health
services
P?9Q
Jomen see3ing to terminate their pregnancies sometimes resort to unsa!e methods,
particularly when access to legal abortion is restricted )hey may attempt to sel!/abort or
rely on another person who does not have proper medical training or access to proper
!acilities )his has a tendency to lead to severe complications, such as incomplete
abortion, sepsis, hemorrhage, and damage to internal organs
P?>Q
)he legality o! abortion is one o! the main determinants o! its sa!ety 6estrictive abortion
laws are associated with a high rate o! unsa!e abortions
P=QP?9QP??QP?;QP?8Q
For e"ample, the
*..; legali5ation o! abortion in &outh A!rica had an immediate positive impact on the
!re'uency o! abortion/related complications,
P?+Q
with abortion/related deaths dropping by
more than .,G
P?.Q
In addition, a lac3 o! access to e!!ective contraception contributes to
unsa!e abortion It has been estimated that the incidence o! unsa!e abortion could be
reduced by as much as 89G without any change in abortion laws i! modern !amily
planning and maternal health services were readily available globally
P;,Q
Forty percent o! the world:s women are able to access therapeutic and elective abortions
within gestational limits,
P>Q
while an additional 9? percent have access to legal abortion i!
they meet certain physical, mental, or socioeconomic criteria
P;*Q
Jhile maternal
mortality seldom results !rom sa!e abortions, unsa!e abortions result in 8,,,,, deaths and
? million disabilities per year
P=Q
$omplications o! unsa!e abortion account !or
appro"imately an eighth o! maternal mortalities worldwide,
P;=Q
though this varies by
region
P;9Q
&econdary in!ertility caused by an unsa!e abortion a!!ects an estimated =>
million women
P?;Q
Although the global rate o! abortion declined !rom >?; million in
*..? to >*; million in =,,9, unsa!e procedures still accounted !or >+G o! all abortions
per!ormed in =,,9
P??Q
<ealth education, access to !amily planning, and improvements in
health care during and a!ter abortion have been proposed to address this phenomenon
Physical
A brie! physical e"amination is usually per!ormed be!ore an abortion )he !ocus is on
determining when your pregnancy began and chec3ing !or se"ually transmitted disease
and whether you are healthy enough to undergo the procedure
Lab tests
Pregnancy tests are used to con!irm that you are pregnant <ome tests are reliable, so
providers will accept these results in some cases #lood will be tested !or se"ually
transmitted diseases and !or hepatitis %rine may be chec3ed to see i! you have a urinary
tract in!ection
Imaging studies
An ultrasound is virtually always dome !or pregnancy con!irmation and dating (octors
are loo3ing !or how many !etuses may be developing, the si5e o! the !etus or !etuses, a
picture o! the uterus and ovaries, and to rule out a problem such as anectopic
pregnancy 2a li!e/threatening condition in which the !etus develops outside the uterus4
Medications
Your health care provider may give you antibiotics as a precaution against in!ection
Antibiotic use !or the procedure is usually given the day o! the procedure and !or the ne"t
day or two
COUNTRIES THAT ABORTION IS LEGAL
Abortion is one o! the most common medical procedures per!ormed in the %nited &tates
each yearMore than >,G o! all women will end a pregnancy by abortion at some time in
their reproductive lives
Jhile women o! every social class see3 terminations, the typical woman who ends her
pregnancy is either young, white, unmarried, poor, or over the age o! >,
In the %nited &tates and worldwide, abortion 23nown also as elective termination o!
pregnancy4 remains common
)he %& &upreme $ourt legali5ed abortion in the well/3nown Roe v Wadedecision in
*.89- currently, there areabout *= million abortions are per!ormed each year in the
%nited &tates
Jorldwide, some =,/9, million legal abortions are performed each year, with
another *,/=, million abortions per!ormed illegally Illegal abortions are unsa!e and
account !or *9G o! all deaths o! women because o! serious complications (eath !rom
abortion is almost un3nown in the %nited &tates or in other countries where abortion is
legally available
In spite o! the introduction o! newer, more e!!ective, and more widely available birth
control methods, more than hal! o! the ; million pregnancies occurring each year in the
%nited &tates are considered unplanned by the women who are pregnant 0! these
unplanned pregnancies, about hal! end in abortion
Making abortion legal
&ince the landmar3 *.89 %& &upreme $ourt decision that made abortion legal, hundreds
o! !ederal and state laws have been proposed or passed Abortion is one o! the most
visible, controversial, and legally active areas in the !ield o! medicine
Abortion statistics
In the United States: In =,,9, about *; women !or every *,,,, women aged *?/>> years
had an abortion, and !or every *,,,, live births, about =>* abortions were per!ormed,
according to the $enters !or (isease $ontrol and Prevention In the past =, years,
considerable progress has been made in the technology used !or second/trimester
abortion )his and the social issues surrounding abortion have led to more women
see3ing terminations later in pregnancy
Most abortions are per!ormed a!ter your health care provider ta3es a brie! and
targeted medical history You will be as3ed 'uestions about prior pregnancies and any
treatment or care during the current pregnancy You will be as3ed about any diseases or
conditions that a!!ect your reproductive organs, such as se"ually transmitted in!ections
)he provider will as3 whether you have a history o! diabetes, high blood pressure, heart
disease ,anemia, bleeding disorders, or surgery 2on your ovaries or uterus, !or e"ample4 I!
you have active medical problems, you may need to be stabili5ed be!ore an abortion or
have the procedure per!ormed in a !acility that can handle special medical problems
I! there are 3nown problems with the !etus, such as severe brain abnormalities that
will either not allow the !etus to live, and i! these problems are 3nown through
diagnostic testing, the woman may choose to end the pregnancy with abortion
)he most common problems with the !etus encountered in abortion counseling
include maKor system development !ailures and problems that cannot be repaired
dealing with the heart, nervous system, spine, brain, abdomen, 3idneys, and breathing
and digestive systems
Anguilla (British overseas territory)
Abortion is regulated in the Ecrimes against peopleF law and it gives the !ollowing
e"ceptionsI i! it is per!ormed in good !aith, in a hospital, by doctors and with the
recommendation o! other doctors stating that continuing with the pregnancy poses
ris3s to the li!e o! the woman or physical or mental damage to her )here is also an
e"ception in cases o! serious body or mental mal!ormations o! the !etus
Antigua and Barbuda
Abortion is permitted in this country to preserve the li!e o! the woman according to the
Protection o! the Li!e o! the $hild Law 2*.=.4 which was then amended in *.9+ by
the Kudges, to include @the 'uality o! li!e o! the woman@ that is described both as
physical and mental health 2Pheterson y A5i5e Dargas,=,,?4 Abortions beyond *;
wee3s o! pregnancy are not allowed and an authori5ation o! a $ommittee o! doctors is
re'uired in all cases
Argentina
In Argentina abortion is illegal and is the !irst cause o! maternal death )he law
establishes sanctions both !or the woman and !or the person that practices the
interruption 2articles +?, +;, +8 y ++ o! the Penal $ode4 )he same law established an
e"ception established in *.=* !or two special casesI * when the li!e or health o! the
woman is at ris3, = when the pregnancy is the result o! the rape o! an @idiotic or insane
woman@ 2article +;, numbers * and = o! the Penal $ode4 <owever, these e"ceptions are
rarely put into practice- doctors re!use to practice abortion due to their own religious
belie!s
Bahamas
)he penal code o! #ahamas does not penali5e abortion i! the health or li!e o! the woman
is at ris3 No re!erence is made to abortion when the pregnancy is the result o! rape )he
sanction !or induced abortion is *, years o! prison
Belize
)he Penal $ode o! #eli5e 2*.+,4 penali5es abortion with *> years o! prison both !or the
woman and !or whoever practices it 0nly two e"ceptions are establishedI a4 when the
health or li!e o! the woman is at ris3, b4 when the !oetus presents mal!ormations #oth
cases re'uire a registered doctor to per!orm the interruption, and the authori5ation o! two
other doctors
Bolivia
)he new Magna $arta 2Banuary =,,.4 contains provisions that strengthen women:s rights
although it !alls short on abortion and same/se" marriage or civil unions 0n the positive
side, article *> prohibits discrimination based on se", gender identity, or se"ual
pre!erence And article *? contains language against !amilial and gendered violence
Article >+ guarantees e'ual remuneration !or men and women with the same Kob
)he constitution also re'uires e'ual participation o! women and men in #olivia:s
$ongress <owever, the document de!ines marriage and civil unions as an act between a
man and woman It also vaguely "guarantees men and women the exercise of their
sexual and reproductive rights," but does not speci!ically tac3le the issue o! abortion,
which remains illegal in #olivia
Brazil
Abortion is the third cause o! maternal death It is regulated under the Penal $ode that
dates !rom *.>, It is permitted only in the cases were the pregnancy is the result o! rape
and1or when it puts the li!e o! the pregnant woman at ris3 2necessary abortion4 )here are
a number o! obstacles to the practice o! abortion in public health services, the !irst o!
which is that women do not 3now their rights and the second is the doctor:s re!usal to do
what is re'uired In the last !ew years, one o! the most important steps !orward in the
discussion has been the presentation in parliament o! a new law that legali5es abortion in
certain cases submitted by the government in =,,? )he new proposal suggests that the
Public <ealth &ystem 2&istema %ni!icado de &alud PTblica, &%&4 as well as the
privately/owned health services cover the costs o! abortion Aven though the law proKect
began to be discussed in =,,?, the great tension that arose provo3ed not only a change in
strategy to modi!y its content but also a stand/still in the debate
In Buly =,,+, a commission that wor3ed under the (eputy $hamber o! #ra5il:s
parliament voted almost totally against the new proKect law to legali5e abortion
Cayman Islands
)he $ayman Islands are part o! the %O In this country, an amendment to the Penal
$ode 2Act No*=, *.8?4 permits abortion i! there is proo! that it was per!ormed in @good
!aith@, with the only purpose o! preserving the li!e o! the mother and always per!ormed
by an authori5ed pro!essional
Chile
Abortion is here the !irst cause o! maternal death %ntil =,,8, abortion was !ully
penali5ed in $hile, without any e"ceptions It is considered a public health problem that
a!!ects mainly poor women Laws against abortion can be !ound in the Penal $ode in
articles 9>= A and =>? under the titleI @$rimes against the Family 0rder and the Public
Morale@ and they are considered to be one o! the most restrictive in the world
)herapeutic abortion was permitted under the <ealth code !rom *.9* to *.+.- in this
period, any woman that ris3ed her li!e with her pregnancy could re'uest an abortion i!
she had the approval o! two doctors In *.+., the military dictatorship ruled out
therapeutic abortion provo3ing the rage o! !eminist movements that were publicly
against this ban that violates women:s human rights Presently, the $hilean law considers
the woman and the value o! her li!e as a legal asset, subordinated to the !etus )his
approach is strengthened by the $onstitution o! *.+, that in the article on People:s rights
states the protection o! the @li!e o! the one to be born@, separating the li!e o! who
conceives the !etus !rom its !reedom to decide whether being pregnant or not
In November =,,;, a proposal o! legali5ation o! abortion until the *=th wee3 o!
pregnancy presented by the deputies Alinco and AnrU'ue5/0minami was reKected )his
proKect was an attempt to o!!er answers to a problem o! health, human rights and social
Kustice
Later on, the $hilean Ministry o! <ealth approved the !ertility regulation laws that were
an important step !orward in the sense that it o!!ered practical answers that are respect!ul
o! human rights )he law includes public access to wide contraceptive methods
including the @morning/a!ter@ pill )he law was resisted by religious and political groups
at the $onstitutional )ribunal in (ecember =,,;
In Banuary =,,8, the president Michelle #achelet signed a decree allowing the !ree
distribution o! the emergency contraception / between *> and *+ years o! age / without
consent o! the parents <owever, in April =,,+, the $onstitutional )ribunal banned the
!ree distribution o! the emergency pill in public hospitals
Colombia
Abortion is the second cause o! maternal death In =,,;, the $onstitutional $ourt o!
$olombia legali5ed abortion !or three special casesI when the li!e or health o! the
woman is at ris3, in case o! rape, and1or when the !oetus presents mal!ormations that are
not compatible with e"tra uterine li!e
)he *9th o! (ecember =,,;, the $olombian government issued the >>>> decree that is
considered an essential step !orward to guarantee clear access to abortion services )his
instrument will reassure the availability o! the abortion services in all the country in the
cases and conditions stated in the sentence and will be applied to all the population
whether it is a!!iliated or not Additionally, the decree establishes that no administrative
barriers can be imposed to delay the abortion nor the doctors may obKect by moral
reasons to per!orm it Cuality standards are also regulated by the decree
Costa Rica
In $osta 6ica abortion is considered a crime )his may be e"plained by the !act that the
$onstitution o! $osta 6ica establishes that the religion o! the &tate is that o! the 6oman
$atholic $hurch and that the clergy can participate in all issues related to se"uality and
reproduction 2article 8?4 <owever, article *=* o! the Penal $ode authori5es therapeutic
abortion when the health and li!e o! the woman is at ris3
Cuba
$uba was the !irst country to sign and the second to rati!y the $onvention on the
Alimination o! All Forms o! (iscrimination against Jomen 2$A(AJ4 Abortion is
legal in the country since *.;?, recogni5ing it as a woman:s right )he ma"imum period
o! time to !ile !or legal abortion is *, wee3s o! pregnancy, !rom that moment onwards
abortion is only legal i! the health o! the woman is at ris3 Abortions practiced outside
the public health system are penali5ed
Dominica
)his small island, situated at the south o! Puerto 6ico, allows abortion only to save the
li!e o! the woman
Ecuador
Jith a new health re!orm, the government o! Acuador is promoting !ree access to
contraceptives and en!orcement mechanisms !or doctors to interrupt pregnancies in some
casesI when the li!e o! the woman is at ris3, in cases o! abortion in course o when the
pregnancy is the result o! rape o! a mentally ill woman Access to di!!erent methods o!
contraception will not re'uire consent o! the parents 2in case o! girls under *+4 nor o! the
partner @)he &tate recogni5es maternal death, teen pregnancy and abortion under ris3 as
public health problems, guaranteeing access to public health services without cost as
stated in the Free Maternity Law@ &eptember =,,;
Grenada
Legislation is e"actly the same as in )he #ahamas
Guatemala
Abortion is illegal e"cept to protect the li!e o! the woman
Haiti
In this country, !ormer French colony, abortion is only legal in order to save the li!e o!
the woman Illegal abortion penali5es with prison both the woman and whoever practices
it
Honduras
In *..8, the laws adopted by parliament that decriminali5ed abortion !or therapeutic,
eugenic or Kuridical reasons were repealed by decree 0n the other hand, in May =,,.,
the President o! the 6epublic o! <onduras, BosV Manuel Welaya 6osales, !inally vetoed a
measure voted by $ongress that aimed to prohibit and criminali5e the emergency
contraceptive pills 2A$Ps4 or morning/a!ter pill
1amaica
)here are only two e"ceptionsI in order to save the woman:s li!e or to preserve her
physical and mental health
Mexico
0n Nov*;, =,,. the legislature o! the Me"ican coastal state o! Deracru5 passed a law
declaring that li!e begins at conception and ends at natural death Deracru5 now becomes
the *8th state in Me"ico to criminali5e abortion in a string o! hotly contested and
reactive measures set o!! by Me"ico $ity:s April =,,8 legali5ation o! abortion
Nicaragua
From 0ctober *., =,,;, abortion is illegal in all cases )he &ecular &tate has been
established in Nicaragua since the Welaya Liberal 6evolution 2*+.94 but therapeutic
abortion was legali5ed even be!ore %p until 0ctober =,,;, the Penal $ode permitted
therapeutic abortion in article *>99I @the need to interrupt pregnancy !or therapeutic
reason will be determined scienti!ically by at least three e"perts )herapeutic abortion
will not be penali5ed@ and was allowed in cases when the li!e o! the woman was at ris3
Any other type o! abortion was prohibited and severely punished In 0ctober =,,;, the
archbishop and members o! the evangelical churches claimed !or the elimination o!
therapeutic abortion !rom the Penal $ode in search o! !ull penali5ation
In 0ctober =,,;, the clergy and other members o! the evangelical church called !or the
elimination o! the therapeutic abortion laws see3ing !or a !ull prohibition instead
<owever, in 0ctober =,,; a call !or a complete ban came !rom the 6oman $atholic and
evangelical churches that aimed to eliminate !rom the Penal $ode the article that allows
legal abortion in cases where the woman:s li!e is at ris3 Yielding to this pressure, the
Parliament:s Kudicial commission approved the modi!ication putting Nicaragua in the list
o! Latin American countries in which abortion is completely banned Nicaragua7s
blan3et ban on abortion, which criminali5es li!e/saving medical treatment, has had a
devastating impact on women7s health and lives, according to a report by <uman 6ights
Jatch on the conse'uences !or human rights that the ban triggered
)he attac3s promoted by the Nicaraguan government against the de!enders o! women7s
human rights have not been limited to legal proceeding against them, but are being
e"pressed in ongoing persecution and direct threats against their lives and the lives o!
their !amilies
Panama
)he Penal $ode o! Panama 2*.+=4, establishes three cases in which abortion is not
penali5edI ethical/ in case o! rape or incest- therapeutic / to save the li!e o! the pregnant
woman- in case o! !oetal mal!ormations 2$umbrera (Ua5, *..84
Paraguay
Abortion legislation in Paraguay has remained unchanged since *.98 Abortion is illegal
in all cases e"cept when the li!e o! the woman is at ris3
Peru
In Peru, abortion is illegal in all cases e"cept when the li!e o! the woman is at ris3 or to
avoid health complications <owever, the !act that the Peruvian government does not
guarantee access to therapeutic legal abortion constitutes a violation o! !undamental
human rights )he report by <uman 6ights Jatch released in Buly =,,+I @My 6ights,
and My 6ight to OnowI Lac3 o! Access to )herapeutic Abortion in Peru@ documents the
di!!iculties women !ace in accessing therapeutic abortion M those needed to save the li!e
o! the woman or avoid serious health ris3s M in Peru7s public health system
Puerto Rico
In Puerto 6ico abortion is legal since *.89, a!ter the well 3nown case o! 6oe vs Jade,
when the &upreme $ourt o! the %nited &tates established that abortion, under the %&
$onstitution, is a !undamental right $ounter legislative proposals that aim to restrict the
right to abortion have come mainly !rom the catholic church and pro/choice groups In
March =,,;, the catholic church opposed the right to abortion o! a *, year old girl that
was raped by her !ather
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Abortion legislation in this country composed o! two islands is the same as in Antigua
and #arbuda Abortion is illegal in all cases e"cept when the li!e or health o! the woman
is at ris3
Saint Lucia
)he Penal $ode o! &aint Lucia establishes that i! abortion is intentionally or accidentally
provo3ed by any 3ind o! medical treatment undergone to preserve the health or li!e o!
the pregnant woman, it will not be penali5ed
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
According to the criminal code o! &aint Dincent and the Grenadines, anyone who tries to
or practices an abortion !aces a sanction o! *> years prison )he woman is given 8 years
prison <owever, abortion is not penali5ed i! you can prove socioeconomic and health
reasons that may a!!ect the already born children or i! the pregnancy is the result o! rape
or incest
Suriname
Abortion is legal in &uriname according to the @principles o! necessity@ general law only
to save the li!e o! the pregnant woman Anyone who tries to or practices an abortion
!aces a sanction o! up to > years in prison while the woman gets 9 years
Trinidad and Tobago
Abortion is legal in &uriname according to the @principles o! necessity@ general law only
to save the li!e or health o! the pregnant woman
Uruguay
&ince *.9+, abortion is considered a crime under the Penal $ode 2it was legal !rom *.9>
to *.9+4 A"ceptionsI !or therapeutic, ethical or social reasons In *+ years o! debate that
the country has had on the issue o! abortion, there were important actors in society that
re!used to adopt a public position on the matter <owever in =,,=, two 3ey actors with
vital in!luence in the public opinion gave their !avorable viewsI the %niversity o! the
6epublic and the @&indicato MVdico del %ruguay@ 2the doctor:s main union4 In =,,>, a
poll conducted by a private !irm 2A'uipos Mori4 said that ;9G o! the population
supports the proKect law on &e"ual and reproductive health 2that legali5es abortion4 that
was under discussion in Parliament in =,,;
In (ecember =,,;, the Ministry o! Public <ealth enables !ree access to !amily planning
mechanisms 2including tubal ligation and vasectomy4 without any consent o! third
parties !or =* or older )his was a very important step !orward !or the respect o!
reproductive rights and the !reedom to decide on their personal lives
In November =,,+, the %ruguayan parliament, in a historic moment, aproved the bill
that legalises abortion in the !irst *= wee3s o! pregnancy <owever, in an antidemocratic
move, President )abarV Da5'ue5 vetoed the bill against the opinion o! his own politcal
party 2the @Frente Amplio4 and the maKority o! %ruguayans that !avour legali5ation 2;,G
according to opinion polls4 )he arguments o! the presidential veto were almost entirely
aligned with the radical wing that has struggled against this law, composed mainly by
religious groups <owever, the maKority o! the points o! Law nX *+>=; were approved,
though the implementation o! the law that de!ends se"ual and reproductive health and
rights nationwide is still pending
According to (r Leonel #rioso, Associate Pro!essor o! the Gynaecology $linic at
<ospital EPereira 6ossellF 2the main public maternity hospital in Montevideo4, in order
to en!orce these rights it is essential to educate women in that they can and must !reely
decide on these matters and that they have the right to a comprehensive health care,
whether abortion is legal or not Moreover, %ruguay is the only country that states in the
most e"plicit manner Ethe obligation that, in a case o! unwanted pregnancy, the public
and private health care centers must provide advice to reduce the ris3 o! unsa!e abortion@
<owever, the &tate, disregarding the =,,+ law, is ignoring the most important indicator
to assess the 'uality o! health o! a populationI that o! maternal mortality
Venezuela
In Dene5uela abortion is only permitted to save the li!e o! the woman in which case the
woman, her husband or her legal representative 2in case she is single or a minor4 must
present her written consent )he law establishes up to = years prison !or the woman who
aborts while whoever practices the abortion !aces up to 9, months prison I! the husband
were responsible !or the abortion, the sanctions are more severe
COUNTRIES THAT ABORTION IS ILLEGAL
Abortion illegal in all circumstances or permitted only to save a woman:s li!e
&outh AmericaI
#ra5il, $olombia, $hile, (ominican 6epublic, Al &alvador, Guatemala, <aiti, <onduras,
Me"ico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Dene5uela,
&ub/&aharan A!ricaI
Angola, #enin, $entral A!rican 6ep$had, $ongo, $ te d:Ivoire, (em 6ep o! $ongo,
Gabon, Guinea/ #issau, Oenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauretania, Mauritius,
Niger, Nigeria, &enegal, &omalia, )an5ania, )ogo, %ganda
Middle Aast and North A!ricaI
A!ghanistan, Agypt, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, 0man, &udan 2r4, &yria, %nited Arab
Amirates, Yemen
Asia and Paci!icI
#angladesh, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, &ri Lan3a
AuropeI
Ireland, Malta, Datican $ity
TOP 5 ILLNESSES

Pneumonia / a serious in!ection that a!!ects the lungs wherein the o"ygen will
have di!!iculty reaching the blood I! there is too little o"ygen in the blood, body
cells cannot wor3 properly As a result, in!ection will spread
Diarrhea / the passage o! loose and watery bowels 2more than 9 bowel
movements per day4 o!ten associated with air presence in the stomach, ballooning
o! stomach, and abdominal pain, and accompanied by sic3ness such as vomiting
and !ever
Bronchitis / blowing up o! the bronchi/air passages that e"tend !rom the
windpipe to the lungs )he swelling may be caused by viruses, bacteria, smo3ing,
chemical pollutants, and dust
Influenza / !lu, or in!luen5a, is a highly contagious acute respiratory illness
caused by the In!luen5a virus
Hypertension / highlood pressure, i! uncontrolled, causes damage to various
organs in the body resulting to other diseases
TB Respiratory / )uberculosis or )# is a disease caused by a bacteria that enters
the body, usually the lungs, and ma3e a person sic3 by damaging the tissues that it
reaches
Heart Disease / any disorder that a!!ects the heart such as cardiac disease,
congenital heart disease, coronary artery disease, heart attac3, and heart !ailure
Malaria / an in!ectious disease caused by parasites that can be transmitted by
mos'uito bites or by a contaminated needle or trans!usion Any person can
ac'uire malaria usually between dus3 and dawn because the 3ind o! mos'uito that
carries the parasites is active during night time
Chickenpox / is highly in!ectious where the virus spreads !rom person to person
by direct contact or through the air by coughing or snee5ing It ta3es !rom *,/=*
days a!ter contact with an in!ected person !or someone to develop chic3enpo"
Measles / a serious and highly contagious virus/led disease characteri5ed by
!ever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and a spreading s3in rash Measles is a
potentially disastrous disease
ADDICTION
RUIVIVAR, 1AZMIN MAE
CARDIO, 1OHNMHAR
BANTUG, MARYANN
POLENDEY, 1HIA CHRISTINE
MENDOZA, KRIZHA LYN
A((I$)I0N
1. Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol is readily available, and a legal substance !or adults to use Prolonged or
e"cessive use can lead to a problem with addiction %se o! alcohol in relatively small
amounts can impair an individual:s ability to drive a motor vehicle sa!ely, and is a !actor
in crimes involving violence, including spousal and child abuse
2. Smoking
)echnically, a smo3er is not addicted to cigarettes, but rather the nicotine they contain
)his highly/addictive substance is the reason why smo3ing is such a di!!icult habit to
give up
3. Drug Addiction
(rug addiction includes both illegal substances and legal drugs )he problem is the same,
whether your drug o! choice is readily available by prescription or not
4. Gambling
Many people enKoy participating in a game o! chance in hope o! winning some money or
another pri5e Jhen it becomes a compulsive activity that the individual is unable to
stop, despite the !act that continuing to gamble is creating problems, that is a sign that the
person has become addicted to gambling
5. Food Addiction
Food is something that we all need to survive, and eating should be an enKoyable
e"perience A !ood addict is unable to control his or her eating during certain times and
uses !ood as a way to deal with !eelings o! sadness, depression, or an"iety
6. Video Games
A video game addict plays video games to the e"tent that this activity intrudes on his or
her li!e )he most addictive video games are the ones where players assume the identity
o! a character in the game and are able to interact with other players
7. Internet Addiction
)he Internet can be a wonder!ul resource Je can loo3 !or in!ormation, read news and
blogs, and interact virtually with people !rom all over the world Je can do our ban3ing
and shop online as well Internet use turns into Internet addiction when an individual
wants to be online all the time I! you !eel an"ious or upset when you are not able to be
online, it may be a sign that you have developed an Internet addiction
8. Sex Addiction
<aving an addiction to se" has nothing to do with your se" drive 2or lac3 thereo!4 Jhile
it:s normal to have a healthy interest in se"ual activity, a person with an addiction to se"
is li3ely engaging in ris3y se"ual behavior to !eel their compulsion )hey may be visiting
prostitutes, having a!!airs, pic3ing up strangers to have se" with, e"posing themselves or
loo3ing in windows to satis!y their urges
9. Shopping
For some people, compulsive shopping is an all/too/real problem )hey use this activity
as a way to deal with emotional and other problems in their lives )his e"cessive
shopping may lead to !inancial problems, as well as relationship issues with the
compulsive shopper:s spouse or partner
10. Work Addiction
)he last entry on this list o! the *, most common addictions is one that may be
considered a good thingI wor3 <ard wor3 is generally something that people admire and
many parents teach their children that it is the 3ey to getting what they want out o! li!e
Jhen wor3 becomes an obsession, it is a problem I! you get to the point where you can:t
stop wor3ing and thin3ing about wor3 when you are supposed to be o!! the Kob, it may be
a sign that your dedication has turned into an addiction
The reason a person becomes addicted can be complicated, and the 10 common
causes of addiction will help to shed some light on the matter.
1. Genetics
A person can inherit a vulnerability when it comes to becoming addicted to drugs or
alcohol )his doesn:t necessarily mean that a person with a !amily history o! addiction is
doomed to develop an addiction o! their own Not everyone born with this tendency
develops an addiction, either
2. Mental Health Concerns
6ates o! addiction to drugs and1or alcohol are higher !or people who also have a mental
illness )hey may start using as a way to deal with the symptoms o! depression or
an"iety
3. Environmental Considerations
)he place where you were brought up can in!luence whether you develop an addiction I!
you spend time with people who are addicts, you are more li3ely to develop the same
3inds o! habits
4. Lack of Spiritual/Religious Connection
People who are not a!!iliated with a speci!ic religion may be more li3ely to !eel empty or
un!ul!illed in their lives %sing a substance to !eel better can be the start o! a !ull/blown
addiction
5. Difficulty Coping with Thoughts and Feelings
A person who has trouble dealing with the trials and tribulations in their lives may start to
use drugs or alcohol to help them calm down 0ther people may start using to deal with
!eelings o! sadness or boredom A person who !eels shy in social situations may !ind it
easier to interact with other people a!ter drin3ing or ta3ing drugs
6. Physical or Sexual Abuse
People who were abused as children may start using as a way to cope with the !eelings o!
guilt, shame, and anger that remain a!ter the abuse has stopped
7. Low Tolerance for Frustration
A person who reacts badly to stress and becomes !rustrated easily is at a higher ris3 o!
developing an addiction )hey don:t have the emotional ma3eup to ride out the situation
and may turn to a substance to help them cope
8. Low Self-Esteem
A person with sel!/esteem issues is more li3ely to turn to drugs or alcohol to !eel better
about them )hey may start using to give their sel!/esteem a boost or to !it in with their
peers )his type o! individual may !eel so bad about themselves that they start ta3ing
drugs because they don:t care about the dangers involved in substance abuse
9. Accessibility
)he !act that drugs are available means that people are going to e"periment with them I!
you are interested in buying drugs, they are available at schools and in wor3places Kust
about anywhere A certain percentage o! people who decide to try them will develop a
!ull/blown addiction
10. The Substance Itself
&ome types o! drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and meth, are highly addictive substances
It is possible to become addicted to them very 'uic3ly In some cases, the person will
develop dependence a!ter their !irst e"perience It:s common !or people to thin3 that they
will be able to stop using any time they want, but this is usually not the case !or someone
who has developed an addiction
The word "addiction" is thrown around quite a bit these days, but do you really
know whether something you are doing or using is really an addiction? The 10 signs
of addiction listed here will help you figure it out.
1. You no longer have a choice about whether you want a particular substance or
activity.
A symptom o! addiction is when your desire !or something becomes a compulsion You
describe yoursel! as @needing@ something, as opposed to wanting or li3ing it
2. You use it to relax or deal with your problems.
Jhen you start to rely on a substance or an activity to deal with depression, stress, or
an"iety, this may be a sign o! addiction
3. You start having problems with performing at work or at school.
A person in the throes o! addiction may miss time !rom wor3 or school, either engaging
in activities surrounding their addiction or recovering a!terward
4. You lose interest in activities that used to be important to you.
As the addiction ta3es hold, it starts to ta3e up more and more o! your time You no
longer have the time to 3eep up with your hobbies and other things you used to enKoy
5. Spending a lot of time figuring out how to get more of the substance you are
addicted to.
An addict:s world starts to revolve around the addiction, and how to get their ne"t @!i"@
In this conte"t, a @!i"@ can come !rom drugs, alcohol, gambling, playing video games, or
having se"
6. Changes in demeanor.
#e on the loo3out !or mood swings )hese may be signs o! addiction, especially when
they are connected to being unable to get more o! the substance or activity you are
addicted to
7. Keeping your activities a secret from family, friends and co-workers.
An addict will !ind ways to 3eep what they are doing concealed !rom people in their
lives I! they are con!ronted about the addiction, they will usually deny they have a
problem
8. Changes in appetite and/or sleeping habits.
(epending on the type o! addiction, the person may not !eel li3e eating or start eating
di!!erently For e"ample, some !orms o! addiction, such as dependency on heroin, ma3e
people want to eat more sugary !oods Noticeable weight gain or loss may occur )he
person may !ind it hard to get to sleep at night or sleep a lot more than usual
9. You need to take more of the substance to get the same "high" or "rush."
0ver time, you develop a resistance to the substance you are ta3ing, and you need to
consume a larger amount to get the same e"perience as when you started using it
10. You experience withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop.
&ymptoms will vary, depending on the addiction, but you may !eel physically ill when
you try to stop using the substance You may !eel achy or irritable when you go !or any
length o! time without using
If several of these 10 signs of addiction seem to fit your situation, you may be
hooked on a substance or a certain type of activity. Breaking free of it may require
professional help.
10 Practical tips dealing with addiction
(ealing with addiction is not an easy thing to do, but implementing these *, practical tips
will help you in your recovery process
1. Tell your friends and family about your addiction.
I! the problem stays hidden, it is easier !or you to continue to use alcohol or drugs Aven
though it may be di!!icult, level with the people you are closest to about the situation
2. Ask them for their support.
#rea3ing !ree !rom an addiction is a very di!!icult thing to do, and you don:t have to go it
alone A"plain that you will need their help to stay clean and sober, and as3 !or it when
you are tempted to start drin3ing or using again
3. Find a new group of friends to hang out with.
As your addiction progressed, you probably started spending time with people who either
had similar addictions or were tolerant o! the !act that you were using Part o! the
addiction recovery process is to leave your !ormer !riends behind and start spending time
with people who are not addicts
4. 1oin a club or take a class in something that interests you.
You will want to !ind ways to !ill up your time so that you aren:t tempted to start using
again because you are bored or lonely Now is the per!ect time to sign up !or a class or to
Koin a club Not only will you 3eep busy, but you will meet some new people to spend
time with
5. Have a plan to deal with cravings.
#y ta3ing the time to plan what you would do when you !eel tempted to start using again,
you won:t be ta3en by surprise when that situation arises Ma3e a list o! things that you
can do to get past the urge to use again and 3eep it handy
6. Start eating well.
You may not have been !ollowing a balanced diet when you were using, and it:s
important to eat a balanced diet as you go through the recovery process It will help your
body recover !rom the damage caused by your addiction
7. Exercise regularly.
A"ercising has a number o! health bene!its It releases endorphins, the body:s @!eel good@
hormones, !or starters #eing physically active gives you more energy and helps you to
deal with stress more e!!ectively
8. Get enough sleep.
Jhen you are well rested, you are able to deal with the demands o! daily li!e much
easier You may be less tempted to go bac3 to your !ormer li!estyle i! you go to bed at a
reasonable time each night
9. Develop a positive outlook.
)he !act that you developed an addiction doesn:t ma3e you bad or wea3 It does ma3e
you human, though You can:t go bac3 in time and change events that have already ta3en
place, but you can ma3e better decisions and positive changes going !orward
10. See a counselor.
$ounseling will help you to understand what drew you to drugs and1or alcohol )he
process will also help you to recogni5e circumstances that may trigger a craving and
develop strategies !or dealing with them
TOP 1. Alcohol Addiction Causes
Jhy can one person drin3 and never have to worry about developing the disease called
Alcohol Addiction, while another person is in Keopardy by merely ta3ing one sip, what
causes Alcohol Addiction in one person and not anotherN
Li3e the onset o! many other diseases, Alcohol Addiction may a!!lict one person and not
another because o! individual !actors or circumstances
Alcohol is brain altering
0ther Alcohol Addiction $auses are alcohol alters the balance o! some brain chemicals
For e"ample, gamma/aninobutyric acid 2GA#A4 controls impulsive actions, but under
the in!luence o! alcohol, that !unction is decreased Another chemical is glutamate which
stimulates the central nervous system
Alcohol alters the levels o! dopamine, which contributes to the pleasurable click that
people with the disease e"perience when ta3ing the !irst drin3 Jhen the brain chemistry
is changed, the body begins to crave alcohol, thus more and more drug is needed to E!eel
goodF )his is another o! the Alcohol Addiction $auses
Trying to feel good
People naturally want to !eel good, and when something ma3es you !eel good, such as
ta3ing a drin3, it7s understandable you will want to repeat the e"perience
)hat Eclic3F is the !irst warning sign o! potential problems )he disease progresses as
alcohol changes brain chemistry Jhen brain chemicals are increased or decreased, the
body craves more and more alcohol )he body EneedsF the alcohol to !eel good Alcohol
Addiction has set in
What risk factors are Alcohol Addiction Causes
)here are several possible Alcohol Addiction $auses and ris3 !actors !or the disease )he
individual is the determining !actor when assessing ris3 o! contracting the disease 0ne or
more o! these causes1ris3 !actors can indicate the presence o! alcohol abuse or addiction
Genetic: I! your parents or grandparents were addicted to alcohol, the chances are strong
that you will be vulnerable to the disease <ealthcare pro!essionals will ta3e a !amily
history to loo3 !or ris3 !actors !or many diseases Alcohol Addiction is no di!!erent
$hildren o! alcoholics will not necessarily become alcoholics themselves, but the medical
history indicates a possibility
Emotional Makeup: People may use alcohol to bloc3 the pain in the li!e Alcohol is
used as a coping device and there are certain stress hormones that may contribute to the
progression o! the disease
Psychological: People su!!ering !rom depression or low sel! esteem may be more li3ely
to develop a drin3ing problem )hey are more li3ely to try to E!it inF with their !riends,
who EenableF the problem to continue
Social: Alcohol is legal, readily available and drin3ing is socially acceptable Alcohol is
promoted heavily in the media, and having a !ew beers be!ore, during and a!ter a sporting
event is part o! American culture )here is a peer pressure to drin3, to be a part o! the
crowd
Frequency: (rin3ing alcohol regularly can cause Alcohol Addiction People who drin3
regularly over time may be at ris3 o! developing a physical dependence on alcohol I!
studies show that one1two drin3s per day !or the average person 2*? per wee3 !or men, *=
per wee3 !or women4 is within sa!e limits, then it !ollows that going beyond that limit can
produce problems
Age: Young people are at greater ris3 o! developing Alcohol Addiction, especially i! they
start drin3ing by age *; or sooner
Gender: Men are more li3ely to develop the disease than women
I! a person has ris3 !actors at play, that does not mean they are automatically going to
develop the disease- it is not necessarily a Alcohol Addiction $auses It is possible,
li3ewise, !or a person with no ris3 !actors at all, no !amily history, to develop the disease
It is important !or people to 3now the ris3 !actors and the causes o! the disease to avoid
getting into trouble with alcohol
It can`t happen to me!
Another common mista3e people ma3e is assuming Eit won7t happen to meF In a society
that glori!ies alcohol consumption, !rom beers at sporting events, to !ine wines at upscale
establishments, the ris3 !actors are obvious )wo martini lunches and bourbon on the
roc3s a!ter o!!ice hours are indicators that
Americans embrace alcohol use Alcohol is everywhere Aducation is important, to
understand how the disease progresses, how it can be managed or avoided, and how it
impacts our society in general
Not everybody who drin3s develops the disease, but it is important to understand that it is
possible and that moderation is a 3ey element in maintaining a healthy balance I! there
are ris3 !actors present, i! a person begins to use alcohol more !re'uently, or daily, then
there may be a problem 2&ee signs and symptoms4 LINO
Everywhere in our culture
#ecause alcohol is so prevalent in our society, because it is so widely accepted i! not
embraced, it is di!!icult to see when a person is slipping !rom social drin3ing into
something more problematic )he individual who is on the downward slide is not li3ely
to recogni5e any o! the signs and there!ore needs others to intercedeJe encourage you to
e"amine these ris3 !actors and Alcohol Addiction $auses to see i! there is a problem in
your li!e, or with someone you love, or someone you 3now I! there is, please see3 the
help o! an alcohol treatment pro!essional
TOP 2.Cigarettes
Jhen your parents were young, people could buy cigarettes and smo3e pretty much
anywhere S even in hospitalsY Ads !or cigarettes were all over the place )oday we:re
more aware about how bad smo3ing is !or our health &mo3ing is restricted or banned in
almost all public places and cigarette companies are no longer allowed to advertise on
)D, radio, and in many maga5ines
Almost everyone 3nows that smo3ing causes cancer, emphysema, and heart disease- that
it can shorten your li!e by *, years or more- and that the habit can cost a smo3er
thousands o! dollars a year &o how come people are still lighting upN )he answer, in a
word, is addiction
Once You Start, It's Hard to Stop
&mo3ing is a hard habit to brea3 because tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly
addictive Li3e heroin or other addictive drugs, the body and mind 'uic3ly become so
used to the nicotine in cigarettes that a person needs to have it Kust to !eel normal
People start smo3ing !or a variety o! di!!erent reasons &ome thin3 it loo3s cool 0thers
start because their !amily members or !riends smo3e &tatistics show that about . out o!
*, tobacco users start be!ore they:re *+ years old Most adults who started smo3ing in
their teens never e"pected to become addicted )hat:s why people say it:s Kust so much
easier to not start smo3ing at all
How Smoking Affects Your Health
)here are no physical reasons to start smo3ing )he body doesn:t need tobacco the way it
needs !ood, water, sleep, and e"ercise And many o! the chemicals in cigarettes, li3e
nicotine and cyanide, are actually poisons that can 3ill in high enough doses
)he body is smart It goes on the de!ense when it:s being poisoned First/time smo3ers
o!ten !eel pain or burning in the throat and lungs, and some people !eel sic3 or even
throw up the !irst !ew times they try tobacco
)he conse'uences o! this poisoning happen gradually 0ver the long term, smo3ing leads
people to develop health problems li3e heart disease, stro3e, emphysema 2brea3down o!
lung tissue4, and many types o! cancer S including lung, throat, stomach, and bladder
cancer People who smo3e also have an increased ris3 o! in!ections li3e bronchitis and
pneumonia
)hese diseases limit a person:s ability to be normally active, and they can be !atal In the
%nited &tates, smo3ing is responsible !or about * out o! ? deaths
PictureZ
&mo3ers not only develop wrin3les and yellow teeth, they also lose bone density, which
increases their ris3 o! osteoporosis 2pronouncedI ahs/tee/o/puh/row/sus4, a condition that
causes older people to become bent over and their bones to brea3 more easily &mo3ers
also tend to be less active than nonsmo3ers because smo3ing a!!ects lung power
&mo3ing can also cause !ertility problems and can impact se"ual health in both men and
women Girls who are on the pill or other hormone/based methods o! birth control 2li3e
the patch or the ring4 increase their ris3 o! serious health problems, such as heart attac3s,
i! they smo3e
)he conse'uences o! smo3ing may seem very !ar o!!, but long/term health problems
aren:t the only ha5ard o! smo3ing Nicotine and the other to"ins in cigarettes, cigars, and
pipes can a!!ect a person:s body 'uic3ly, which means that teen smo3ers e"perience many
o! these problemsI
Bad skin. #ecause smo3ing restricts blood vessels, it can prevent o"ygen and
nutrients !rom getting to the s3in S which is why smo3ers o!ten appear pale and
unhealthy &tudies have also lin3ed smo3ing to an increased ris3 o! getting a type o!
s3in rash called psoriasis
Bad breath. $igarettes leave smo3ers with a condition called halitosis, or persistent
bad breath
Bad-smelling clothes and hair. )he smell o! stale smo3e tends to linger S not Kust
on people:s clothing, but on their hair, !urniture, and cars And it:s o!ten hard to get
the smell o! smo3e out
Reduced athletic performance. People who smo3e usually can:t compete with
nonsmo3ing peers because the physical e!!ects o! smo3ing 2li3e rapid heartbeat,
decreased circulation, and shortness o! breath4 impair sports per!ormance
Greater risk of injury and slower healing time. &mo3ing a!!ects the body:s ability
to produce collagen, so common sports inKuries, such as damage to tendons and
ligaments will heal more slowly in smo3ers than nonsmo3ers
Increased risk of illness. &tudies show that smo3ers get more colds, !lu, bronchitis,
and pneumonia than nonsmo3ers And people with certain health conditions, li3e
asthma, become more sic3 i! they smo3e 2and o!ten i! they:re Kust around people who
smo3e4 #ecause teens who smo3e as a way to manage weight o!ten light up instead
o! eating, their bodies also lac3 the nutrients they need to grow, develop, and !ight o!!
illness properly
Top 3.Drug addiction
Causes of Drug Addiction are many including:
- Crime
- Unhappiness
- Divorce
- Major sickness/illness
- Death of a loved one
What are the underlying causes of drug addiction?
Jhen we ta3e drugs, either !or medical purposes or recreation, there is a bene!it or
reward that we are trying to achieve
For e"ample pain medication is intended to bring relie! to an inKured or stressed area o!
our body )he beginning stages o! addiction us to crave more and to use more )he
unintended conse'uences o! that is our need to ta3e more and more o! the drug to get the
same result
$auses o! (rug AddictionI In addition the pathways inside the brain to be altered,
physical changes in the nerve cells are brought on by the drug )hese neurons
communicate with each other releasing neuro/transmitters into the gaps or synapses
between the nerve cells )his ma3es some drugs much more addictive than others
)here are several other !actors that contribute to drug addiction Je7ll go into greater
detail on another page, but !or now the maKor !actors are one7s genetic ma3eup,
personality and peer pressure Again we7ll e"plain these as we go along
What Are The Factors?
Inherited
Je are all a product o! our parents I! your parents have addiction struggles, chances are
you are more susceptible to addiction )hat7s why drug addiction is more common in
some !amilies than in others I! your parents smo3e, chances are good you will smo3e I!
your parents used alcohol, you7ll probably !ollow and use that drug in much the same
way I! your !ather was an alcoholic, you have a predisposition to addiction that drug
$auses o! (rug Addiction one generation passes it on to the ne"t
Certain Personality Types
Aside !rom the inherited !actors, some people have a personality that is more li3ely to
become drug dependent
- People are curious, so that alone can lead a person to try a drug We experiment and
see !hat happens
- We are loo"ing to relax and have pleasure
- We all !ant to feel good, and !e#re by nature impatient Drugs give us an instant
gratification that other things do not, so for that moment or hour of for !hatever time
frame, !e feel good
- We !ant !hat !e !ant
- $omeone diagnosed !ith depression, attention deficit disorder, or hyperactivity
- Maybe there has been some stress, or anxiety in their life Whatever the case, these are
contributing factors
Aven some common personality characteristics, such as aggression, may be a !actor
$hildren who do not have con!idence, healthy sel!/esteem may be prone to turning to
drugs to !ill the void
$auses o! (rug AddictionI Addiction does cause negative changes in personality that can
lead to an even more destructive behavior
Social Pressure/Peer Pressure
Je7re all wired to have relationships, and sometimes those relationships cause us to give
in to something we otherwise would avoid in order to maintain the relationship
&ocial1Peer pressure is huge and nowhere is this greater than during our teenage years
Oids want to be cool It begins as a social action, to ta3e the drugs to be a part o! the
group, to be accepted It7s not Kust teenagers, as peer pressure ta3es so many di!!erent
!orms )here is social eti'uette, !or e"ample, to ta3e a drin3 during a party EI7m only a
social drin3erF <ow many times have you heard thatN &ome people actually believe that
Addiction will help you to be accepted and part o! the :popular: group
Access/Availability
I! you want to get drugs, you won7t have to loo3 !ar because they are everywhere <igh
school students can tell you this $auses o! (rug AddictionI sadly, people to sell drugs to
the most vulnerable population, children It7s not Kust the stereotypical poor sections o!
the inner city that serve as the hotbed !or drugs (rugs are !ound in shopping malls, rural
schools, private school, on the Kob in !actories, o!!ices and remote Kob sites
Race and/or Ethnicity
Je include this heading because we want to stress that there is no data to support any
claim that one race o! people or any particular cultural group is more prone to drug
addiction than another (rug addiction is a human problem and crosses all boundaries
$auses o! (rug Addiction do not include race
Depression/Loneliness
Je want to !eel good physically and emotionally &ometimes drugs are the substitution
!or a healthy li!e e"perience )he person in pain and they want to numb the pain )he
drug numbs the pain and !or a moment they don7t !eel as poorly )he person needs to
escape the pain o! the li!e e"perience, and !or a short while, the drug ta3es them away
and them !eel EbetterF
Severe Anxiety
&ometimes people need some help coping with li!e Averyday li!e becomes a struggle and
simple things become too much to handle (rugs are used to deal with it In the case o!
addiction, we are not tal3ing about the use o! medication, under the care and observation
o! a doctor People who have been clinically diagnosed with an"iety can lead a very good
li!e Je7re tal3ing here about people who Kust need to escape )heir drug o! choice
!acilitates that escape
Top 4. Gambling
A gambling addict continues betting whether he is winning or losing. Gambling
addiction, also referred to as compulsive gambling, falls under the general category
of impulse-control disorders. While there are many treatment programs available
for gambling addicts, the causes are not as clear-cut.
$hemical 6eactions
Much li3e alcohol and drug addiction, gambling triggers the release o! certain
chemicals in the brain that become depleted through overuse )he body craves the
chemicals, which can only be !elt through continued gambling
Genetics
Genetics seem to play a role in people with an inherited disposition to addiction
Gambling addicts o!ten have a history o! alcoholism and drug abuse in their !amilies
Amotions
An inability to cope with changes, !ears and an"ieties o!ten triggers a person to turn
to gambling to 'uell the strong emotions 0nce triggered, the dopamine and other !eel/
good brain chemicals increase
Anvironment
Gambling addition o!ten hits poverty/stric3en !ol3s loo3ing !or a way to increase
their resources
&peed
)he National $ouncil on Problem Gambling says that anecdotal research shows that
the !aster the game, the more li3ely it is to attract someone with a disposition to addiction
Top 5. Food addiction
Food Addiction - Are You a Food Addict?
Food addiction is a contemporary term used to describe a pathological disorder- the
compulsive, e"cessive craving !or and consumption o! !ood )his condition is not only
mani!ested by the abnormal inta3e o! !ood, but the inta3e and craving !or !oods that are,
in themselves, harm!ul to the individual Jhile society and the medical pro!ession have
readily understood alcoholism and drug abuse, it is only in recent years that there is an
e'ual acceptance o! the !act that persons may be addicted to !ood in the same way Jhen
any substance is ta3en into the body regardless o! its potential !or harm or in e"cess o!
need, that substance is said to be abused Individuals who abuse substances in such a way
are addicts- these persons become physiologically and mentally dependent upon certain
substances, in this case !ood
0ne need only as3 themselves a !ew 3ey 'uestions to determine his or her addictionI
(o you eat when you are not hungry or when you !eel low or depressedN
(o you eat in secret or eat di!!erently in !ront o! others than when you7re aloneN
(o you consume inordinate amounts o! !ood and then purge later with vomiting
or la"atives to get rid o! the e"cessN
Are there !oods that are harm!ul to you, but you eat them anywayN
(o you !eel guilty a!ter eatingN
I! you can answer yes to any o! these 'uestions than you are li3ely addicted to !ood
Food Addiction - Causes and Manifestations
Food addiction, as with any other addiction, is a loss o! control )he individual
understands that their way o! eating is harm!ul, but continues the destructive behavior
)he phenomenon o! !ood addiction is both physiological and psychological
Many individuals have what may be termed E!ood allergiesF )hese are trigger !oods
which when ingested cause negative symptoms and changes in the body but at the same
time provo3e cravings )he individual, !or instance, the diabetic, may be made Esic3F by
the inta3e o! sugar, but will still continue to crave it and eat it in e"cess, with adverse
e!!ects &tudies are also continuing regarding certain proteins in mil3 and wheat which
when ingested produce narcotic/li3e e!!ects )hese chemicals mimic the body7s natural
pain3illers, endorphins, and have thus been termed Ee"orphinsF Individuals may be
su!!ering !rom depression, low sel!/esteem or loneliness- they will !ind a high when
ingesting large 'uantities o! !ood or certain !oods such as salt or chocolate )he
immediate high gives way to a sic3 !eeling or guilt, leading to more depression #ecause
the addict is out o! control, he or she will turn once again to the same eating patterns in a
conscious or unconscious e!!ort to !eel better
Food addicts come e'ually !rom all age, race, and gender groups )hey are overweight,
underweight, and some o! normal weight )hey are lin3ed by their obsession with !ood
)he obese individual su!!ers humiliation due to e"cess weight- they may be lethargic and
sedentary unable to move around !reely )he underweight person may be bulimic- though
they eat obsessively, they are so a!raid o! becoming overweight that they will induce
vomiting, ta3e la"atives, or e"ercise compulsively to prevent weight gain )hey may also
alternate with periods o! anore"ia, re!raining !rom !ood to control their weight )he
person o! normal weight while appearing normal may be obsessed with !ood, constantly
thin3ing about what to eat or how much they weigh )he entire subKect o! !ood is a
misery to them- they count calories compulsively, eating without enKoyment
Food Addiction - Is There Any Hope for Recovery?
Food addiction is a serious condition with many adverse health conse'uences 0besity,
psychological disorders, diabetes, and gastric anomalies are Kust a !ew
)he !irst step to recovery is, o! course, the reali5ation and acceptance o! the problem
Medically, individuals must identi!y which !oods // the trigger !oods // cause allergic
symptoms and cravings
)here is no easy way to combat !ood addiction- it will re'uire intense discipline in
modi!ying eating patterns and li!estyle A manageable e"ercise program should be
embraced along with dietary changes that may be maintained Ambitious attempts to
change eating patterns abruptly or to lose weight 'uic3ly rarely have long/term success
)he physiological and psychological dependency o! !ood can best be bro3en when the
individual recogni5es that they are powerless to combat it alone )hey must loo3 to God,
who alone is able to provide help and healing in this and all areas o! human helplessness
EFor I am the L06( who heals you@ 2A"odus *?I=;b4 God is as much concerned with
our physical well being as <e is with our spiritual relationship to <im As an individual
see3s <im, he will !ind health and healing and recovery E(ear !riend, I am praying that
all is well with you and that your body is as healthy as I 3now your soul isF 29 Bohn =4
Top 6. Video Game addiction
Dideo games, whether played on the internet using your computer, or on a console such
as the Hbo" or Play station, have the ability o! entertaining our minds while drawing in
the whole o! our attention away !rom what may be a stress!ul or boring world around us
)he allure o! video games begins at a young age, Kust thin3 about the screaming child
who wants to visit the arcade at the mall so badly, o!ten to the great displeasure o! the
adults who have other plans &o where does this impulse control disorder get its rootsN
Possible Causes of Video Game Addiction
Dideo games are !un and come in all !lavors and varieties )here really is a game to
entertain anyone out there, and i! you:ve ever played a game on the internet, you 3now
that there are lots o! places to play a !ree game $onsole gaming may be a little more
pricey, but o!!ers nearly endless opportunities !or game playing also
&o, with a universe o! gaming at your disposal, the li3elihood o! becoming addicted,
whether you 3now it or not, is pretty high <ere are some causes o! addiction as relates to
video gamesI
Change of pace / Dideo games ta3e us away !rom our real li!e !or a while, replacing
a stress!ul or boring environment with a digital world where we are regaled with
sights and sounds we could only imagine be!ore
Control - Jhile playing video games o! any type, there is one aspect o! play that is
undisputable !actI )he player controls the game )his may be a balm on the spirit o!
a troubled person, and while not necessarily a bad thing, this is one cause o! video
game addiction that cannot be changed
Living a fantasy / Dideo games come in all shapes and colors )here are console and
computer games !itting every genre imaginable, and this means that anyone can !ind
a game which suits their personal pre!erence )hat being said, !inding a game you
can lose yoursel! in !or hours and hours is not di!!icult / but it may be pricey
The Facts
Fact: Video game addiction is just like any other impulse control
disorder. )reatment o! video game addiction depends on the severity o! the case For
mild cases, such as a child who plays too much Hbo" or Play station, simply provide
alternative means by which they may entertain themselves More radical solutions
include complete restriction !rom e"tended use o! the computer1console, instituting a
schedule within which the child may pursue electronic entertainment, and removal o!
these devices !rom the home More intense cases o! video game addiction should be
treated by a pro!essional be!ore any li!e/changing choices are made by loved ones
Fact: Video game addiction is a real issue, with real consequences. As3 any gamer i!
they:ve ever heard about someone being divorced or !alling seriously ill due to spending
too much time on the computer or console )he answer will, !or the most part, be yes
Fact: Producers and Developers of video games WANT people to become
addicted. Bust li3e tobacco companies, game ma3ers produce and design games which
are tailored to draw the attention o! the player in !urther and !urther )he more a player
plays a game, the more li3ely they are to purchase other games by the same company or
in the same series o! games Bust loo3 at Final Fantasy, Jar cra!t, Grand )he!t Auto and
games li3e them Aach o! these games is basically endless and o!!ers hours o!
entertainment to the player, easily hoo3ing people and creating a devoted !an base o!
people willing to spend hundreds o! dollars and thousands o! hours playing these games
Top 7. Internet Addiction
If the time a person spends online interferes with his love, professional or family life,
this could be a sign of what is called Internet addiction disorder. This disorder has a
variety of causes that are still being studied by psychologists.
(epression
Jhen a person is depressed, he may turn to online sites as a way to temporarily deal
with the sadness and stress
Onowledge
&ome people are @in!ormation addicts@ )he hunger !or 3nowledge is so strong that
they may not be able to stop themselves !rom doing Internet searches and reading
in!ormational articles
$ompulsion
0!ten, a person will become addicted to the Internet because o! an online activity that
encourages another compulsive behavior For instance, an online po3er site could be
detrimental to a compulsive gambler
Loneliness
&ome people become addicted to Internet dating sites and chat lines due to loneliness
and desperation to meet other people
&ocial (isorder
An"iety and a social disorder could also cause an Internet addiction )he person see3s
to escape !rom the real world, which she !inds scary, to a !antasy world online where she
can be more outgoing
Top 8. Sexual Addiction
)he term @se"ual addiction@ is used to describe the behavior o! a person who has an
unusually intense se" drive or an obsession with se" &e" and the thought o! se" tend to
dominate the se" addict:s thin3ing, ma3ing it di!!icult to wor3 or engage in healthy
personal relationships
&e" addicts engage in distorted thin3ing, o!ten rationali5ing and Kusti!ying their behavior
and blaming others !or problems )hey generally deny they have a problem and ma3e
e"cuses !or their actions
&e"ual addiction also is associated with ris3/ta3ing A person with a se" addiction
engages in various !orms o! se"ual activity, despite the potential !or negative and1or
dangerous conse'uences In addition to damaging the addict:s relationships and
inter!ering with his or her wor3 and social li!e, a se"ual addiction also puts the person at
ris3 !or emotional and physical inKury
For some people, the se" addiction progresses to involve illegal activities, such
as e"hibitionism 2e"posing onesel! in public4, ma3ing obscene phone calls, or
molestation <owever, it should be noted that se" addicts do not necessarily become se"
o!!enders
Behaviors associated with sexual addiction include:
$ompulsive masturbation 2sel!/stimulation4
Multiple a!!airs 2e"tra/marital a!!airs4
Multiple or anonymous se"ual partners and1or one/night stands
$onsistent use o! pornography
%nsa!e se"
Phone or computer se" 2cyberse"4
Prostitution or use o! prostitutes
A"hibitionism
0bsessive dating through personal ads
Doyeurism 2watching others4 and1or stal3ing
&e"ual harassment
Molestation1rape
Generally, a person with a se" addiction gains little satis!action !rom the se"ual activity
and !orms no emotional bond with his or her se" partners In addition, the problem o! se"
addiction o!ten leads to !eelings o! guilt and shame A se" addict also !eels a lac3 o!
control over the behavior, despite negative conse'uences 2!inancial, health, social, and
emotional4
How is sexual addiction treated?
Most se" addicts live in denial o! their addiction, and treating an addiction is dependent
on the person accepting and admitting that he or she has a problem In many cases, it
ta3es a signi!icant event // such as the loss o! a Kob, the brea3/up o! a marriage, an arrest,
or health crisis // to !orce the addict to admit to his or her problem
)reatment o! se"ual addiction !ocuses on controlling the addictive behavior and helping
the person develop a healthy se"uality )reatment includes education about healthy
se"uality, individual counseling, and marital and1or !amily therapy &upport groups and
*= step recovery programs !or people with se"ual addictions 2li3e &e" Addicts
Anonymous4 also are available In some cases, medications used to treat obsessive may
be used to curb the compulsive nature o! the se" addiction )hese drugs could
include Pro5ac and Ana!ranil
Top 9. Shopping addiction
&hopping addiction has been a growing problem since the *..,s 6ecogni5ing the
warning signs o! @retail therapy@ gone awry can lead to getting help be!ore the problem is
out o! control
$auses o! &hopping Addiction
A shopping addiction is an uncontrollable obsession Jhen people with shopping
addictions are !eeling low, they will purchase unnecessary items in order to !eel better
about themselves Bust li3e the gambler who 3eeps gambling to ma3e up !or his1her losses
or the alcoholic who needs a @pic3 me up@ every morning, the addicted shopper needs to
continue spending to 3eep !eeling good A shopping addiction is !re'uently a way !or
people with stress, depression, or other personal problems
)he media also contributes to the problem Oeeping up with the @Bones:@ is now a way o!
li!e &ociety sends us the message that our sel!/worth is only as good as our purchases/
having the newest car, the best handbag, or trendiest baby clothes )elevision shopping
networ3s, the Internet, and catalogs give addicted shoppers a new way to reach instant
grati!ication 0nline auctioning, such as e#ay, provides an outlet !or a shopping and
gambling addiction
&igns o! a &hopping Problem
I! you suspect that you or a loved one may have a problem with shopping, loo3 !or these
warning signsI
&pending over budgetI &omeone with a shopping problem will not understand
the need to limit his1her spending 0!ten, his1her spending e"ceeds their
income
$ompulsive buyingI A person intends to purchase one new pair o! pants, but
ends with an entire out!it/or more
$hronic problemI Many American overspend at $hristmas, but do not have a
shopping addiction It becomes a problem when overspending occurs year
round, and a person relies heavily on credit to sustain his1her shopping habits
<iding the problemI People with shopping addictions will hide their purchases
or 3eep secret accounts and credit cards
Dicious circleI Aven i! people with shopping addictions return their purchases,
they continue to overspend on a regular basis
Impaired relationshipsI A person will spend large amounts o! time shopping,
instead o! nurturing relationships with his1her !amilies or signi!icant others In
order to hide the problem, he1she may pull away emotionally and physically
$lear conse'uencesI )he amount o! money spent shopping does not matter so
much as the results o! the spending/whether or not other areas o! li!e are being
negatively a!!ected by the shopping addiction
Getting Pro!essional <elp
People with a shopping addiction are usually in denial they have a problem In this
situation, !riends and relatives o!ten stage an intervention to help the person reali5e
his1her addiction &everal options are available when people are ready to end their
addictive behavior Medications such as anti/depressants can help with the @downs@ o!
not shopping anymore )herapists and group therapy are available !or shopping addicts
#ecause o! the severe debt many chronic shoppers incur, credit and debt counseling is a
way !or people to ta3e bac3 control o! their budget and income
)hings You $an (o at <ome
0utside o! pro!essional help, there are simple things you can do to cut bac3 on
overspending
Get rid o! all credit cards e"cept one !or emergencies And then only use it !or
emergencies
Ma3e a list when you head to the grocery store or discount store (o not
deviate !rom your list
$arry Kust enough cash to pay !or your needed purchases and nothing more
Find new activities or hobbies to 3eep you busy when the urge to shop hits/read
a boo3, ta3e a wal3, or vacuum the house (o whatever it ta3es to 3eep !rom
going to the mall
I! you !re'uently buy online, disconnect the Internet, or give your
spouse1roommate your credit1debit cards while you use the Internet
Jhen catalogs arrive in the mail, immediately throw them out
Top 10. Work addiction
Workaholism : Getting Workaholic implies emotional imbalance
As meaning itself implies workaholism means work addiction. 0ne !undamental de!inition o! workaholism is, @when
individual:s relationship with his %or her& wor3 competes with other important relationships )hey get more e"cited about their
wor3 than about !amily or anything else@
We can say a person as workaholic when:
A person ta3es wor3 with him to home and is engage in wor3 during wee3ends and vacation
)he only activity that he li3es to and tal3s about is their wor3
Jor3aholics wor3 more than >, hours a wee3
Jor3 ma3es them happier than anything else in their li!e
)heir attitude and actions ma3e a statement that they !eel sleep and playtime is a big waste
)hey !re'uently !ind themselves @problem solving@ wor3 situations in their mind during their @time o!!@
Normally wor3aholics ta3e complete responsibility !or the outcome o! their wor3 e!!orts
)heir !amily or !riends given up e"pecting them on time
Many wor3aholics at wor3 !ound as an energetic and competitive person, while at home they are lethargic
and depressed
Normally they ta3e on e"tra wor3 because they are concerned that it won:t otherwise get done
)hey believe that it is o3ay to wor3 long hours and ma3e no di!!erence !or them
)hey get impatient with people who have other priorities besides wor3
Many wor3aholics a!raid that i! they don:t wor3 hard they will lose their Kob or be a !ailure
Normally they !ound worried even when things are going very well
)hey get irritated when people as3 them to stop doing their wor3 in order to do something else
)hey do not care about their long hours hurt their !amily or other relationships
)hey always thin3 about their wor3 while driving, !alling asleep or when others are tal3ing
&ome wor3aholics have a tendency to wor3 or read during meals
For wor3aholics when they reali5e that someone depends on them, that ma3es them !eel special )hey are always loo3ing !or
ways to e"cel, to do the e"tra thing that ma3es them stand out !rom the crowd Jor3ing wee3ends, not ever ta3ing a day o!! !or
illness- saving up vacation days to use when they !inally get everything under control at wor3 Jor3aholic:s !amily/members
complaint about their work addiction )hey say to workaholic that that your Kob is more important to you than we are, and they
get hurt
Jhen wor3aholics are not at wor3 they !eel ill at ease, Kittery, Kumpy, nervous )hey can:t Kust sit still and waste timeY #eing
alone with themselves is nearly impossible, unless they are at wor3, doing something that matters )hey !eel stressed )his
obsession with wor3 is need to control Although wor3aholics hate to admit it, but they believe that no one else really can do the
Kob as well as they can )hey try to be modest, and when they receive a compliment they shrug it o!! @Bust doing my Kob@, they
are apt to say
Effects of Workaholism:
A"cessive wor3ing tendency impels secretions o! brain chemicals that overloads the system and ma3es into"icated )he sense o!
sel!/importance in wor3aholics is a result o! their impaired thin3ing )his impaired thin3ing comes !rom into"ication and
into"ication is a result o! constant an"iety triggered by secret !ear It:s a vicious circle and wor3aholics are caught in the middle
o! it
'ormally most of !or"aholics found in confused state of mind and many people !or" in a compulsive !ay )hey cannot change
their poor wor3ing habits )heir social and personal relationships are deeply a!!ected by the lac3 o! time )hey o!ten su!!er !rom
headaches, allergies, tiredness, indigestion, stomachaches, ulcers, chest pains, di55iness )hey easily get angry or agitated, su!!er
!rom insomnia and !rom memory blan3s, have short attention spans, cannot rela" and have mood swings
Workaholism; Workaholic tendency in behavior and Negative emotions co-relation.
0!ten the main causes o! "workaholism or work addiction or Workaholic Tendencies" are more mental than physical A bad
relationship, poor sel! image, a history o! abuse, stress, !rustration and many other !actors can change your overall attitude
towards li!e which may directly impede your overall per!ormance &uch tendencies are deep/rooted in mind and nurtured by
e"cessive Negative Emotions.
It is needless to mention that these negative emotions are tremendously power!ul )hey can debilitate lives e"tremely 'uic3 by
causing disparity in energy system, which triggers a se'uence o! emotional imbalance 2ie !rustration, melancholia, persistent
agony, mental instability, uncontrolled anger, in!eriority comple" etc4, which ultimately culminates in ill health
Lessen "Negative Emotions" in psyche. 2ie !rustration, uncontrolled anger, bitterness, e"cessive shame, guilt, arrogance,
envy, Kealousy, greed, !ear, suspicious nature, in!eriority comple", persistent agony or melancholy, mental instability, escapism
or shilly/shallying tendencies, communication apprehension, poor will power, low grasping, absentmindedness, sloth, la5iness,
dawdling, dodging etc4 boost latent inner ability Mold the inherent behavior in accordance with the existing
circumstances and surrounding conditions get rid of worries, tensions and sufferings achieve peace of mind and
bring the Ultimate Happiness!
@Balancing Emotions@ will purge Negative Amotions in psyche and shape your innate behavior in a way to !ace every li!e
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SUICIDE
ALMAZAN, MA. KAREN Q.
GALFO, MARY 1OY N.
REGINO, RONABEL C.
YBANEZ, RICCA VIENA V.
Suicide
2Latin suicidium, !rom sui caedere, @to 3ill onesel!@4 is the act o! intentionally
causing one:s own death &uicide is o!ten committed out o! despair or attributed to some
underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schi5ophrenia,
alcoholism, or drug abuse Pressures or mis!ortunes such as !inancial di!!iculties or
troubles with interpersonal relationships o!ten play a signi!icant role
0ver one million people die by suicide every year )he Jorld <ealth 0rgani5ation
2J<04 estimates that it is the thirteenth leading cause o! death worldwide

and the
National &a!ety $ouncil rates it si"th in the %nited &tates It is a leading cause o! death
among teenagers and adults under 9?

)he rate o! suicide is !ar higher in men than in
women, with males worldwide three to !our times more li3ely to 3ill themselves than
!emales )here are an estimated *, to =, million non/!atal attempted suicides every year
worldwide
Diews on suicide have been in!luenced by broader cultural views on e"istential themes
such as religion, honor, and the meaning o! li!e )he Abrahamic religions traditionally
consider suicide an o!!ense towards God due to the belie! in the sanctity o! li!e It was
o!ten regarded as a serious crime and that view remains commonplace in modern
Jestern thought <owever, be!ore the rise o! $hristianity, suicide was not seen as
automatically immoral in ancient Gree3 and 6oman culture $onversely, during the
samurai era in Bapan, seppu3u was respected as a means o! atonement !or !ailure or as a
!orm o! protest &ati is a <indu !uneral practice, now outlawed, in which the widow was
e"pected to immolate hersel! on her husband:s !uneral pyre, either willingly or under
pressure !rom the !amily and society In the =,th and =*st centuries, suicide in the !orm
o! sel!/immolation has been used as a medium o! protest, and the !orm o! 3ami3a5e and
suicide bombings as a military or terrorist tactic
Medically assisted suicide 2euthanasia, or the right to die4 is a controversial issue in the
modern ethics landscape )he de!ining characteristic is the !ocus on people who are
terminally ill, in e"treme pain, or possessing 2actual or perceived4 minimal 'uality o! li!e
resulting !rom an inKury or illness
&el!/sacri!ice on behal! o! another is not necessarily considered suicide- the subKective
goal is not to end one:s own li!e, but rather to save the li!e o! another <owever, in [mile
(ur3heim:s theory, such acts are termed @altruistic suicides@
Classification
)ype (escription
Authanasia
Individuals who wish to end their own lives may enlist the assistance o!
another party to achieve death )he other person, usually a !amily
member or physician, may help carry out the act when the individual
lac3s the physical capacity to do so alone, even i! supplied with the
means Assisted suicide is a contentious moral and political issue in
many countries, as seen in the scandal surrounding (r Bac3 Oevor3ian,
a %& medical practitioner who supported euthanasia and was convicted
o! having helped patients end their own lives, !or which served an eight
year prison term
MurderM
suicide
A murderMsuicide is an act in which an individual 3ills one or more
other persons immediately be!ore or at the same time as him or hersel!
)he motivation !or the murder in murderMsuicide can be purely criminal
in nature or be perceived by the perpetrator as an act o! care !or loved
ones in the conte"t o! severe depression
&uicide attac3
A suicide attac3 is an act in which an attac3er perpetrates an act o!
violence against others, typically to achieve a military or political goal,
which simultaneously results in his or her own death &uicide bombings
are o!ten regarded as an act o! terrorism by the targeted community
<istorical e"amples include the assassination o! $5ar Ale"ander II, the
3ami3a5e attac3s launched by Bapanese air pilots during the &econd
Jorld Jar, and larger scale attac3s, such as the &eptember **th
attac3s
Mass suicide
&ome suicides are per!ormed under social pressure or coordinated
among a group o! individuals Mass suicides can ta3e place with as !ew
as two people, o!ten re!erred to as a suicide pact An e"ample o! a
larger group is the *.8+ @Bonestown@ cult suicide, in which .*+
members o! the Peoples )emple, an American cult led by Bim Bones,
ended their lives by drin3ing grape Flavor Aid laced with cyanide
&uicide pact
A suicide pact describes the suicides o! two or more individuals in an
agreed upon plan )he plan may be to die together, or separately and
closely timed &uicide pacts are generally distinct !rom mass suicides in
that the latter re!ers to a larger number o! people who 3ill themselves
together !or a common ideological reason, o!ten within a religious,
political, military or paramilitary conte"t In contrast, suicide pacts
typically involve small groups o! more intimately related people
2commonly spouses, romantic partners, !amily members, or !riends4,
whose motivations are intensely personal and individual
(e!iance or
protest
&uicide is sometimes committed as an act o! de!iance or political
protest such as the recent suicide o! Mohamed #oua5i5i in )unisia
whose treatment at the hands o! the authorities led to a revolt that
overthrew the ruling regime aand touched o!! the Arab &pring (uring
the sectarian stri!e in Northern Ireland 3nown as @)he )roubles@ a
hunger stri3e was launched by the provisional I6A, demanding that
their prisoners be reclassi!ied as prisoners o! war rather than as
terrorists )he in!amous *.+* hunger stri3es, led by #obby &ands
resulted in *, deaths )he cause o! death was recorded as @starvation,
sel!/imposed@ rather than suicide by the coroner- this was modi!ied to
simply @starvation@ on the death certi!icates a!ter protest !rom the
deceased stri3er:s !amilies
(uti!ul suicide
(uti!ul suicide is an act o! !atal sel! violence at one:s own hands done
in the belie! that it will secure a greater good, rather than to escape
harsh or impossible conditions It can be voluntary, to relieve some
dishonor or punishment, or imposed by threats o! death or reprisals on
one:s !amily or reputation as in the !orced suicide o! German general
Arwin 6ommel during Jorld Jar II <e was !ound to have
!ore3nowledge o! the Buly =, Plot on <itler:s li!e and was threatened
with public trial, e"ecution, and reprisals on his !amily unless he too3
his own li!e It is a traditional practice in some cultures, such as the
heavily rituali5ed Bapanese custom o! seppu3u
Ascape
In e"tenuating situations where continuing to live would be intolerable,
some people use suicide as a means o! escape &ome inmates in Na5i
concentration camps are 3nown to have 3illed themselves by
deliberately touching the electri!ied !ences A person who has
committed a crime may commit suicide in order to escape disgrace,
prosecution, capture, or incarceration Na5i leader <ermann G\ring
committed suicide with cyanide capsules rather than be hanged a!ter his
conviction at the Nuremberg )rials &ome shooting sprees, including
the school shootings at $olumbine <igh &chool and Dirginia )ech,
concluded with the perpetrators committing suicide
Risk factors
A representative listing o! circumstances !or suicide in *; states in the %nited &tates )his
chart does not include all possible circumstances
$linical studies have shown that underlying mental disorders are present in +8G to .+G
o! suicides, however there are a number o! other !actors are correlated with suicide ris3,
including, drug addiction, availability o! means, !amily history o! suicide, previous head
inKury
&ocio/economic !actors such as unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and
discrimination may trigger suicidal thoughts Poverty may not be a direct cause but it can
increase the ris3 o! suicide, as impoverished individuals are a maKor ris3 group !or
depression A history a childhood physical or se"ual abuse or time spent in !oster care
<opelessness, the !eeling that there is no prospect o! improvement in one:s situation is a
strong indicator o! suicide with the results o! one study showing that .*G o! those who
scored a *, or higher on the #ec3 <opelessness &cale would eventually commit suicide
Perceived burdensomeness a !eeling that one:s e"istence is a burden to others such as
!amily members is o!ten coupled with hoplessness as are the !eelings o! loneliness, either
subKectively 2ie, the !eeling4, or obKectively 2ie, living alone or being without !riends
and lac3ing social support4 and the !eeling o! not belonging as strong mediators o!
suicidal ideation
Advocacy o! suicide has been cited as a contributing !actor Intelligence may also be a
!actor Initially proposed as a part o! an evolutionary psychology e"planation, which
posited a minimum intelligence re'uired !or one to commit suicide, the positive
correlation between IC and suicide has been replicated in a number o! studies &ome
scientists doubt however that intelligence can be a cause o! suicide, and intelligence is no
longer a predictor o! suicide when regressed with national religiousness and perceptions
o! personal health According to the American Psychiatric Association, @religiously
una!!iliated subKects had signi!icantly more li!etime suicide attempts and more !irst/
degree relatives who committed suicide than subKects who endorsed a religious
a!!iliation@ Moreover, individuals with no religious a!!iliation had !ewer moral
obKections to suicide than believers
0ne study !ound that a lac3 o! social support, a de!icit in !eelings o! belongingness and
living alone were crucial predictors o! a suicide attempt 0ne study !ound that among
prison inmates, suicide was more li3ely among inmates who had committed a violent
crime
Medical conditions
In various studies a signi!icant association was !ound between suicidality and underlying
medical conditions including chronic pain, mild brain inKury, 2M#I4 or traumatic brain
inKury 2)#I4 )he prevalence o! increased suicidality persisted a!ter adKusting !or
depressive illness and alcohol abuse In patients with more than one medical condition
the ris3 was particulaly high, suggesting a need !or increased screening !or suicidality in
general medical settings
&leep disturbances such as insomnia and sleep apnea have been cited in various studies as
ris3 indicators !or depression and suicide in some instances the sleep disturbance itsel!
may be the ris3 !actor independent o! depression
A care!ul medical evaluation is recommended !or all people presenting with psychiatric
symptoms as many medical conditions present with psychiatric symptomatology )he
maKor medical conditions presenting with psychiatric symptoms in order o! !re'uency
were in!ectious, pulmonary, thyroid, diabetic, hematopoietic, hepatic and $N& diseases
$onservative estimates are, that *,G o! all psychological symptoms may be due to
undiagnosed medical conditions with the results o! one study, suggesting that about ?,G
o! individuals with a serious mental illness (have general medical conditions that are
largely undiagnosed and untreated and may cause or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms(
Mental disorders
$ertain mental disorders are o!ten present at the time o! suicide It is estimated that !rom
+8G to .+G o! suicides are committed by people with some type o! mental disorder
#ro3en down by typeI mood disorders are present in 9,G, substance abuse in *+G,
schi5ophrenia in *>G, and personality disorders in *9G o! suicides About ?G o! people
with schi5ophrenia die o! suicide MaKor depression and alcoholism are the speci!ic
disorders most strongly correlated with suicide ris3 6is3 is greatest during the early
stages o! illness among people with mood disorders, such as maKor depression or bipolar
disorder
(epression is among the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorders- increasingly
diagnosed across various segments o! the worldwide population *8; million Americans
are a!!ected each year- appro"imately * in ; people Jithin the ne"t twenty years,
depression is e"pected to become the leading cause o! disability in developed nations and
the second leading cause o! disability worldwide Jhile the psychological and medical
communities no longer classi!y acts o! sel!/harm as suicide attempts, recent research has
indicated that the presence o! sel!/inKurious behavior may be correlated to increased
suicide ris3 Jhile there is a correlation between sel!/harm and suicide, it is not believed
to be causal- both are most li3ely a Koint e!!ect o! depression )his may also be classi!ied
as (eliberate sel!/harm and is most common in younger people but has been increasing in
recent years in people o! all ages
Most people who attempt suicide do not complete the act on their !irst attempt <owever,
a history o! suicide attempts is correlated with increased ris3 o! eventual completion o! a
suicide
Biology
&ome mental disorders identi!ied as ris3 !actors !or suicide o!ten may have an underlying
biological basis &erotonin is a vital brain neurotransmitter- in those who have attempted
suicide it has been !ound that they have lower serotonin levels, and individuals who have
completed suicide have the lowest levels )his dysregulation in the serotonin pathway has
been identi!ied, in the ventromedial pre!rontal corte" )his alteration in the brain has
been !ound to be a ris3 !actor !or suicide independent o! a history o! a maKor depression
@indicating that it is involved in the predisposition to suicide in many psychiatric
disorders@
)here is evidence that there may be an underlying neurobiological basis !or suicide ris3
independent o! the inheritable genetic !actors responsible !or the maKor psychiatric
disorders associated with suicide Genetic inheritance accounts !or roughly 9,M?,G o!
the variance in suicide ris3 between individuals <aving a parent who has committed
suicide is a strong predictor o! suicide attempts
Apigenetics, the study o! changes in genetic e"pression in response to environmental
!actors which do not alter the underlying (NA, may also play a role in determining
suicide ris3
Perceived burdensomeness to others
&everal studies have !ound perceived burdensomeness to others to be a particularly strong
ris3 !actor It also di!!erentiates between attempted vs completed suicide and predicts
lethality o! suicide method unli3e !eelings o! hopelessness and emotional pain Li3ely
related to this, completed suicides are characteri5ed by altruistic !eelings while non/lethal
sel!/inKuries are characteri5ed by !eelings o! anger or sel!/punishment
Substance abuse
&ubstance abuse is the second most common ris3 !actor !or suicide a!ter maKor depression
and bipolar disorder #oth chronic substance misuse as well as acute substance abuse are
associated with suicide )his is attributed to the into"icating, disinhibiting, and
dissociative e!!ects o! many psychoactive substances Jhen combined with personal
grie!, such as bereavement, the ris3 o! suicide is greatly increased More than ?,G o!
suicides have some relation to alcohol or drug use and up to =?G o! suicides are
committed by drug addicts and alcoholics )his !igure is even higher with alcohol or drug
use among adolescents, playing a role in up to 8,G o! suicides It has been recommended
that all drug addicts or alcoholics undergo investigation !or suicidal thoughts due to their
high ris3 o! suicide An investigation in the New Yor3 Prison &ervice !ound that .,G o!
inmates who committed suicide had a history o! substance abuse
&ubstance abused A!!ects related to suicide
$ocaine
Misuse o! drugs such as cocaine have a high correlation with
suicide &uicide is most li3ely to occur during the @crash@ or
withdrawal phase in chronic cocaine/dependent users
Polysubstance misuse is more o!ten associated with suicide in
younger adults, whereas suicide !rom alcoholism is more common
in older adults In &an (iego it was !ound that 9,G o! suicides by
people under the age o! 9, had used cocaine In New Yor3 $ity in
the early *..,s, during the height o! a crac3 epidemic, * in ?
people who committed suicide were !ound to have recently
consumed cocaine )he @come down@ or withdrawal phase o!
cocaine use can result in intense, acute depressive symptoms as
well as other distressing mental e!!ects, all o! which contribute to
an increased ris3 o! suicide
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine use has a strong association with depression and
suicide as well as a range o! other adverse e!!ects on physical and
mental health
0pioids
<eroin users have a death rate nearly *9 times that o! their non/
using peers (eaths among heroin users attributed to suicide range
!rom 9G to 9?G, though determining the di!!erence between a
suicide and an accidental overdose can be impossible without
evidence o! state o! mind 0verall, heroin users are *> times more
li3ely than their non/using peers to die !rom suicide MaKor
depressive disorder was !ound in =?G o! entrants to treatment !or
heroin dependence in Australia
#en5odia5epines
$hronic use or abuse o! prescribed ben5odia5epines is associated
with depression as well as increased suicide ris3 $are should be
ta3en when prescribing to at/ris3 individuals and patient
populations (epressed adolescents who were ta3ing
ben5odia5epines were !ound to have a greatly increased ris3 o! sel!
harm or suicide, though the sample si5e in this study was too small
to provide generali5able conclusions )he e!!ects o!
ben5odia5epines in individuals under the age o! *+ is not well
understood Additional caution may be re'uired !or depressed
adolescents using ben5odia5epines #en5odia5epine dependence
o!ten results in an increasingly deteriorating clinical picture which
includes social deterioration leading to comorbid alcoholism and
drug abuse &uicide is a common outcome o! chronic
ben5odia5epine dependence #en5odia5epine misuse or misuse o!
other $N& depressants increases the ris3 o! suicide in drug
misusers **G o! males and =9G o! !emales with a sedative
hypnotic misuse habit commit suicide #en5odia5epine withdrawal
also leads to an increased ris3 o! suicide
$igarette smo3ing
)here have been various studies showing a positive lin3 between
smo3ing, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts In a study
conducted among nurses, those smo3ing between * to => cigarettes
per day had twice the suicide ris3- =? cigarettes or more, > times
the suicide ris3, as compared with those who had never smo3ed In
a study o! 9,,,,,, male %& Army soldiers, a de!initive lin3
between suicide and smo3ing was observed with those soldiers
smo3ing over a pac3 a day having twice the suicide rate o! non/
smo3ers
Alcohol
Alcohol misuse is associated with a number o! mental health
disorders, and alcoholics have a very high suicide rate It has been
!ound that drin3ing ; drin3s or more per day results in a si"!old
increased ris3 o! suicide <igh rates o! maKor depressive disorder
occur in heavy drin3ers and those who misuse alcohol
$ontroversy has previously surrounded whether those who misused
alcohol who developed maKor depressive disorder were sel!
medicating 2which may be true in some cases4 but recent research
has now concluded that chronic e"cessive alcohol inta3e itsel!
directly causes the development o! maKor depressive disorder in a
signi!icant number o! alcoholics
Problem gambling
Problem gambling is o!ten associated with increased suicidal ideation and attempts
compared to the general population
Aarly onset o! problem gambling increases the li!etime ris3 o! suicide <owever,
gambling/related suicide attempts are usually made by older people with problem
gambling #oth comorbid substance use and comorbid mental disorders increase the ris3
o! suicide in people with problem gambling
A =,*, Australian hospital study !ound that *8G o! suicidal patients admitted to the
Al!red <ospital:s emergency department were problem gamblers
Media coverage
Darious studies have suggested that how the media presents depictions o! suicide may
have a negative e!!ect and trigger the possibility o! suicide contagion also 3nown as the
Jerther e!!ect named a!ter the protagonist in Goethe:s, )he $orro!s of *oung Werther
who committed suicide )his ris3 is greater in adoloescents who may romantaci5e death
It appears that while news media has a signi!icant e!!ect that o! entertainment media is
e'uivocal
)he opposite o! the Jerther e!!ect is the Papageno e!!ect in which coverage o! e!!ective
coping mechanisms, coping in adverse circumstances, as covered in the media about
suicidal ideation, may have protective e!!ects )he term is based upon a character in
Mo5art7s opera )he Magic +lute named Papageno who !earing the loss o! a loved one
was going to commit suicide until three boys showed him di!!erent ways to cope
Methods
)he leading method o! suicide varies dramatically between countries )he leading
methods in di!!erent regions include hanging, pesticide poisoning, and !irearms A =,,+
review o! ?; countries based on J<0 mortality data !ound that hanging was the most
common method in most o! the countries, accounting !or ?9 percent o! the male suicides
and 9. percent o! the !emale suicides Jorldwide 9,G o! suicides are !rom pesticides
)he use o! this method however varies mar3edly !rom >G in Aurope to more than ?,G in
the Paci!ic region In the %nited &tates ?=G o! suicides involve the use o! !irearms
Asphy"iation 2such as with a suicide bag4 and poisoning are !airly common as well
)ogether they comprised about >,G o! %& suicides 0ther methods o! suicide include
blunt !orce trauma 2Kumping !rom a building or bridge, sel!/de!enestrating, stepping in
!ront o! a train, or car collision, !or e"ample4 A"sanguination or bloodletting 2slitting
one:s wrist or throat4, intentional drowning, sel!/immolation, electrocution, and
intentional starvation are other suicide methods Individuals may also intentionally
provo3e another person into administering lethal action against them, as in suicide by
cop
Jhether or not e"posure to suicide is a ris3 !actor !or suicide is controversial A *..;
study was unable to !ind a relationship between suicides among !riends, while a *.+;
study !ound increased rates o! suicide !ollowing the televisation o! news stories regarding
suicide
Prevention
&uicide prevention is a term used !or the collective e!!orts to reduce the incidence o!
suicide through preventive measures Darious strategies restrict access to the most
common methods o! suicide, such as !irearms or to"ic substances li3e pesticides, and
have proved to be e!!ective in reducing suicide rates &tudies supported by empirical data
have indicated that ade'uate prevention, diagnosis and treatment o! depression and
alcohol and substance abuse can reduce suicide rates, as does !ollow/up contact with
those who have made a suicide attempt Although crisis hotlines are common there is
little evidence to support or re!ute their e!!ectiveness
)he #est Practices 6egistry 2#P64 For &uicide Prevention is a registry o! various suicide
intervention programs maintained by the American Association o! &uicide Prevention
)he programs are divided, with those in &ection I listing evidence/based programsI
interventions which have been subKected to indepth review and !or which evidence has
demonstrated positive outcomes &ection III programs have been subKected to review
In various countries, individuals who are at imminent ris3 o! harming themselves or
others may voluntarily chec3 themselves into a hospital emergency department this may
also be done on an involuntary basis on the re!erral o! various individuals acting in an
o!!icial capacity such as the police )his is re!erred to by various names such as being
@@committed@ or sectioned@ )hey will be placed on suicide watch until an emergency
physician or mental health pro!essional determines whether inpatient care at a mental
health care !acility is warranted and may hold the individual !or a period o! usually three
days duration A court hearing may be held to determine the individual:s competence In
most states, a psychiatrist may hold the person !or a speci!ic time period without a
Kudicial order I! the psychiatrist determines the person to be a threat to himsel! or others,
the person may be admitted involuntarily to a psychiatric treatment !acility A!ter this
time the person must be discharged or appear in !ront o! a Kudge
Screening
)he %& &urgeon General has suggested that screening to detect those at ris3 o! suicide
may be one o! the most e!!ective means o! preventing suicide in children and adolescents
)here are various screening tools in the !orm o! sel!/report 'uestionnaires to help identi!y
those at ris3 such as the #ec3 <opelessness &cale and Is Path JarmN A number o! these
sel!/report 'uestionnaires have been tested and !ound to be valid !or use among
adolescents and young adults )here is however a high rate o! !alse/positive identi!ication
and those deemed to be at ris3 should ideally have a !ollow/up clinical interview )he
predictive 'uality o! these screening 'uestionnaires has not been conclusively validated
so it is not possible to determine i! those identi!ied at ris3 o! suicide will actually commit
suicide As3ing about or screening !or suicide does not appear to increase the ris3
In appro"imately 8? percent o! completed suicides the individuals had seen a physician
within the year be!ore their death, including >? to ;; percent within the prior month
Appro"imately 99 to >* percent o! those who completed suicide had contact with mental
health services in the prior year, including =, percent within the prior month )hese
studies suggest an increased need !or e!!ective screening
Treatment
)here are various treatment modalities to reduce the ris3 o! suicide by addressing the
underlying conditions causing suicidal ideation, including, depending on case history,
medical pharmacological and psychotherapeutic tal3 therapies
)he conservative estimate is that *,G o! individuals with psychiatric disorders may have
an undiagnosed medical condition causing ther symptoms, upwards o! ?,G may have an
undiagnosed medical condition which i! not causing is e"acerbating their psychiatric
symptoms Illegal drugs and prescribed medications may also produce psychiatric
symptoms A!!ective diagnosis and i! necessary medical testing which may include
neuroimaging to diagnose and treat any such medical conditions or medication side
e!!ects may reduce the ris3 o! suicidal ideation as a result o! psychiatric symptoms, most
o!ten including depression, which are present in up to .,/.?G o! cases
6ecent research has shown that Lithium has been e!!ective with lowering the ris3 o!
suicide in those with bipolar disorder to the same levels as the general population
Lithium has also proven e!!ective in lowering the suicide ris3 in those with unipolar
depression as well
)here are multiple evidence/based psychotherapeutic tal3 therapies available to reduce
suicidal ideation such as dialectical behaviour therapy 2(#)4 !or which multiple studies
have reported varying degrees o! clinical e!!ectiveness in reducing suicidality #ene!its
include a reduction in sel!/harm behaviours and suicidal ideations $ognitive #ehavior
)herapy !or &uicide Prevention 2$#)/&P4 is a !orm o! (#) adapted !or adolescents at
high ris3 !or repeated suicide attempts
Epidemiology
Jorldwide suicide rates have increased by ;, percent in the past >? years, mainly in the
developing countries and is currently the tenth leading cause o! death with about a
million people dying by suicide annually, a global mortality rate o! *; suicides per
*,,,,,, people, or a suicide every >, seconds According to =,,8 data, suicides in the
%& outnumber homicides by nearly = to * &uicide ran3s as the **th leading cause o!
death in the country, ahead o! liver disease and Par3inson:s
Gender
In the Jestern world, males die much more o!ten by means o! suicide than do !emales,
although !emales attempt suicide more o!ten &ome medical pro!essionals believe this
stems !rom the !act that males are more li3ely to end their lives through e!!ective violent
means, while women primarily use less severe methods such as overdosing on
medications In most countries, drug overdoses account !or about two/thirds o! suicides
among women and one/third among men
Alcohol and drug use
In the %nited &tates *;? percent o! suicides are related to alcohol Alcoholics are ? to =,
times more li3ely to 3ill themselves while the misuse o! other drugs increases the ris3 *,
to =, times About *? percent o! alcoholics commit suicide, and about 99 percent o!
suicides in the under 9? age group have a primary diagnosis o! alcohol or other substance
misuse- over ?, percent o! all suicides are related to alcohol or drug dependence In
adolescents alcohol or drug misuse plays a role in up to 8, percent o! suicides
Ethnicity
National suicide rates di!!er signi!icantly between countries and amongst ethnic groups
within countries For e"ample, in the %&, non/<ispanic $aucasians are nearly =? times
more li3ely to 3ill themselves than A!rican Americans or <ispanics In the %nited
Oingdom suicide rates vary signi!icantly between di!!erent parts o! the country In
&cotland, !or e"ample, the suicide rate is appro"imately double that o! Angland
Social aspects
Legislation
A tant, 3ni!e prepared !or seppu"u
In some Kurisdictions, an act or incomplete act o! suicide is considered to be a crime
More commonly, a surviving party member who assisted in the suicide attempt will !ace
criminal charges
In #ra5il, i! the help is directed to a minor, the penalty is applied in its double and not
considered as homicide In Italy and $anada, instigating another to suicide is also a
criminal o!!ense In &ingapore, assisting in the suicide o! a mentally handicapped person
is a capital o!!ense In India, abetting suicide o! a minor or a mentally challenged person
can result in a ma"imum * year prison term with a possible !ine
In Germany, the !ollowing laws apply to cases o! suicideI
Active euthanasia 23illing on re'uest4 is prohibited by article =*; o! the &tG#
2&tra!geset5buch, German $riminal $ode4, punishable with si" months to !ive
years in Kail
German law interprets suicide as an accident and anyone present during suicide
may be prosecuted !or !ailure to render aid in an emergency A suicide legally
becomes an emergency when a suicidal person loses consciousness Failure to
render aid is punishable under article 9=9c o! the &tG#, with a ma"imum one year
Kail sentence
&wit5erland has recently ta3en steps to legali5e assisted suicide !or the chronically
mentally ill )he high court in Lausanne, in a =,,; ruling, granted an anonymous
individual with longstanding psychiatric di!!iculties the right to end his own li!e At least
one leading American bioethicist, Bacob Appel o! #rown %niversity, has argued that the
American medical community ought to condone suicide in certain individuals with
mental illness
Religious views
In most !orms o! $hristianity, suicide is considered a sin, based mainly on the writings o!
in!luential $hristian thin3ers o! the Middle Ages, such as &t Augustine and &t )homas
A'uinas- suicide was not considered a sin under the #y5antine $hristian code o!
Bustinian, !or instance In $atholic doctrine, the argument is based on the commandment
@)hou shalt not 3ill@ 2made applicable under the New $ovenant by Besus in Matthew
*.I*+4, as well as the idea that li!e is a gi!t given by God which should not be spurned,
and that suicide is against the @natural order@ and thus inter!eres with God:s master plan
!or the world <owever, it is believed that mental illness or grave !ear o! su!!ering
diminishes the responsibility o! the one completing suicide $ounter/arguments include
the !ollowingI that the si"th commandment is more accurately translated as @thou shalt
not murder@, not necessarily applying to the sel!- that God has given !ree will to humans-
that ta3ing one:s own li!e no more violates God:s Law than does curing a disease- and that
a number o! suicides by !ollowers o! God are recorded in the #ible with no dire
condemnation
Budaism !ocuses on the importance o! valuing this li!e, and as such, suicide is tantamount
to denying God:s goodness in the world (espite this, under e"treme circumstances when
there has seemed no choice but to either be 3illed or !orced to betray their religion, Bews
have committed individual suicide or mass suicide 2see Masada, First French persecution
o! the Bews, and Yor3 $astle !or e"amples4 and as a grim reminder there is even a prayer
in the Bewish liturgy !or @when the 3ni!e is at the throat@, !or those dying @to sancti!y
God:s Name@ )hese acts have received mi"ed responses by Bewish authorities, regarded
both as e"amples o! heroic martyrdom, whilst others state that it was wrong !or them to
ta3e their own lives in anticipation o! martyrdom
&uicide is not allowed in Islam- however, martyring onesel! !or Allah 2during combat4 is
not considered the same as completing suicide &uicide in Islam is seen as a sign o!
disbelie! in God
In <induism, suicide is generally !rowned upon and is considered e'ually sin!ul as
murdering another in contemporary <indu society <indu &criptures state that one who
commits suicide will become part o! the spirit world, wandering earth until the time one
would have otherwise died, had one not committed suicide <owever, <induism accept a
man:s right to end one:s li!e through the non/violent practice o! !asting to death, termed
Prayopavesa #ut Prayopavesa is strictly restricted to people who have no desire or
ambition le!t, and no responsibilities remaining in this li!e Bainism has a similar practice
named $anthara &ati, or sel!/immolation by widows was prevalent in <indu society
during the Middle Ages
Philosophy
&ome see suicide as a legitimate matter o! personal choice and a human right
2collo'uially 3nown as the right to die movement4 &upporters o! this position maintain
that no one should be !orced to su!!er against their will, particularly !rom conditions such
as incurable disease, mental illness, and old age that have no possibility o! improvement
Proponents o! this view reKect the belie! that suicide is always irrational, arguing instead
that it can be a valid last resort !or those enduring maKor pain or trauma )his perspective
is most popular and has a good deal o! support in continental Aurope, where euthanasia
and other such topics are commonly discussed in parliament
A narrower segment o! this group considers suicide something between a grave but
condonable choice in some circumstances and a sacrosanct right !or anyone 2even a
young and healthy person4 who believes they have rationally and conscientiously come to
the decision to end their own lives Notable supporters o! this school o! thought include
German pessimist philosopher Arthur &chopenhauer,
P*++Q
Friedrich Niet5sche, and
&cottish empiricist (avid <ume #ioethicist Bacob Appel has become the leading
advocate !or this position in the %nited &tates Adherents o! this view o!ten advocate the
abrogation o! statutes that restrict the liberties o! people 3nown to be suicidal, such as
laws permitting their involuntary commitment to mental hospitals
Locations
&ome landmar3s have become 3nown !or high levels o! suicide attempts )he !our most
popular locations in the world are reportedly &an Francisco:s Golden Gate #ridge,
)oronto:s #loor &treet Diaduct 2be!ore the construction o! the Luminous Deil4, Bapan:s
Ao3igahara Forest and Angland:s #eachy <ead In =,,? the Golden Gate #ridge had a
count e"ceeding *,=,, Kumpers since its construction in *.98 In *..8 the #loor &treet
Diaduct had one suicide every == days, and in =,,= Ao3igahara had a record o! 8+ bodies
!ound within the !orest, replacing the previous record o! 89 in *..+ )he suicide rate o!
these places is so high that numerous signs, urging potential victims o! suicide to see3
help, have been posted
Advocacy
Advocacy o! suicide has occurred in many cultures and subcultures )he Bapanese
military during Jorld Jar II encouraged and glori!ied 3ami3a5e attac3s, and Bapanese
society as a whole has been described as suicide :tolerant: 2see &uicide in Bapan4
Jilliam Francis Melchert/(in3el, >8 years old in May =,*,, !rom Faribault, Minnesota,
a licensed nurse !rom *..* until February =,,., stands accused o! encouraging people to
commit suicide while he watched on a webcam
A study by the #ritish Medical Bournal !ound that Jeb searches !or in!ormation on
suicide are li3ely to return sites that encourage, and even !acilitate, suicide attempts
)here is some concern that such sites may push the suicidal over the edge &ome people
!orm suicide pacts with people they meet online #ec3er writes, @&uicidal adolescent
visitors ris3 losing their doubts and !ears about committing suicide 6is3 !actors include
peer pressure to commit suicide and appointments !or Koint suicides Furthermore, some
chat rooms celebrate chatters who committed suicide@
EARLY
MARRIAGE
LAGUNDA, ANA 1ESSALLE C.
LANUZA, LEA L.
OBERA, LEAH L.
OLAYA, MICHAEL VINCENT L.
RODRIGUEZ, GERALDINE C.
Early Marriage
Marriage, as a !undamental social and cultural institution and as the most
common milieu !or bearing and rearing children, pro!oundly shapes se"ual behaviors and
practices It is undeniable that early marriage is a controversial yet hot topic that gets the
attention o! the pro!essionals across many !ields such as economy, psychology and
sociology )he age at !irst marriage variegates across the globe #eing married be!ore the
age o! *+ has been a social norm in third world countries )he percentage o! women
being married be!ore age *+ is estimated !rom =, to ?, percent in average in developing
countries
#ut then, developed countries are unli3ely to e"perience the resembling pattern o!
matrimony )he marital union is normally delayed too long although this practice is
believed to bring the most apparent reason !or the brea3down in se"ual ethics 0ut o! its
wealth and egoistic, western society chooses to marry later in li!e until they have built a
decent maturity in age, education and !inancial state As early marriage is widely
practiced in developing countries, a global issue has arisen as to whether early marriage
does really hinder sel! development due to the conse'uences it brings to young girls )he
practice is believed to bring several bene!its to some e"tent <owever, the adverse e!!ects
it brings can impede the sel!/development o! young adolescences in many aspects
including health conse'uences, character building and education as well as career
opportunities
)hroughout the world, marriage is regarded as a moment o! Koy and celebration
but the practice o! early marriage gives no such cause !or celebration Aarly marriage
re!ers to the marriage o! the children aged below *+ years Aarly marriage is o!ten a
!orced marriage as it ta3es place without the consent o! both the bride and bridegroom
2$hild marriage and Forced marriage4 )he imposition o! a marriage partner upon a child
means that a girl7s or boy7s childhood is cut short and their !undamental rights are
compromised Young girls are robbed o! their youth and are re'uired to ta3e on roles !or
which they are not psychologically or physically prepared 2%NI$AF4 Although early
marriages a!!ect both the se"es but girls have been a maKor victim Its practice has
in!licted harm!ul e!!ects on the parties involved and also the overall society Aarly
marriage is everywhere considered a violation o! the <uman 6ights and e!!orts are being
made to beware people o! its adverse e!!ects )his research paper is intended to reveal the
history o! early marriages, its di!!erent causes and e!!ects on the parties involved and in
turn recommend ways to restrict, or rather eliminate, such practices Eread moreF
<istorically, early marriages can be traced bac3 to the time o! 3ings, when the si5e o!
armies determined the result o! wars )he 3ings o! the army motivated its army men to
marry as soon as possible and also provided them with the young girls 2prisoners o! war4
o! age *? to *. to marry 2<assan4 It was in these times that the concept o! early
marriages gained momentum as an attempt to provide as much o!!spring as possible to
enlist in the 3ings7 armies that would help the 3ing to retain the control o! the area
already captured and to !urther con'uer other areas )oday, this notion remains the same
in the rural areas where the strength o! the !amily is determined by the number o! male
members o! the !amily and is achieved by marrying the members o! the !amily at an early
age
What are the causes of early marriage?
Pregnancy. Poverty. Arranged marriages for status. Love
as said above
and in!luence o! !amilies
social pressure in some parts o! the world
and stupid teenagers who thin3 they 3now the weight marriage carries
in places li3e tribal and rural areas o! Pa3istan people marry early as a conse'uence o!
tribal rivalry or to strengthen the relations some marriages are !i"ed a moment the child
is born
Benefits
#e!ore starting a debate on early marriage you would need to de!ine the
parameters that label a marriage as :early: and in what conte"t In the %nited &tates,
teenage pregnancies abound meaning that girls indulge in se" as early as *9 years old but
there is no marriage solemni5ed be!ore the girl really grows up and is on her own, usually
at the very least, *+ years o! age
0n the other hand, in Asian countries and many parts o! A!rica girls are married
sometimes very early on 2child marriage4 and can be at any age between birth and
puberty 0nce married, they are sent to their in/laws house as soon as they attain puberty
)hus, they too would be se"ually active in their teens but they would be so under the
compulsion o! @marriage@ which is traditionally accepted but is still considered illegal
Early Marriage - The Benefits
In Asian countries the early marriage and there!ore early @sending o!!@ to the in/laws
house is read as a bene!it because it is easier !or the child/bride to adapt to her husband:s
house and there!ore have better chances !or a happy marriage It also !elt that when a girl
is married o!! early she would be protected !rom evils such as rape, casual se" and the
li3e In Asiatic countries and A!rica where chastity is valued above all else, this seems
li3e a great motivating !actor !or early marriage
Last but not least, the parents o! girls who marry early would normally give less dowry
than when they marry at an older age In areas where poverty is rampant, this is a matter
o! survival
In the %nited &tates and other parts o! the country there are contradictions when it comes
to early marriage, as traditions and ways o! li!e are very di!!erent when it comes to this
#eing married at the age o! == is considered early marriage in these parts o! the world
Early Marriage - The Disadvantages
Jhen you loo3 at it !rom the girl:s point o! view, you:ll !ind that most will say it cannot
be termed as anything but a disadvantage %nder the label o! marriage in Asian and
A!rican communities, the girl is !irst o! all subKected to marital rape as early as *9 years
old Pregnancy !ollows which owing to lac3 o! nutritious !ood and ade'uate rest leads to
a number o! complications It so happens that by the time the girl reaches her twenties,
she is already spent and loo3s close to !orty years o! age due to multiple pregnancies,
household wor3 and inade'uate nutrition which ta3e their toll on her
&ince the girl is too young and de!initely uneducated to even 3now her rights or what is
good !or her, she is in no position to ma3e any decisions about her li!e, spacing o! babies,
!ood, rest or se"ual pre!erence In most cases she submits hersel! to whatever her husband
and her in/laws decide without having any say in the matter, thus ma3ing early marriage
something she has to put up with
)his is also the same type o! thought !ound in other countries who don:t practice
childhood marriage, and probably the reason it is not practiced today
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)he $ase !or Aarly Marriage
Amid our purity pledges and attempts to ma3e chastity hip, we !orgot to teach young
$hristians how to tie the 3not
Virginity pledges $hastity balls $ourtship &ide hugs Guarding your heart Avangelical
discourse on se" is more conservative than I:ve ever seen it Parents and pastors and
youth group leaders told us not to do it be!ore we got married JhyN #ecause the #ible
says so Yet that simple message didn:t go very !ar in shaping our se"ual decision/
ma3ing
&o they 3ic3ed it up a notch and sta3ed a battle over virginity, with pledges o! abstinence
and accountability structures to maintain the power o! the imperative to not do what
many o! us !elt li3e doing &ome o! us !ailed, but we could become @born again virgins@
Dirginity mattered #ut se" can be had in other ways, and many o! us got creative
)hen they told us that oral se" was still se" It could spread disease, and it would ma3e
you !eel bad @&e" will be so much better i! you wait until your wedding night,@ they
urged I! we could hold out, they said, it would be worth it )he sheer glory o!
consummation would 3noc3 our soc3s o!!
&uch is the prevailing discourse o! abstinence culture in contemporary American
evangelicalism It might sound li3e I devalue abstinence I don:t )he problem is that not
all abstainers end up happy or go on to the great se" lives they were promised Nor do all
indulgers become miserable or marital train wrec3s More simply, however, I have !ound
that !ew evangelicals accomplish what their pastors and parents wanted them to
Indeed, over ., percent o! American adults e"perience se"ual intercourse be!ore
marrying )he percentage o! evangelicals who do so is not much lower In a nationally
representative study o! young adults, Kust under +, percent o! unmarried, church/ going,
conservative Protestants who are currently dating someone are having se" o! some sort
I:m certainly not suggesting that they cannot abstain I:m suggesting that in the domain o!
se", most o! them don:t and won:t
Jhat to doN Intensi!y the abstinence message even moreN No It won:t wor3 )he
message must change, because our preoccupation with se" has unwittingly turned our
attention away !rom the damage that AmericansSincluding evangelicalsSare doing to
the institution o! marriage by discouraging it and delaying it
*Young couples who get married early do not 3now how to manage responsibility )hey
are still young in their mind set and still have to learn what a marriage is all about )his is
the !irst problem that occurs in an early marriage
=An early marriage, 3ills the !eeling o! youth Jhen teenagers get married at an early
age, their young youth!ulness is disturbed )hey cannot enKoy their !reedom as they are
tied down to marriage and new responsibilities
9Aarly pregnancy can a!!ect the li!e o! a teenage girl A *./year/old girl cannot undergo
the pressure o! bearing a child It not only e!!ects her physical health, but emotional too
Jhen it comes to loo3ing a!ter a child, it is di!!icult too as she hersel! is a child and will
not 3now much about parental guidance
>)he !eeling o! adKustment is di!!icult when young teens have an early marriage )hey
do not seem to adKust to their partner easily, there!ore it results in divorce
?Jhen you get married at an early age, individual interests cannot be !ul!illed )he bride
or the groom would want to study !urther and e"cel in other things but they get tied down
due to !inancial problems )his will also result in not getting a Kob that they want as they
lac3 a good educational bac3ground
EUTHANASIA
DELA ROSA, 1ENNE MARIELLE R.
ESPINA, VANESSA T.
GALICIA, HERSHEY LYNE S.
LAURENTE, NERISA S.
Euthanasia
- re!ers to the practice o! intentionally ending a li!e in order to
relieve pain and su!!ering
/ the intentional 3illing by act or omission o! a dependent human being !or his or
her alleged bene!it 2)he 3ey word here is @intentional@ I! death is not intended, it is not
an act o! euthanasia4
LIST OF TEN COUNTRIES AND THEIR EUTHANASIA
10. Albania
Authanasia was legali5ed in Albania in *..., it was stated that any !orm o! voluntary
euthanasia was legal under the rights o! the terminally ill act o! *..? Passive euthanasia
is considered legal should three or more !amily members consent to the decision
Albania7s euthanasia policy has been controversial among li!e groups and the $atholic
$hurch, but due to other more prominent countries also legali5ing !orms o! euthanasia, it
has meant a more rela"ed world attitude to the matter
9. Australia
Authanasia was legali5ed in Australia7s Northern )erritory, by the 6ights o! the
)erminally Ill Act *..? &oon a!ter, the law was voided by an amendment by the
$ommonwealth to the Northern )erritory 2&el!/Government4 Act *.8+ )he powers o!
the Northern )erritory legislature, unli3e those o! the &tate legislatures, are not
guaranteed by the Australian constitution <owever, be!ore the $ommonwealth
government made this amendment, three people had already practiced legal voluntary
euthanasia 2PA&4, aided by (r Philip Nitsch3e )he !irst person was a ta"i driver, #ob
(ent, who died on == &eptember *..;
Although it is a crime in most Australian states to assist in euthanasia, prosecutions have
been rare In =,,=, relatives and !riends who provided moral support to an elderly woman
who committed suicide were e"tensively investigated by police, but no charges were laid
)he $ommonwealth government subse'uently tried to hinder euthanasia with the passage
o! the $riminal $ode Amendment 2&uicide 6elated Materials 0!!ences4 #ill o! =,,> In
)asmania in =,,? a nurse was convicted o! assisting in the death o! her elderly mother
and !ather who were both su!!ering !rom illnesses &he was sentenced to two and a hal!
years in Kail but the Kudge later suspended the conviction because he believed the
community did not want the woman put behind bars )his spar3ed debate about
decriminali5ing euthanasiaPcitation neededQ (ecriminalisation o! Authanasia in Australia
is supported by the Liberty R (emocracy Party as well as the Australian Greens
8. Belgium
)he #elgian parliament legali5ed euthanasia in late &eptember =,,= Proponents o!
euthanasia state that prior to the law, several thousand illegal acts o! euthanasia were
carried out in #elgium each year According to proponents, the legislation incorporated a
complicated process, which has been critici5ed as an attempt to establish a Ebureaucracy
o! deathF
7. 1apan
)he Bapanese government has no o!!icial laws on the status o! euthanasia and the
&upreme $ourt o! Bapan has never ruled on the matter 6ather, to date, Bapan7s euthanasia
policy has been decided by two local court cases, one in Nagoya in *.;=, and another
a!ter an incident at )o3ai %niversity in *..? )he !irst case involved Epassive euthanasiaF
2ie, allowing a patient to die by turning o!! li!e support4 and the latter case involved
Eactive euthanasiaF 2eg, through inKection4 )he Kudgments in these cases set !orth a
legal !ramewor3 and a set o! conditions within which both passive and active euthanasia
could be legal Nevertheless, in both o! these particular cases the doctors were !ound
guilty o! violating these conditions when ta3ing the lives o! their patients Further,
because the !indings o! these courts have yet to be upheld at the national level, these
precedents are not necessarily binding Nevertheless, at present, there is a tentative legal
!ramewor3 !or implementing euthanasia in Bapan
In Bapan, the case o! passive euthanasia must meet three conditionsI
)he patient must be su!!ering !rom an incurable disease, and in the !inal stages o!
the disease !rom which he1she1 is unli3ely to ma3e a recovery-
)he patient must give e"press consent to stopping treatment, and this consent
must be obtained and preserved prior to death I! the patient is not able to give
clear consent, their consent may be determined !rom a pre/written document
such as a living will or the testimony o! the !amily-
)he patient may be passively euthani5ed by stopping medical treatment,
chemotherapy, dialysis, arti!icial respiration, blood trans!usion, ID drip, etc
For active euthanasia, !our conditions must be metI
)he patient must be su!!ering !rom unbearable physical pain-
(eath must be inevitable and drawing near-
)he patient must give consent 2%nli3e passive euthanasia, living wills and !amily
consent will not su!!ice4
)he physician must have 2ine!!ectively4 e"hausted all other measures o! pain
relie!

6. Luxembourg
)he country7s parliament passed a bill legalising euthanasia on =, February =,,+ in the
!irst reading with 9, o! ?. votes in !avour- it still has to pass a second reading be!ore
coming into e!!ect
5. The Netherlands
In =,,=, )he Netherlands legali5ed euthanasia including physician assisted suicide )he
law codi!ied a twenty year old convention o! not persecuting doctors who have
committed euthanasia in very speci!ic cases, under very speci!ic circumstances )he
Ministry o! Public <ealth, Jellbeing and &ports claims that this practice Eallows a
person to end their li!e in dignity a!ter having received every available type o! palliative
careF
4. Switzerland
In &wit5erland, deadly drugs may be prescribed to a &wiss person or to a !oreigner, where
the recipient ta3es an active role in the drug administration More generally, article **? o!
the &wiss penal code, which came into e!!ect in *.>= 2having been written in *.*+4,
considers assisting suicide a crime i! and only i! the motive is sel!ish )he code does not
give physicians a special status in assisting suicide- however, they are most li3ely to have
access to suitable drugs Athical guidelines have cautioned physicians against prescribing
deadly drugs <owever, they also recogni5e that in e"ceptional, and de!ined, cases
physicians may Kusti!iably assist suicide Jhen an assisted suicide is declared, a police
in'uiry may be started &ince no crime has been committed in the absence o! a sel!ish
motive, these are mostly open and shut cases Prosecution happens i! doubts are raised on
the patient7s competence to ma3e an autonomous choice )his is rare
Article **? was only interpreted as legal permission to set up organi5ations administering
li!e/ending medicine in the *.+,s, >, years a!ter its introduction )hese organisations
have been widely used by !oreigners M most notably Germans M as well as the &wiss
Around hal! o! the people helped to die by the organisation (ignitas have been Germans
6ecent debate in &wit5erland has !ocused on assisted suicide rights !or the mentally ill A
decision by the &wiss Federal &upreme $ourt on November 9, =,,;, laid out standards
under which psychiatric patients might terminate their livesI EIt cannot be denied that an
incurable, long/lasting, severe mental impairment similar to a somatic one can create a
su!!ering out o! which a patient would !ind his1her li!e in the long run not worth living
anymore #ased on more recent ethical, Kuridical and medical statements, a possible
prescription o! &odium/Pentobarbital is not necessarily contra/indicated and thus no
longer generally a violation o! medical duty o! care <owever, utmost restraint needs to
be e"ercisedI It has to be distinguished between the wish to die that is e"pression o! a
curable psychic distortion and which calls !or treatment, and the wish to die that bases on
a sel!/determined, care!ully considered and lasting decision o! a lucid person 2Ebalance
suicideF4 which possibly needs to be respected
I! the wish to die bases on an autonomous, the general situation comprising decision,
under certain circumstances even mentally ill may be prescribed &odium/Pentobarbital
and thus be granted help to commit suicideF EJhether the prere'uisites !or this are given
cannot be Kudged on separated !rom medical M especially psychiatric M special 3nowledge
and proves to be di!!icult in practice- there!ore, the appropriate assessment re'uires the
presentation o! a special in/depth psychiatric opinionF A controversial article in the
<astings $enter 6eport by #rown %niversity Pro!essor Bacob M Appel advocated
adopting similar rules in the %nited &tates
3. The United Kingdom
Authanasia is illegal in the %nited Oingdom however on November ?, =,,;, #ritain7s
6oyal $ollege o! 0bstetricians and Gynaecologists submitted a proposal to the Nu!!ield
$ouncil on #ioethics calling !or consideration o! permitting the euthanasia o! disabled
newborns )he report does not address the current illegality o! euthanasia in the %nited
Oingdom, but rather calls !or reconsideration o! its viability as a legitimate medical
practice
In contrast there is increasing evidence that doctors in the %O are hardening their attitude
against euthanasia or physician assisted suicideI
%O doctors are particularly cautious about decisions to shorten li!e
$ompared to other countries 2eg Italy, &weden, (enmar34, %O doctors are more
open about discussing end/o!/li!e decisions 2AL(4 with patients and relatives
$ompared with countries where euthanasia or physician assisted suicide is legal
2eg #elgium, Netherlands, &wit5erland4, %O doctors are the same or more li3ely
to report discussions on AL( with medical and nursing colleagues
.>G o! %O specialist doctors in palliative care are against a change in the law
In =,,; both the 6oyal $ollege o! Physicians and the 6oyal $ollege o! General
Practitioners voted against a change in the law
$urrently in the %O, any person !ound to be assisting suicide is brea3ing the law and can
be convicted o! assisting suicide or attempting to do so 2ie i! a doctor gives a patient in
great pain a bottle o! morphine to ta3e 2to commit suicide4 when the pain gets too great4
Although two/thirds o! #ritons thin3 it should be legal, a recent LAssisted (ying !or the
)erminally/Ill7 #ill was turned down in the lower political chamber, the <ouse o!
$ommons, by a >/* margin
2. United States
Active euthanasia is illegal in most o! the %nited &tates Patients retain the rights to
re!use medical treatment and to receive appropriate management o! pain at their re'uest
2passive euthanasia4, even i! the patients7 choices hasten their deaths Additionally, !utile
or disproportionately burdensome treatments, such as li!e/support machines, may be
withdrawn under speci!ied circumstances
A Gallup Poll survey showed that ;,G o! Americans supported euthanasia Attempts to
legali5e euthanasia and assisted suicide resulted in ballot initiatives and legislation bills
within the %nited &tates in the last =, years For e"ample, Jashington voters saw #allot
Initiative **. in *..*, $ali!ornia placed Proposition *;* on the ballot in *..=, 0regon
passed the (eath with (ignity Act in *..>, and Michigan included Proposal # in their
ballot in *..+
1. The World
)he 'uestionI Is euthanasia Kusti!iableN
)he answer in the scale !orm was given, running !rom */*,, * being Enever Kusti!iableF
and *, being Ealways Kusti!iableF )he mean score given !rom all the participants in the
respective country is shown in the graphs below, one !or the world and one !or AsiaI
Types of Euthanasia:
Doluntary euthanasiaI Jhen the person who is 3illed has re'uested to be 3illed
Non/voluntaryI Jhen the person who is 3illed made no re'uest and gave no
consent
Involuntary euthanasiaI Jhen the person who is 3illed made an e"pressed wish to
the contrary
Assisted suicideI &omeone provides an individual with the in!ormation, guidance,
and means to ta3e his or her own li!e with the intention that they will be used !or
this purpose Jhen it is a doctor who helps another person to 3ill themselves it is
called @physician assisted suicide@
Authanasia by ActionI Intentionally causing a person:s death by per!orming an
action such as by giving a lethal inKection
Authanasia by 0missionI Intentionally causing death by not providing necessary
and ordinary 2usual and customary4 care or !ood and water
SEXUAL
HARRASSMENT
ANTONIO, 1UAN MIGUEL M.
CLEOFAS, ROSELIAN V.
DELA PEA, NIO REY
MABUNGA, ARLYN
PEARANDA, MARILYN
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual harassment is intimidation, bullying or coercion o! a se"ual nature, or the
unwelcome or inappropriate promise o! rewards in e"change !or se"ual !avors In most
modern legal conte"ts se"ual harassment is illegal As de!ined by AA0$, @It is unlaw!ul
to harass a person 2an applicant or employee4 because o! that person7s se" <arassment
can include Ese"ual harassmentF or unwelcome se"ual advances, re'uests !or se"ual
!avors, and other verbal or physical harassment o! a se"ual nature
<arassment does not have to be o! a se"ual nature, however, and can include o!!ensive
remar3s about a person7s se" For e"ample, it is illegal to harass a woman by ma3ing
o!!ensive comments about women in general
#oth victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser
can be the same se"
Although the law doesn7t prohibit simple teasing, o!!hand comments, or isolated
incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so !re'uent or severe
that it creates a hostile or o!!ensive wor3 environment or when it results in an adverse
employment decision 2such as the victim being !ired or demoted4
)he harasser can be the victim:s supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co/wor3er, or
someone who is not an employee o! the employer, such as a client or customer It
includes a range o! behavior !rom seemingly mild

transgressions and annoyances to
actualse"ual abuse or se"ual assault &e"ual harassment is a !orm o! illegal employment
discrimination in many countries, and is a !orm o! abuse 2se"ual and psychological4 and
bullying For many businesses and other organi5ations, preventing se"ual harassment,
and de!ending employees !rom se"ual harassment charges, have become 3ey goals o!
legal decision/ma3ing
Aarly history o! the use o! the term
)he term se"ual harassment was used in *.89 in a report to the then President and
$hancellor o! MI) about various !orms o! gender issues 6owe has stated that she
believes she was not the !irst to use the term, since se"ual harassment was being
discussed in women:s groups in Massachusetts in the early *.8,s, but that MI) may have
been the !irst or one o! the !irst large organi5ations to discuss the topic 2in the MI)
Academic $ouncil4, and to develop relevant policies and procedures MI) at the time
also recogni5ed the inKuries caused by racial harassment and the harassment o! women o!
color which may be both racial and se"ual )he President o! MI) also stated that
harassment 2and !avoritism4 are antithetical to the mission o! a university as well as
intolerable !or individuals
In the boo3 -n .ur )ime: Memoir of a Revolution 2*...4, Kournalist &usan #rownmiller
'uotes the $ornell activists who in *.8? thought they had coined the term se"ual
harassmentI @Aight o! us were sitting in an o!!ice brainstorming about what we were
going to write on posters !or our spea3/out Je were re!erring to it as :se"ual
intimidation,: :se"ual coercion,: :se"ual e"ploitation on the Kob: None o! those names
seemed 'uite right Je wanted something that embraced a whole range o! subtle and un/
subtle persistent behaviors &omebody came up with :harassment: :&e"ual harassmentY:
Instantly we agreed )hat:s what it was@ 2p =+*4 )hese activists, Lin Farley, &usan
Meyer, and Oaren &auvigne went on to !orm Jor3ing Jomen:s Institute which, along
with the Alliance Against &e"ual $oercion, !ounded in *.8; by Freada Olein, Lynn
Jehrli, and Ali5abeth $ohn/&tunt5, were among the pioneer organi5ations to bring
se"ual harassment to public attention in the late *.8,s
<arassment situations
&e"ual harassments can occur in a variety o! circumstances 0!ten, but not always, the
harasser is in a position o! power or authority over the victim 2due to di!!erences in age,
or social, political, educational or employment relationships4 Forms o! harassment
relationships includeI
)he harasser can be anyone, such as a client, a co/wor3er, a parent or legal guardian,
a teacher or pro!essor, a student, a !riend, or a stranger
)he victim does not have to be the person directly harassed but can be anyone who
!inds the behavior o!!ensive and is a!!ected by it
Adverse e!!ects on the target are common
)he victim and harasser can be any gender
)he harasser does not have to be o! the opposite se"
)he harasser may be completely unaware that his or her behavior is o!!ensive or
constitutes se"ual harassment or may be completely unaware that his or her actions
could be unlaw!ul
MisunderstandingI It can result !rom a situation where one thin3s he1she is ma3ing
themselves clear, but is not understood the way they intended )he misunderstanding
can either be reasonable or unreasonable An e"ample o! unreasonable is when a man
holds a certain stereotypical view o! a woman such that he did not understand the
woman7s e"plicit message to stop
Daried behaviors
0ne o! the di!!iculties in understanding se"ual harassment is that it involves a range o!
behavior, and is o!ten di!!icult !or the recipient to describe to themselves, and to others,
e"actly what they are e"periencing Moreover, behavior and motives vary between
individual harassers
Behavioral classes
(5eich et al has divided harassers into two broad classesI
Public harassers are !lagrant in their seductive or se"ist attitudes towards colleagues,
subordinates, students, etc
Private harassers care!ully cultivate a restrained and respectable image on the sur!ace,
but when alone with their target, their demeanor changes
Langelan describes three di!!erent classes o! harassers
Predatory harasser who gets se"ual thrills !rom humiliating others )his harasser may
become involved in se"ual e"tortion, and may !re'uently harass Kust to see how
targets respond )hose who don:t resist may even become targets !or rape
(ominance harasserI the most common type, who engages in harassing behavior as
an ego boost
strategic or territorial harassers who see3 to maintain privilege in Kobs or physical
locations, !or e"ample a man:s harassing !emale employees in a predominantly male
occupation
6etaliation and bac3lash
6etaliation and bac3lash against a victim are very common, particularly a complainant
Dictims who spea3 out against se"ual harassment are o!ten labeled troublema3ers who
are on their own po!er trips, or who are loo3ing !or attention &imilar to cases o! rape or
se"ual assault,the victim o!ten becomes the accused, with their appearance, private li!e,
and character li3ely to !all under intrusive scrutiny and attac3 )hey ris3 hostility and
isolation !rom colleagues, supervisors, teachers, !ellow students, and even !riends )hey
may become the targets o! mobbing or relational aggression
Jomen are not necessarily sympathetic to !emale complainants who have been se"ually
harassed I! the harasser was male, internali5ed se"ism, and1or Kealousy over the se"ual
attention towards the victim, may encourage some women to react with as much hostility
towards the complainant as some male colleagues Fear o! being targeted !or harassment
or retaliation themselves may also cause some women to respond with hostility For
e"ample, when Lois Benson !iled her lawsuit against Aveleth )aconite $o, the women
placed a hangman:s noose above her wor3place, and shunned her both at wor3 and in the
communitySmany o! these women later Koined her suit Jomen may even proKect
hostility onto the victim in order to bond with their male cowor3ers and build trust
6etaliation has occurred when a se"ual harassment victim su!!ers a negative action as a
result o! the harassment For e"ample, a complainant be given poor evaluations or low
grades, have their proKects sabotaged, be denied wor3 or academic opportunities, have
their wor3 hours cut bac3, and other actions against them which undermine their
productivity, or their ability to advance at wor3 or school )hey may be suspended, as3ed
to resign, or be !ired !rom their Kobs altogether Moreover, a pro!essor or employer
accused o! se"ual harassment, or who is the colleague o! a perpetrator, can use their
power to see that a victim is never hired again, or never accepted to another school
6etaliation can even involve !urther se"ual harassment, and
also stal3ing and cyberstal3ing o! the victim
0! the women who have approached her to share their own e"periences o! being se"ually
harassed by their teachers, !eminist and writer Naomi Jol! writes,
@I am ashamed o! what I tell themI that they should indeed worry about ma3ing an
accusation because what they !ear is li3ely to come true Not one o! the women I have
heard !rom had an outcome that was not worse !or her than silence 0ne, I recall, was
drummed out o! the school by peer pressure Many !aced bureaucratic stonewalling
&ome women said they lost their academic status as golden girls overnight- grants dried
up, letters o! recommendation were no longer !orthcoming No one was met with a
coherent process that was not weighted against them %sually, the 3ey decision/ma3ers in
the college or universitySespecially i! it was a private universitySKoined !orces to, in
e!!ect, collude with the !aculty member accused- to protect not him necessarily but the
reputation o! the university, and to 3eep in!ormation !rom sur!acing in a way that could
protect other women )he goal seemed to be not to provide a balanced !orum, but damage
control@
Another woman who was interviewed by <elen Jatson, a sociologist, reported that,
@Facing up to the crime and having to deal with it in public is probably worse than
su!!ering in silence I !ound it to be a lot worse than the harassment itsel!@
A!!ects o! se"ual harassment and the 2o!ten4 accompanying retaliation
A!!ects o! se"ual harassment can vary depending on the individual, and the severity and
duration o! the harassment 0!ten, se"ual harassment incidents !all into the category o!
the @merely annoying@ <owever, many situations can, and do, have li!e/altering e!!ects
particularly when they involve severe1chronic abuses, and1or retaliation against a victim
who does not submit to the harassment, or who complains about it openly Indeed,
psychologists and social wor3ers report that severe1chronic se"ual harassment can have
the same psychological e!!ects as rape or se"ual assault 2Ooss, *.+84 For e"ample, in
*..?, Budith $o!lin committed suicide a!ter chronic se"ual harassment by her bosses and
cowor3ers 2<er !amily was later awarded ; million dollars in punitive and compensatory
damages4 #ac3lash and victim/blaming can !urther aggravate the e!!ects Moreover,
every year, se"ual harassment costs hundreds o! millions o! dollars in lost educational
and pro!essional opportunities, mostly !or girls and women 2#oland, =,,=4 <owever, the
'uantity o! men implied in these con!licts is signi!icant
$ommon pro!essional, academic, !inancial, and social e!!ects o! se"ual harassmentI
(ecreased wor3 or school per!ormance- increased absenteeism
Loss o! Kob or career, loss o! income
<aving to drop courses, change academic plans, or leave school 2loss o! tuition4
<aving one:s personal li!e o!!ered up !or public scrutinySthe victim becomes the
@accused,@ and his or her dress, li!estyle, and private li!e will o!ten come under
attac3
#eing obKecti!ied and humiliated by scrutiny and gossip
#ecoming publicly se"uali5ed 2ie groups o! people @evaluate@ the victim to establish
i! he or she is @worth@ the se"ual attention or the ris3 to the harasser:s career4
(e!amation o! character and reputation
Loss o! trust in environments similar to where the harassment occurred
Loss o! trust in the types o! people that occupy similar positions as the harasser or his
or her colleagues
A"treme stress upon relationships with signi!icant others, sometimes resulting in
divorce- e"treme stress on peer relationships, or relationships with colleagues
Jea3ening o! support networ3, or being ostraci5ed !rom pro!essional or academic
circles 2!riends, colleagues, or !amily may distance themselves !rom the victim, or
shun him or her altogether4
<aving to relocate to another city, another Kob, or another school
Loss o! re!erences1recommendations
Effects of sexual harassment on organizations
(ecreased productivity and increased team con!lict
(ecrease in success at meeting !inancial goals 2because o! team con!lict4
(ecreased Kob satis!action
Loss o! sta!! and e"pertise !rom resignations to avoid harassment or
resignations1!irings o! alleged harassers- loss o! students who leave school to avoid
harassment
(ecreased productivity and1or increased absenteeism by sta!! or students
e"periencing harassment
Increased health care costs and sic3 pay costs because o! the health conse'uences o!
harassment
)he 3nowledge that harassment is permitted can undermine ethical standards and
discipline in the organi5ation in general, as sta!! and1or students lose respect !or, and
trust in, their seniors who indulge in, or turn a blind eye to, se"ual harassment
I! the problem is ignored, a company:s or school:s image can su!!er
Legal costs i! the problem is ignored and complainants ta3e the issue to court
Prevention
&e"ual harassment and assault may be prevented by secondary school college, and
wor3place education programs At least one program !or !raternity men produced
@sustained behavioral change@
)he e!!ect o! the organi5ation on se"ual harassment
&tudies show that organi5ational climate 2an organi5ation7s tolerance, policy, procedure
etc4 and wor3place environment are essential !or understanding the conditions in which
se"ual harassment is li3ely to occur, and the way its victims will be a!!ected 2yet,
research on speci!ic policy and procedure and awareness and prevention strategies is
lac3ing4 another element which increases the ris3 !or se"ual harassment is the Kob7s
gender conte"t 2having !ew women in the close wor3ing environment or practicing in a
!ield which is atypical !or women4
According to (r 0rit Oamir, the most e!!ective way to avoid se"ual harassment in the
wor3 place, and also in!luence the public7s state o! mind, is !or the employer to adopt a
clear policy prohibiting se"ual harassment and to ma3e it very clear to their employees
Many women pre!er to ma3e a complaint and to have the matter resolved within the
wor3place rather than to Eair out the dirty laundryF with a public complaint and be seen
as a traitor by colleagues, superiors and employers, adds Oamir
Evolution of sexual harassment law
United States
Workplace
In the %&, the $ivil 6ights Act o! *.;> prohibits employment discrimination based
on race, se", color, national origin or religion Initially only intended to combat se"ual
harassment o! women, the prohibition o! se" discrimination covers both !emales and
males )his discrimination occurs when the se" o! the wor3er is made as a condition o!
employment 2ie all !emale waitpersons or male carpenters4 or where this is a Kob
re'uirement that does not mention se" but ends up barring many more persons o! one se"
than the other !rom the Kob 2such as height and weight limits4
#arnes v )rain 2*.8>4 is commonly viewed as the !irst se"ual harassment case in
America, even though the term @se"ual harassment@ was not used
P=>Q
In *.8;, Jilliams v
&a"be established se"ual harassment as a !orm o! se" discrimination when se"ual
advances by a male supervisor towards a !emale employee, i! proven, would be deemed
an arti!icial barrier to employment placed be!ore one gender and not another In *.+,
the A'ual Amployment 0pportunity $ommission 2AA0$4 issued regulations de!ining
se"ual harassment and stating it was a !orm o! se" discrimination prohibited by the $ivil
6ights Act o! *.;> In the *.+; case o! Meritor &avings #an3 v Dinson, the &upreme
$ourt !irst recogni5ed @se"ual harassment@ as a violation o! )itle DII, established the
standards !or analy5ing whether the conduct was welcome and levels o!
employer liability, and that speech or conduct in itsel! can create a @hostile environment@
)he $ivil 6ights Act o! *..* added provisions to )itle DII protections including
e"panding the rights o! women to sue and collect compensatory and punitive damages !or
se"ual discrimination or harassment, and the case o! Allison v #rady resulted in reKecting
the reasonable person standard in !avor o! the @reasonable woman standard@ which
allowed !or cases to be analy5ed !rom the perspective o! the complainant and not the
de!endant Also in *..*, Benson v Aveleth )aconite $o became the !irst se"ual
harassment case to be given class action status, paving the way !or others &even years
later, in *..+, this case would establish new precedents !or setting limits on the
@discovery@ process in se"ual harassment cases, and allowing psychological inKuries !rom
the litigation process to be included in assessing damages awards In the same year, the
courts concluded in Faragher v $ity o! #oca 6aton, Florida, and #urlington v Allerth,
that employers are liable !or harassment by their employees Moreover, 0ncale v
&undowner 0!!shore &ervices set the precedent !or same/se" harassment, and se"ual
harassment without motivation o! @se"ual desire@, stating that any discrimination based
on se" is actionable so long as it places the victim in an obKectively disadvantageous
wor3ing condition, regardless o! the gender o! either the victim, or the harasser
In the =,,; case o! #urlington Northern R &anta Fe 6ailway $o v Jhite , the standard
!or retaliation against a se"ual harassment complainant was revised to include any
adverse employment decision or treatment that would be li3ely to dissuade a @reasonable
wor3er@ !rom ma3ing or supporting a charge o! discrimination
(uring =,,8 alone, the %& A'ual Amployment 0pportunity $ommission and related
state agencies received *=,?*, new charges o! se"ual harassment on the Kob
Education
)itle IH o! the Aducation Amendments o! *.8= 2%nited &tates4 states @No person in the
%nited &tates shall, on the basis o! se", be e"cluded !rom participation in, be denied the
bene!its o!, or be subKected to discrimination under any education program or activity
receiving Federal !inancial assistance@
In Fran3lin v Gwinnett $ounty Public &chools 2*..=4, the %& &upreme $ourt held that
private citi5ens could collect damage awards when teachers se"ually harassed their
students In #ethel &chool (istrict No >,9 v Fraser 2*.+;4 the courts ruled that schools
have the power to discipline students i! they use @obscene, pro!ane language or gestures@
which could be viewed as substantially inter!ering with the educational process, and
inconsistent with the @!undamental values o! public school education@ %nder regulations
issued in *..8 by the %&(epartment o! Aducation, which administers )itle IH, school
districts should be held responsible !or harassment by educators i! the harasser @was
aided in carrying out the se"ual harassment o! students by his or her position o! authority
with the institution@ In (avis v Monroe $ounty #oard o! Aducation, and Murrell v
&chool (ist No *, *..., schools were assigned liability !or peer/to/peer se"ual
harassment i! the plainti!! su!!iciently demonstrated that the administration:s response
shows @deliberate indi!!erence@ to @actual 3nowledge@ o! discrimination
Evolution of sexual harassment law in other jurisdictions
In India, the case o! Disha3a Ds &tate o! 6aKasthan in *..8 has been credited with
establishing se"ual harassment as illegal In Israel, the *.++ A'ual Amployment
0pportunity Law made it a crime !or an employer to retaliate against an employee who
had reKected se"ual advances, but it wasn:t until *..+ that the Israeli &e"ual <arassment
Law made such behavior illegal 2Oamir, =,,?4
In May =,,=, the Auropean %nion $ouncil and Parliament amended a *.8; $ouncil
(irective on the e'ual treatment o! men and women in employment to prohibit se"ual
harassment in the wor3place, naming it a !orm o! se" discrimination and violation o!
dignity )his (irective re'uired all Member &tates o! the Auropean %nion to adopt laws
on se"ual harassment, or amend e"isting laws to comply with the (irective by 0ctober
=,,?
In =,,?, $hina added new provisions to the /a! on Women0s Right Protection to include
se"ual harassment In =,,; @)he &hanghai &upplement@ was dra!ted to help !urther
de!ine se"ual harassment in $hina
Daried legal guidelines and de!initions
The United Nations General Recommendation 19 to the Convention on the
Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women de!ines se"ual harassment
o! women to includeI
@such unwelcome se"ually determined behavior as physical contact and advances,
se"ually colored remar3s, showing pornography and se"ual demands, whether by words
or actions &uch conduct can be humiliating and may constitute a health and sa!ety
problem- it is discriminatory when the woman has reasonable ground to believe that her
obKection would disadvantage her in connection with her employment, including
recruitment or promotion, or when it creates a hostile wor3ing environment@
Jhile such conduct can be harassment o! women by men, many laws around the world
which prohibit se"ual harassment recogni5e that both men and women may be harassers
or victims o! se"ual harassment <owever, most claims o! se"ual harassment are made by
women
)here are many similarities, and also important di!!erences in laws and de!initions used
around the world A!ter covering one country in some detail 2the %nited &tates4,
approaches in other countries are covered alphabetically
Australia
)he &e" (iscrimination Act *.+> de!ines se"ual harassment as @ unwanted conduct o!
a se"ual nature, in circumstances in which a reasonable person, having regard to all the
circumstances, would have anticipated that the person harassed would be o!!ended,
humiliated or intimidated@
Czech Republic
%ndesirable behavior o! a se"ual nature at the wor3place i! such conduct is unwelcome,
unsuitable or insulting, or i! it can be Kusti!iably perceived by the party concerned as a
condition !or decisions a!!ecting the e"ercise o! rights and obligations ensuring !rom
labor relations
Denmark
&e"ual harassment is de!ined as, when any verbal, non/verbal or physical action is used
to change a victim:s se"ual status against the will o! the victim and resulting in the victim
!eeling in!erior or hurting the victim:s dignity Man and woman are loo3ed upon as e'ual,
and any action trying to change the balance in status with the di!!erences in se" as a tool,
is also se"ual harassment In the wor3place, Ko3es, remar3s, etc, are only deemed
discriminatory i! the employer has stated so in their written policy Jomen are viewed as
being responsible !or con!ronting harassment themselves, such as by slapping the
harasser in the !ace Law number *9+? o! (ecember =*, =,,? regulates this area
France
Article ===/99 o! the French $riminal $ode describes se"ual harassment as, @)he !act o!
harassing anyone using orders, threats or constraint, in order to obtain !avors o! a se"ual
nature, by a person abusing the authority that !unctions con!er on him@ )his means the
harasser can only be someone with authority on the harassed 2basically, there can:t be
se"ual harassment between cowor3ers o! the same ran34 <owever, moral harassment
occurs when an employee is subKected to repeated acts 2one is not enough4 the aim or
e!!ect o! which may result in a degradation 2deterioration4 o! his conditions o!
employment that might undermine his rights and his dignity, a!!ect his physical or mental
health or Keopardi5e his pro!essional !uture &e"ual as well as the moral harassment is
recogni5ed by the law
India
&e"ual harassment in India is termed @Ave teasing@ and is described asI unwelcome
se"ual gesture or behaviour whether directly or indirectly as se"ually coloured remar3s-
physical contact and advances- showing pornography- a demand or re'uest !or se"ual
!avours- any other unwelcome physical, verbal1non/verbal conduct being se"ual in
nature )he critical !actor is the unwelcomeness o! the behaviour, thereby ma3ing the
impact o! such actions on the recipient more relevant rather than intent o! the perpetrator
According to India:s constitution, se"ual harassment in!ringes the !undamental right o! a
woman to gender e'uality under Article *> o! the $onstitution o! India and her right to
li!e and live with dignity under Article =* o! the $onstitution Although there is no
speci!ic law against se"ual harassment at wor3place in India but many provisions in other
legislations protect against se"ual harassment at wor3place, such as &ection 9?>, IP$
deals with Eassault or criminal !orce to a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty,
and &ection ?,., IP$ deals with Eword, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty o! a
woman
Israel
)he *..+ Israeli &e"ual <arassment Law interprets se"ual harassment broadly, and
prohibits the behavior as a discriminatory practice, a restriction o! liberty, an o!!ence to
human dignity, a violation o! every person:s right to elementary respect, and an
in!ringement o! the right to privacy Additionally, the law prohibits intimidation or
retaliation that accommodates se"ual harassment Intimidation or retaliation thus related
to se"ual harassment are de!ined by the law as @preKudicial treatment@
Pakistan
Pa3istan has adopted a $ode o! $onduct !or Gender Bustice in the Jor3place that will
deal with cases o! se"ual harassment )he Alliance Against &e"ual <arassment At
wor3place 2AA&<A4 announced they would be wor3ing with the committee to establish
guidelines !or the proceedings AA&<A de!ines se"ual harassment much the same as it is
de!ined in the %& and other cultures
Philippines
)he Anti/&e"ual <arassment Act o! *..? was enacted @primarily to protect and respect
the dignity o! wor3ers, employees, and applicants !or employment as well as students in
educational institutions or training centers )his law, consisting o! ten sections, provides
!or a clear de!inition o! wor3, education or training/related se"ual harassment and
speci!ies the acts constituting se"ual harassment It li3ewise provides !or the duties and
liabilities o! the employer in cases o! se"ual harassment, and sets penalties !or violations
o! its provisions It is to be noted that a victim o! se"ual harassment is not barred !rom
!iling a separate and independent action !or damages and other relie! aside !rom !iling the
charge !or se"ual harassment@
Poland
)here is no special provision in the employment law that provides !or moral or se"ual
harassment- however it is commonly accepted by the Kurisprudence, that se"ual
harassment occurs when the employee is subKected to acts o! another person in order to
obtain !avours o! a se"ual nature Moral harassment occurs when an employee is
subKected to acts which may result in a deterioration o! his conditions o! employment or
undermine his rights and dignity as well as a!!ect his physical or moral health )hese
de!initions are not legal ones, but de!initions accepted by the Kurisprudence
Russia
In the $riminal $ode, 6ussian Federation, 2$$ 6F4, there e"ists a law which prohibits
utili5ation o! an o!!ice position and material dependence !or coercion o! se"ual
interactions <owever, according to the Moscow $enter !or Gender &tudies, in practice,
the courts do not e"amine these issues
)he (aily )elegraph 'uotes a survey in which @*,, per cent o! !emale pro!essionals Pin
6ussiaQ said they had been subKected to se"ual harassment by their bosses, 9= per cent
said they had had intercourse with them at least once and another seven per cent claimed
to have been raped@
Switzerland
A ban on discrimination was included in the Federal $onstitution 2Article >, Paragraph =
o! the old Federal $onstitution4 in *.+* and adopted in Article +, paragraph = o! the
revised $onstitution )he ban on se"ual harassment in the wor3place !orms part o! the
Federal Act on Gender A'uality 2GAA4 o! => March *..?, where it is one o! several
provisions which prohibit discrimination in employment and which are intended to
promote e'uality Article > o! the GAA de!ines the circumstances, Article ? legal rights
and Article *, protection against dismissal during the complaints procedure Article 9=+,
paragraph * o! the $ode o! 0bligations 2064, Article *.+ 2=4 o! the Penal $ode 2&tG#4
and Article ;, paragraph * o! the Amployment Act 2ArG4 contain !urther statutory
provisions on the ban on se"ual harassment )he ban on se"ual harassment is intended
e"clusively !or employers, within the scope o! their responsibility !or protection o! legal
personality, mental and physical well/being and health
Article > o! the GAA o! *..? de!ines se"ual harassment in the wor3place as !ollowsI
EAny behaviour o! a se"ual nature or other behaviour attributable to gender which
a!!ronts the human dignity o! males and !emales in the wor3place )his e"pressly
includes threats, the promise o! advantages, the application o! coercion and the e"ercise
o! pressure to achieve an accommodation o! a se"ual natureF
United Kingdom
)he (iscrimination Act o! *.8?, was modi!ied to establish se"ual harassment as a !orm
o! discrimination in *.+; It states that harassment occurs where there is unwanted
conduct on the ground o! a person:s se" or unwanted conduct o! a se"ual nature and that
conduct has the purpose or e!!ect o! violating a person:s dignity, or o! creating an
intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or o!!ensive environment !or them I! an
employer treats someone less !avourably because they have reKected, or submitted to,
either !orm o! harassment described above, this is also harassment
United States
)here are a number o! legal options !or a complainant in the %&I mediation, !iling with
the AA0$ or !iling a claim under a state Fair Amployment Practices 2FAP4 statute 2both
are !or wor3place se"ual harassment4, !iling a common law tort, etc Not all se"ual
harassment will be considered severe enough to !orm the basis !or a legal claim
<owever, most o!ten there are several types o! harassing behaviors present, and there is
no minimum level !or harassing conduct under the law2#oland, =,,=4 Many more
experienced sexual harassment than have a solid legal case against the accused #ecause
o! this, and the common pre!erence !or settling, !ew cases ever ma3e it to !ederal court
SAME-SEX
MARRIAGE
Calipes, Aiko B.
Decena, Aileen M.
Garcia, Geniva Gain C.
Quinones, Carmencita M.
ar!as, Mael"n #.
Same-sex marriage
2also 3nown as gay marriage4 is marriage between two persons o! the
same biological se" or gender identity &upporters o! legal recognition !or same/se"
marriage typically re!er to such recognition as marriage equality
P*Q
&ince =,,*, ten countries have begun allowing same/se" couples to marry
nationwideI Argentina, #elgium, $anada, Iceland, the
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, &pain, &outh A!rica, and &weden &ame/se" marriages
are also per!ormed and recogni5ed in the #ra5ilian state o! Alagoas,
P=Q
Me"ico $ity and
parts o! the %nited &tates &ome Kurisdictions that do not per!orm same/se" marriages
recogni5e same/se" marriages per!ormed elsewhereI Israel, the $aribbean countries o!
the Oingdom o! the Netherlands, parts o! the %nited &tates, and all states
o! #ra5il and Me"ico Australia recognises same/se" marriages only by one partner
changing their se" a!ter marriage
P9Q
As o! =,*=, proposals e"ist to introduce same/se"
marriage in at least ten other countries
)he introduction o! same/se" marriage has varied by Kurisdiction, resulting !rom
legislative changes to marriage laws, court challenges based on constitutional guarantees
o! e'uality, or a combination o! the two In some countries, allowing same/se" couples to
marry replaced a previous system o! civil unions or registered partnerships
)he recognition o! such marriages is a civil rights, political, social, moral, and religious
issue in many nations $on!licts arise over whether same/se" couples should be allowed
to enter into marriage, be re'uired to use a di!!erent status 2such as a civil union, which
either grant e'ual rights as marriage or limited rights in comparison to marriage4, or not
have any such rights A related issue is whether the term marriage should be applied
P>QP?QP;Q
0ne argument in support o! same/se" marriage is that denying same/se" couples legal
access to marriage and all o! its attendant bene!its represents discrimination based on
se"ual orientation- several American scienti!ic bodies agree with this assertion
P8QP+QP.QP*,Q
Another argument in support o! same/se" marriage is the assertion that !inancial,
psychological and physical well/being are enhanced by marriage, and that children o!
same/se" couples bene!it !rom being raised by two parents within a legally recogni5ed
union supported by society:s institutions
P**QP*=QP*9Q
$ourt documents !iled by American
scienti!ic associations also state that singling out gay men and women as ineligible !or
marriage both stigmati5es and invites public discrimination against them
P*>Q
)he
American Anthropological Association avers that social science research does not
support the view that either civili5ation or viable social orders depend upon not
recogni5ing same/se" marriage
P*?Q
0ther arguments !or same/se" marriage are based
upon what is regarded as auniversal human rights issue, mental and physical health
concerns, e'uality be!ore the law,
P*;Q
and the goal o! normali5ing LG#) relationships
P*8QP*+QP*.Q
Al &harpton and several other authors attribute opposition to same/se" marriage
as coming !rom homophobia
P=,Q

P=*Q

P==Q

P=9Q
or heterose"ism and li3en prohibitions on same/
se" marriage to past prohibitions on interracial marriage
P=>Q
0ne argument against same/se" marriage arises !rom a reKection o! the use o! the word
@marriage@ as applied to same/se" couples,
P=?Q
as well as obKections about the legal and
social status o! marriage itsel! being applied to same/se" partners under any terminology
0ther stated arguments include direct and indirect social conse'uences o! same/se"
marriages, parenting concerns,
P=;QP=8Q
religious grounds,
P=+QP=.Q
economically e"pensive,
P9,Q
and tradition
Definitions of marriage
$ee also: Marriage - Definitions
Anthropologists have struggled to determine a de!inition o! marriage that absorbs
commonalities o! the social construct across cultures around the world
P9*QP9=Q
Many
proposed de!initions have been critici5ed !or !ailing to recogni5e the e"istence o! same/
se" marriage in some cultures, including in more than 9, A!rican cultures, such as
the Oi3uyu andNuer
P9=QP99QP9>Q
Jith several countries revising their marriage laws to recogni5e same/se" couples in the
=*st century, all maKor Anglish dictionaries have revised their de!inition o! the
word marriage to either drop gender speci!ications or supplement them with secondary
de!initions to include gender/neutral language or e"plicit recognition o! same/se" unions
P9?QP9;Q
)he 0"!ord Anglish (ictionary has recogni5ed same/se" marriage since =,,,
P98Q
Alan (ershowit5 and others have suggested reserving the word marriage !or religious
conte"ts as part o! privati5ing marriage, and in civil and legal conte"ts using a uni!orm
concept o! civil unions, in part to strengthen the separation between church and state
P9+Q
Benni!er 6obac3 Morse , the president o! the anti/same/se" marriage group National
0rgani5ation !or Marriage :s 6uth Institute proKect,
P9.Q
claims that the con!lation o!
marriage with contractual agreements is a threat to marriage
P>,Q
PeditQTerms for same-sex marriage
&ome proponents o! legal recognition o! same/se" marriage, such as Freedom to
Marry and $anadians !or A'ual Marriage, use the terms marriage e1uality and e1ual
marriage to indicate that they see3 e'ual bene!it o! marriage laws as opposed to special
rights
P>*QP>=Q
0pponents o! same/se" marriage such as )he $hurch o! Besus $hrist o! Latter/day &aints,
the %nited &tates $on!erence o! $atholic #ishops, and the &outhern #aptist
$onvention use the term traditional marriageto mean marriages between one man and
one woman
P>9QP>>QP>?Q
Anti/same/se"/marriage activist Maggie Gallagher argues that
e'uating same/se" and opposite/se" marriages changes the meaning o! marriage and its
traditions
P>;Q
&ome publications that oppose same/se" marriage, such as World'etDaily and #aptist
Press, have an editorial style policy o! placing the word marriage in scare
'uotes 2@marriage@4 when it is used in re!erence to same/se" couples In the %nited
&tates, the mainstream press has generally abandoned this practice
P>8Q
$li!! Oincaid o! the
conservative Accuracy in Media argues !or use o! 'uotation mar3s on the grounds that
marriage is a legal status denied same/se" couples by most state governments
P>+Q
&ame/
se" marriage supporters argue that the use o! scare 'uotes is an editoriali5ation that
implies illegitimacy
P>.Q
Associated Press style recommends the usages marriage for gays and lesbians or in
space/limited headlines gay marriage with no hyphen and no scare 'uotes )he
Associated Press warns that the construct gay marriage can imply that marriages o! gay
and lesbian couples are somehow legally di!!erent !rom those o! opposite/se" couples
Pcitation neededQ
&ame/se" marriage also can be described with the term @homogamous marriage@,
P?,Q
in
the scienti!ic tradition o! Gree3 and Latin terms !or !amily type
Main articles: 2istory of same-sex unions and )imeline of same-sex marriage
Ancient
Darious types o! same/se" marriages have e"isted,
P?*Q
ranging !rom in!ormal,
unsanctioned relationships to highly rituali5ed unions
P?=Q
In the southern $hinese province o! FuKian, through the Ming dynasty period, !emales
would bind themselves in contracts to younger !emales in elaborate ceremonies
P?9Q
Males
also entered similar arrangements )his type o! arrangement was also similar in ancient
Auropean history
P?>Q
An e"ample o! egalitarian male domestic partnership !rom the early Whou (ynasty period
o! $hina is recorded in the story o! Pan Whang R Jang Whong"ian Jhile the
relationship was clearly approved by the wider community, and was compared to
heterose"ual marriage, it did not involve a religious ceremony binding the couple
P??Q
)he !irst historical mention o! the per!ormance o! same/se" marriages occurred during
the early 6oman Ampire
P?;Q
For instance, Amperor Nero is reported to have engaged in a
marriage ceremony with one o! his male slaves Amperor Alagabalus @married@
a $arian slave named <ierocles
P?8Q
It should be noted, however, that conubium e"isted
only between a civis Romanus and a civis Romana 2that is, between a male 6oman citi5en
and a !emale 6oman citi5en4, so that a so/called marriage between two 6oman males 2or
with a slave4 would have no legal standing in 6oman law 2apart, presumably, !rom the
arbitrary will o! the emperor in the two a!orementioned cases4
P?+Q
Furthermore,
@matrimonium is an institution involving a mother, mater )he idea implicit in the word is
that a man ta3es a woman in marriage, in matrimonium ducere, so that he may have
children by her@
P?.Q
&till, the lac3 o! legal validity notwithstanding, there is a consensus
among modern historians that same/se" relationships e"isted in ancient 6ome, but the
e"act !re'uency and nature o! @same/se" unions@ during that period is obscure
P;,Q
In 9>=
A( $hristian emperors $onstantius II and $onstans issued a law in the )heodosian
$ode 2C )h .894 prohibiting same/se" marriage in 6ome and ordering e"ecution !or
those so married
P;*Q
A same/se" marriage between the two men Pedro (Ua5 and Mu]o Dandila5 in
the Galician municipality o! 6airi5 de Deiga in &pain occurred on April *;, *,;* )hey
were married by a priest at a small chapel )he historic documents about the church
wedding were !ound at Monastery o! &an &alvador de $elanova
P;=Q
Modern
In =,,*, the Netherlands became the !irst nation in the world to grant same/se"
marriages
P;9Q
&ame/se" marriages are also granted and mutually recogni5ed
by #elgium 2=,,94,
P;>Q
&pain 2=,,?4, $anada 2=,,?4,&outh
A!rica 2=,,;4, Norway 2=,,.4, &weden 2=,,.4, Portugal 2=,*,4,
P;?Q
Iceland 2=,*,4
and Argentina 2=,*,4 In Me"ico same se" marriage is recogni5ed in all 9* states but
only per!ormed in Me"ico $ity In Nepal, their recognition has been Kudicially mandated
but not yet legislated
P;;Q
=?, million people 2or >G o! the world population4 live in areas
that recognise same/se" marriage
P;8Q
$urrent status
Main articles: $tatus of same-sex marriage and $ame-sex marriage legislation around
the !orld
Same-sex relationships legal
&ame/se" marriage
0ther type o! partnership 2or unregistered cohabitation4
&ame/se" marriage recogni5ed, but not per!ormed
<omose"uality legal but same/se" unions not recogni5ed
Same-sex relationships illegal
Minimal penalty
Large penalty
Li!e in prison
(eath penalty
Legal recognition
&ame/se" marriage is legally recogni5ed nationwide
in Argentina, #elgium, $anada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, &outh
A!rica, &pain, and &weden In the %nited &tates, same/se" marriages are not recogni5ed
!ederally, though same/se" couples can marry in seven o! the !i!ty states and one district
In Me"ico, same/se" marriages are only per!ormed in Me"ico $ity, but these marriages
are recogni5ed by all Me"ican states and by the Me"ican !ederal government
P;+Q
Israel does not recogni5e same/se" marriages per!ormed on its territory, but
recogni5es same/se" marriages per!ormed in !oreign Kurisdictions In #ra5il, the state
o! Alagoas per!orms same/se" marriages Also, in other states, a same/se" couple may
convert their civil union into marriage with the approval o! a state Kudge I! approved, that
marriage is recogni5ed in all the national territory
P;.Q
Argentina
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in 3rgentina
0n Buly *?, =,*,, the Argentine &enate approved a bill e"tending marriage rights to
same/se" couples It was supported by the Government o! President $ristina Fern^nde5
de Oirchner and opposed by the $atholic $hurch
P8,Q
Polls showed that nearly 8,G o!
Argentines supported giving gay people the same marital rights as heterose"uals
P8*Q
Belgium
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in 4elgium
#elgium became the second country in the world to legally recogni5e same/se" marriages
on Bune *, =,,9, with the coming into !orce o! a bill passed by the #elgian Federal
Parliament 0riginally, #elgium allowed the marriages o! !oreign same/se" couples only
i! their country o! origin also allowed these unions, however legislation enacted in
0ctober =,,> permits any couple to marry i! at least one o! the spouses has lived in the
country !or a minimum o! three months A =,,; law enabled legal adoption by same/se"
spouses
Brazil
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in 4ra5il
#ra5il:s &upreme $ourt ruled in May =,** that same/se" couples are legally entitled
to civil unions, stopping short o! same/se" marriage
P8=Q
0n the ;th o! Banuary =,*=, a
Kudge in the #ra5ilian state o! Alagoasruled that same/se" marriages will be
per!ormed
P=QP89Q
in the state instead
P8>Q
o! the civil unions, ma3ing this the !irst state in
#ra5il to grant the married status to gay couples in such a broad way Marriages
per!ormed in this state will then be recogni5ed throughout the whole country
P8?QP8;Q
Canada
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in Canada
Legal recognition o! same/se" marriage in $anada !ollowed a series o! constitutional
challenges based on the e'uality provisions o! the Canadian Charter of Rights and
+reedoms In the !irst such case, 2alpern v Canada %3ttorney 6eneral&, same/se"
marriage ceremonies per!ormed in 0ntario on Banuary *>, =,,* were subse'uently
validated when the common law, opposite/se" de!inition o! marriage was held to be
unconstitutional &imilar rulings had legali5ed same/se" marriage in eight provinces and
one territory when the =,,? Civil Marriage 3ct de!ined marriage throughout $anada as
@the law!ul union o! two persons to the e"clusion o! all others@
PeditQIceland
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in -celand
&ame/se" marriage was introduced in Iceland through legislation establishing a gender/
neutral de!inition o! marriage introduced by the coalition government o! the &ocial
(emocratic Alliance and Le!t/Green Movement )he legislation was passed unanimously
by the Icelandic Althing on Bune **, =,*,, and too3 e!!ect on Bune =8, =,*,, replacing an
earlier system o! registered partnerships !or same/se" couples
P88

Q

P8+Q
Prime Minister
B_hanna
&igur`ard_ttir and her partner were among !irst married same/se" couples in the countryP8.Q
PeditQIsrael
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in -srael
Israel:s <igh $ourt o! Bustice ruled to honor same/se" marriages granted in other
countries even though Israel does not recogni5e such marriages per!ormed under its own
Kurisdiction A bill was raised in theOnesset 2parliament4 to rescind the <igh $ourt:s
ruling, but the Onesset has not advanced the bill since (ecember =,,;
PeditQMexico
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in Mexico City
0n (ecember =*, =,,., the Federal (istrict:s Legislative Assembly legali5ed same/se"
marriages and adoption by same/se" couples )he law was enacted eight days later and
became e!!ective in early March =,*,
P+,Q
0n August *,, =,*,, the Me"ican &upreme
$ourt ruled that while not every state must grant same/se" marriages, they must all
recogni5e those per!ormed where they are legal
P+*Q
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in 7uintana Roo
In Banuary =,*= some local Kurisdictions such as $ancTn in Cuintana 6oo state began to
marry gay couples )he public o!!icials cited the !act that the state:s civil code does not
state se" or gender re'uirements !or marriage and that there is there!ore nothing
prohibiting the nuptials, in addition to the !act that gay marriages are recogni5ed at the
!ederal level )he practice was suspended in late Banuary =,*= pending legal review by
the Cuintanarooan secretary o! state Lois Gon5ale5 Flores
PeditQThe Netherlands
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in the 'etherlands
)he Netherlands was the !irst country to e"tend marriage laws to include same/se"
couples, !ollowing the recommendation o! a special commission appointed to investigate
the issue in *..? A same/se" marriage bill passed the <ouse o! 6epresentatives and
the &enate in =,,,, ta3ing e!!ect on April *, =,,*
P+=Q
In the Netherlands: $aribbean special municipalities o! #onaire, &int Austatius and &aba,
marriage is presently restricted to heterose"ual couples,
P+9Q
however a law enabling same/
se" couples to marry has been passed and is planned to come into e!!ect by *, 0ctober
=,*=
P+>Q
)he $aribbean countries Aruba, $uraaao and &int Maarten , !orming the
remainder o! the Oingdom o! the Netherlands, do not per!orm same/se" marriages, but
must recogni5e those per!ormed in the Auropean territory o! the Netherlands
PeditQNorway
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in 'or!ay
&ame/se" marriage became legal in Norway on Banuary *, =,,. when a gender neutral
marriage bill was enacted a!ter being passed by the Norwegian legislature in Bune =,,+
P+?QP+;Q
Norway became the !irst&candinavian country and the si"th country in the world to
legali5e same/se" marriage
Gender neutral marriage replaced Norway:s previous system o! registered partnerships
!or same/se" couples $ouples in registered partnerships are able to retain that status or
convert their registered partnership to a marriage No new registered partnerships may be
created
PeditQPortugal
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in Portugal
0n Banuary +, =,*,, the parliament approved, with *=; votes in !avor, .8 against and 8
abstentions, same/se" marriage )he President promulgated the law on April +, same/se"
marriage become legal since Bune ?, =,*,, thus Portugal became the eighth country to
conduct nationwide same/se" marriage
PeditQSouth Africa
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in $outh 3frica
Legal recognition o! same/se" marriages in &outh A!rica came about as a result o!
the $onstitutional $ourt:s decision in the case o! Minister of 2ome 3ffairs v +ourie )he
court ruled on * (ecember =,,? that the e"isting marriage laws violated the e'uality
clause o! the #ill o! 6ights because they discriminated on the basis o! se"ual orientation
)he court gave Parliament one year to recti!y the ine'uality )he $ivil %nion Act was
passed by the National Assembly on *> November =,,;, by a vote o! =9, to >*, and it
came into !orce on 9, November =,,; &outh A!rica is the !i!th country, the !irst in
A!rica, and the second outside Aurope, to legali5e same/se" marriage
PeditQSpain
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in $pain
&ame/se" marriage has been legal in &pain since Buly 9, =,,? In =,,>, the nation:s newly
elected &ocialist government, led by President BosV Luis 6odrUgue5 Wapatero , began a
campaign !or its legali5ation, including the right o! adoption by same/se" couples
P+8Q
A!ter much debate, a law permitting same/se" marriage was passed by the Cortes
6enerales 2&pain:s bicameral parliament, composed o! the &enate and the$ongress o!
(eputies4 on 9, Bune =,,? and published on = Buly =,,? &ame/se" marriage became
legal in &pain on &unday, 9 Buly =,,?,
P++Q
ma3ing it the third country in the world to do
so, a!ter the Netherlands and #elgium
PeditQSweden
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in $!eden
&ame/se" marriage in &weden has been legal since * May =,,., !ollowing the adoption
o! a new, gender/neutral law on marriage by the &wedish parliament on * April =,,.,
P+.Q
ma3ing &weden the seventh country in the world to open marriage to same se"
couples nationwide Marriage replaced &weden:s registered partnerships !or same/se"
couples A"isting registered partnerships between same/se" couples remained in !orce
with an option to convert them into marriages
PeditQUnited States
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in the 8nited $tates
In the %nited &tates, although same/se" marriages are not recogni5ed !ederally, same/se"
couples can legally marry in si" states 2$onnecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New
<ampshire, New Yor3, Dermont4 and the(istrict o! $olumbia and receive state/level
bene!its
P.,QP.*Q
&ame/se" marriage laws have also passed in Jashington and Maryland,
but they are not yet in e!!ect
P.=QP.9Q
)he states o! New Bersey, Maryland, and 6hode Island
do not !acilitate same/se" marriages, but do recogni5e same/se" marriages per!ormed in
other Kurisdictions, as does $ali!ornia in some cases, in particular those established when
the state brie!ly allowed same/se" marriage in =,,+ Additionally, several states
o!!er civil unions or domestic partnerships, granting all or part o! the state/level rights
and responsibilities o! marriage
P.>QP.?Q
)hirty/one states have constitutional restrictions
limiting marriage to one woman and one man
P.;Q
In *..;, the %nited &tates $ongress passed the (e!ense o! Marriage Act 2(0MA4
de!ining marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman !or all !ederal purposes
and allowing !or the non/recognition amongst the states
P.8Q
A =,,? !ederal district court decision, Citi5ens for 91ual Protection v 4runing , holding
that prohibiting recognition o! same/se" relationships violated the $onstitution was
overturned on appeal by the %nited &tates $ourt o! Appeals !or the Aighth $ircuit in
=,,;, which ruled that @laws limiting the state/recogni5ed institution o! marriage to
heterose"ual couples do not violate the $onstitution o! the %nited &tates@
In =,,;, the &upreme $ourt o! the &tate o! Jashington concluded that encouraging
procreation within the !ramewor3 o! marriage can be seen as a legitimate government
interest !urthered by limiting marriage between opposite/se" couples
P.+Q
In =,*,, %nited &tates (istrict $ourt !or the Northern (istrict o! $ali!ornia stated the
evidence did not show any historical purpose !or e"cluding same/se" couples !rom
marriage, as states have never re'uired spouses to have an ability or willingness to
procreate in order to marry
P..Q
In Buly =,*,, a !ederal court held 3ey provisions o! (0MA unconstitutional-
P*,,QP*,*Q
the
(epartment o! Bustice entered an appeal on 0ctober *=, =,*,
P*,=Q
President #arac3
0bama is o!!icially opposed to same/se" marriage,
P*,9Q
although he @supports !ull civil
unions and !ederal rights !or LG#) couples@,
P*,>Q
a !ull repeal o! (0MA,
P*,?Q
and
called $ali!ornia:s Proposition + outlawing same/se" marriage in =,,+ @unnecessary@
P*,;Q
In February =,**, President 0bama concluded that (0MA was unconstitutional and
directed the %& Bustice (epartment to stop de!ending the law in court
P*,8Q
&ubse'uently, Aric $antor, 6epublican maKority leader in the %& <ouse o!
6epresentatives announced that the <ouse would de!end (0MA- however, the law !irm
hired to represent the <ouse soon withdrew !rom the representation, re'uiring the <ouse
to retain replacement counsel
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0ver the past two decades, public support o! same/se" marriage in the %nited &tates has
been steadily increasing Polls conducted in =,** indicate that a slight maKority o!
Americans support same/se" marriage
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PeditQSubject debated
PeditQAustralia
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in 3ustralia
Australia currently bans recognition o! same/se" marriages, although as o! =,** the
!ederal Labor Party government o!!icially changed its position to allow a conscience vote
on same/se" marriage
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)he Liberal Party is opposed to same/se" marriage and its
leader )ony Abbott said he will bloc3 a conscience vote on the issue
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In February =,*,, the Greens &enator &arah <anson/Young:s Marriage A'uality #ill was
reKected by the &enate
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&enator <anson/Young re/introduced the bill to the &enate in
&eptember =,*, )he bill will sit on a notice paper until the maKor parties agree to a
conscience vote on it
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A Greens motion urging !ederal MPs to gauge community
support !or gay marriage was passed by the <ouse o! 6epresentatives on *+ November
=,*,
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)he Australian $apital )erritory is the !irst Kurisdiction in Australia to legalise civil
partnerships ceremonies !or gay couples <owever, they are not recognised in Australian
Kurisdictions outside o! that territory6egistered partnerships are available in New &outh
Jales, )asmania, Cueensland and Dictoria From * Buly =,,. $entrelin3 recognised
same/se" couples e'ually regarding social security M under the common/law marriage, de
!acto status or unregistered cohabitation
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In &eptember =,*, )asmania became the
!irst Australian state to recognise same/se" marriages per!ormed in other Kurisdictions
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PeditQColombia
Main article: Recognition of same-sex unions in Colombia
0n )uesday Buly =;, =,**, )he $onstitutional $ourt o! $olombia ordered the $olombian
$ongress to legislate on the matter o! same/se" marriage and that i! they !ail to, same/se"
couples will be granted all marriage rights in two years 2on Bune =,, =,*94 automatically
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PeditQDenmark
In 0ctober =,** Manu &areen , Minister !or A'uality and $hurch A!!airs in the new
(anish government, announced the government is see3ing to legali5e same/se" marriage
by spring =,*= )he bill !or the new marriage law is to be introduced around New Year
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PeditQFinland
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in +inland
Finland may legali5e same/se" marriage a!ter the =,** parliamentary elections- then/
Minister o! Bustice )uiKa #ra" said her Ministry was preparing a re!orm to amend the
Marriage Act towards gay marriage by =,*=
P*=*Q
PeditQFrance
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in +rance
In France in =,,;, a 9,/member non/'uorum parliamentary commission o! the French
National Assembly published a >?9/page Report on the +amily and the Rights of
Children, which reKected same/se" marriages
P*==Q
Also, the French National
Assembly voted against same/se" marriage on Bune *?, =,**
PeditQGermany
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in 6ermany
As o! Bune, =,**, Germany will !ace a vote on same/se" marriage )he issue was opened
by the senate o! the city/state o! <amburg, and will be voted on in the Federal #undesrat
PeditQLuxembourg
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in /uxembourg
)he current government o! Lu"embourg intends to legali5e same/se" marriage
P*=9Q
PeditQNepal
In November =,,+, Nepal:s highest court issued !inal Kudgment on matters related to
LG#) rights, which included approving gay marriage #ased on the court
recommendation the government announced its intention to introduce a same/se"
marriage bill by =,*,
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&ame/se" marriage and protection !or se"ual
minorities will be included in the new Nepalese constitution currently being
dra!ted
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and due to be completed by May 9*, =,*=
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PeditQNew Zealand
New Wealand:s Marriage Act *.?? recogni5es marriage rights only !or opposite/se"
couples New Wealand:s Parliament reKected a bill that would have prohibited the
recognition o! same/se" marriage in New Wealand in (ecember =,,? )he marriage laws
consider transse"uals who have undergone reassignment surgery as having changed se"
!or legal purposes, !ollowing Family $ourt and <igh $ourt o! New Wealand decisions in
*..? <owever the =,,? $ivil %nion Act allows same/se" and opposite se" couples to
have a :civil union: which under the law is identical to a marriage, with the e"ception that
same/se" couples cannot Kointly apply to adopt
PeditQNigeria
In =,,;, Nigerian President 0lusegun 0basanKo introduced legislation that prohibits
same/se" marriages and criminali5es anyone who @per!orms, witnesses, aids or abets@
such ceremonies
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Among the Igbo people o! Nigeria, there are circumstances where a
marriage between two women is allowed, such as when a woman has no child and the
husband dies
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PeditQUnited Kingdom
Main article: $ame-sex marriage in the 8nited :ingdom
&ame/se" marriage is currently prohibited although since =,,?, same/se" couples are
allowed to enter into civil partnerships, a separate union which provides the legal
conse'uences o! marriage In =,,; the <igh $ourt reKected a legal bid by a
#ritish lesbian couple who had married in $anada to have their union recognised as a
marriage in the %O and not as a civil partnership In February =,** the %O government
e"pressed its intention to begin a consultation to allow both religious same/se"
ceremonies and civil marriage !or same/se" couples in Angland and Jales
P*9>Q
In
&eptember =,**, the Government announced its intention to introduce same/se" civil
marriage by the ne"t general election
P*9?Q
It !alls to the &cottish Government to handle marital legislation north o! the #order A *>
wee3 $onsultation ended on . (ecember =,** with an analysis to be published in the
spring o! =,*=
P*9;Q
%nli3e the $onsultation due to be held in Angland and Jales, the
$onsultation in &cotland considered both civil and religious same se" marriage Jhilst
the &cottish Government is in !avor o! same/se" marriage, it stated that no religious body
would be !orced to hold such ceremonies should legislation be enacted
P*98Q
PeditQInternational organizations
)he terms o! employment o! the sta!! o! international organi5ations 2not commercial4 in
most cases are not governed by the laws o! the country where their o!!ices are located
Agreements with the host country sa!eguard these organi5ations: impartiality
(espite their relative independence, !ew organi5ations recogni5e same/se" partnerships
without condition )he agencies o! the %nited Nations recogni5e same/se" marriages i!
and only i! the country o! citi5enship o! the employees in 'uestion recogni5es the
marriage
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In some cases, these organi5ations do o!!er a limited selection o! the
bene!its normally provided to opposite/se" married couples to de facto partners
ordomestic partners o! their sta!!, but even individuals who have entered into an opposite/
se" civil union in their home country are not guaranteed !ull recognition o! this union in
all organi5ations <owever, the Jorld #an3 does recogni5e domestic partners
P*9.Q
PeditQ0ther legally recogni5ed same/se" unions
Main article: Civil union
Many advocates, such as this protester at a demonstration in New Yor3 $ity
against$ali!ornia Proposition + , reKect the notion o!civil unions
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%& &ame/se"
marriage movement activist Avan Jol!son does not !eel civil unions are a replacement
!or !ull marriage e'uality
P*>*Q
$ivil union, civil partnership, domestic partnership, registered partnership, unregistered
partnership, and unregistered cohabitation statuses o!!er varying legal bene!its o!
marriage and are available to same/se" couples
inI Andorra, Australia, #ra5il, $olombia, $roatia, $5ech 6epublic, (enmar3, Finland,
France, Germany, <ungary, Ireland,Israel, Liechtenstein, Lu"embourg, New
Wealand, &lovenia, &wit5erland, %nited Oingdom and %ruguay
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)hey are also available in parts o! Me"ico 2$oahuila and Me"ico $ity4 and the %nited
&tates 2$ali!ornia, (elaware, <awaii, Illinois, Maine, New
Bersey, Nevada, 0regon,6hode Island , Jisconsin, Jashington and !ederal (istrict o!
$olumbia4
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In some countries with these legal recognitions, the actual bene!its are
minimal Many people consider civil unions, even those that grant e'ual rights,
inade'uate because they create a separate status, and believe they should be replaced by
gender/neutral marriage
P*>;Q
PeditQ)ransgender and interse" persons
$ee also: )ranssexualism, /egal aspects of transsexualism , and 6ender identity
Jhen se" is de!ined legally, it may be de!ined by any one o! several criteriaI the HY se"/
determination system, the type o! gonads, the type o! e"ternal se"ual !eatures, or the
person:s social identi!ication $onse'uently, both transse"uals and interse"ed individuals
may be legally categori5ed into con!using gray areas, and could be prohibited !rom
marrying partners o! the @opposite@ se" or permitted to marry partners o! the @same@ se"
due to legal distinctions )his could result in long/term marriages, as well as recent same/
se" marriages, being overturned
)he problems o! de!ining gender by the e"istence1non/e"istence o! gonads or certain
se"ual !eatures is complicated by the e"istence o! surgical methods to alter these !eatures
Astimates
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run as high as * percent o! live births e"hibiting some degree o! se"ual
ambiguity, and between ,*G and ,=G o! live births being ambiguous enough to become
the subKect o! specialist medical attention, including sometimes involuntary surgery to
address their se"ual ambiguity
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In any legal Kurisdiction where marriages are de!ined without distinction o! a re'uirement
o! a male and !emale, these complications do not occur In addition, some legal
Kurisdictions recogni5e a legal and o!!icial change o! gender, which would allow a
transse"ual to be legally married in accordance with an adopted gender identity
P*>.Q
In the %nited Oingdom, the Gender 6ecognition Act =,,> allows a person who has lived
in their chosen gender !or at least two years to receive a gender recognition certi!icate
o!!icially recogni5ing their new gender #ecause in the %O marriages are !or mi"ed/se"
couples and civil partnerships are !or same/se" couples, a person must dissolve his1her
marriage or civil partnership be!ore obtaining a gender recognition certi!icate &uch
persons are then !ree to enter or re/enter civil partnerships or marriages in accordance
with their newly recogni5ed gender identity In Austria, a similar provision re'uiring
transse"ual persons to divorce be!ore having their legal se" mar3er corrected was !ound
to be unconstitutional in =,,;
P*?,Q
In Cuebec prior to the legali5ation o! same/se" marriage, only unmarried persons could
apply !or legal change o! gender Jith the advent o! same/se" marriage, this restriction
was dropped
In the %nited &tates, transse"ual and interse"ual marriages typically run into the
complications detailed above As de!initions and en!orcement o! marriage are de!ined by
the states, these complications vary !rom state to state
P*?*Q
PeditQA!!ects o! same/se" marriage
)he American Psychological Association stated in =,,>I
P8Q
)he institution o! civil marriage con!ers a social status and important legal bene!its,
rights, and privileges &ame/se" couples are denied e'ual access to civil marriage
&ame/se" couples who enter into a civil union are denied e'ual access to all the bene!its,
rights, and privileges provided by !ederal law to married couples )he bene!its, rights,
and privileges associated with domestic partnerships are not universally available, are not
e'ual to those associated with marriage, and are rarely portable (enial o! access to
marriage to same/se" couples may especially harm people who also e"perience
discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender and gender identity,
religion, and socioeconomic status the APA believes that it is un!air and discriminatory
to deny same/se" couples legal access to civil marriage and to all its attendant bene!its,
rights, and privileges
)he American &ociological Association stated in =,,>I
P*,Q
a constitutional amendment de!ining marriage as between a man and a woman
intentionally discriminates against lesbians and gay men as well as their children and
other dependents by denying access to the protections, bene!its, and responsibilities
e"tended automatically to married couples we believe that the o!!icial Kusti!ication !or
the proposed constitutional amendment is based on preKudice rather than empirical
research the American &ociological Association strongly opposes the proposed
constitutional amendment de!ining marriage as between a man and a woman
)he $anadian Psychological Association stated in =,,;I
P*=Q
)he literature 2including the literature on which opponents to marriage o! same/se"
couples appear to rely4 indicates that parents: !inancial, psychological and physical well/
being is enhanced by marriage and that children bene!it !rom being raised by two parents
within a legally/recogni5ed union As the $PA stated in =,,9, the stressors encountered
by gay and lesbian parents and their children are more li3ely the result o! the way society
treats them than because o! any de!iciencies in !itness to parent )he $PA recogni5es and
appreciates that persons and institutions are entitled to their opinions and positions on this
issue <owever, $PA is concerned that some are mis/interpreting the !indings o!
psychological research to support their positions, when their positions are more
accurately based on other systems o! belie! or values $PA asserts that children stand to
bene!it !rom the well/being that results when their parents: relationship is recogni5ed and
supported by society:s institutions
)he American Anthropological Association stated in =,,?I
P*?Q
)he results o! more than a century o! anthropological research on households, 3inship
relationships, and !amilies, across cultures and through time, provide no support
whatsoever !or the view that either civili5ation or viable social orders depend upon
marriage as an e"clusively heterose"ual institution 6ather, anthropological research
supports the conclusion that a vast array o! !amily types, including !amilies built upon
same/se" partnerships, can contribute to stable and humane societies
)he %nited Oingdom:s 6oyal $ollege o! Psychiatrists has stated the !ollowing )he
statement uses the term @civil partnership@ and not gay marriage
P*?=Q
lesbian, gay and bise"ual people are and should be regarded as valued members o!
society who have e"actly similar ;sic< rights and responsibilities as all other citi5ens
)his includes the rights and responsibilities involved in a civil partnership
PeditQHealth issues
6ecently, several psychological studies
P*?9QP*?>QP*??Q
have shown that an increase in e"posure
to negative conversations and media messages about same/se" marriage creates a harm!ul
environment !or the LG#) population that may a!!ect their health and well/being
In =,*,, a Mailman &chool o! Public <ealth study e"amining the e!!ects o! institutional
discrimination on the psychiatric health o! lesbian, gay and bise"ual 2LG#4 individuals
!ound an increase in psychiatric disorders, including a more than doubling o! an"iety
disorders, among the LG# population living in states that instituted bans on same/se"
marriage According to the author the study highlighted the importance o! abolishing
institutional !orms o! discrimination, including those leading to disparities in the mental
health and well/being o! LG# individuals Institutional discrimination is characteri5ed by
societal/level conditions that limit the opportunities and access to resources by socially
disadvantaged groups
P*?;QP*?8Q
Gay activist Bonathan 6auch has argued that marriage is good !or all men, whether
homose"ual or heterose"ual, because engaging in its social roles reduces men:s
aggression and promiscuity
P*?+QP*?.Q
)he data o! current psychological and other social
science studies on same/se" marriage in comparison to opposite/se" marriage indicate
that same/se" and opposite/se" relationships do not di!!er in their essential psychosocial
dimensions- that a parent:s se"ual orientation is unrelated to their ability to provide a
healthy and nurturing !amily environment- and that marriage bestows substantial
psychological, social, and health bene!its &ame/se" couples and their children are li3ely
to bene!it in numerous ways !rom legal recognition o! their !amilies, and providing such
recognition through marriage will bestow greater bene!it than civil unions or domestic
partnerships
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In =,,., a pair o! economists at Amory %niversity tied the passage o! state bans on same/
se" marriage in the %& to an increase in the rates o! <ID in!ection
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)he study
lin3ed the passage o! a same/se" marriage ban in a state to an increase in the annual <ID
rate within that state o! roughly > cases per *,,,,,, population
P*;>Q
PeditQLegal issues
Main article: Divorce of same-sex couples
PeditQFictional same-sex marriage
&ame/se" marriages and relationships have been a theme in several !ictional story arcs,
mythology, cult classics, and video games &ame/se" marriage is possible in the video
games +able --,
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)he 9lder $crolls =: $"yrim ,
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+allout >
P*;8Q
and )he &ims 9
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Jhile there is very little mention o! homose"uality in the o!!icial wor3s o! the $tar
)re" !ranchise , the independent !an series $tar )re": 2idden +rontier !eatured a same/
se" marriage ceremony in the series !inale
P*;.Q
Caprica, a spin/o!! series within the 4attlestar 6alactica saga and primary setting o! the
series is !airly liberal in regards to homose"ual relationships and polygamy &am Adama ,
a prominent character in the series is married to another man
P*8,Q
$larice Jillow, another
maKor character has several wives, as well as husbands, in her polygamous marriage