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• Debate: Mandatory ultrasounds before abortions - June 30th, 2011.

Rachel Maddow on 2010 Oklahoma law mandating ultrasounds before abortions

Featured pro and con arguments from this article:

• PRO: Ultrasounds help women make informed decisions on abortion Lisa Billy, R member of Oklahoma House of Reps. "New Law Empowers Women." USA Today. May 9th, 2010: "For women facing an unplanned pregnancy, there is often a sense of panic, distress and fear that can lead to hasty decisions. That is why I authored House Bill 2780, which requires that women be given information obtained from an ultrasound before an abortion is performed. Many clinics already perform ultrasounds before abortions — something they have acknowledged in legal filings — but women have told me over the past 20 years that they have not had access to that information. Women should have the choice to see that image. I have personally visited with women who obtained an abortion in a panic and were devastated years later to see a friend's ultrasound and realize: That child is the same age as my baby when ... It is a devastating moment of intense sorrow and regret. I filed this bill to empower women, no matter what their circumstance, to have as much information as possible before making a life-altering decision."

• CON: Mandating ultrasounds insults women's intelligence Ferretlas. "Laws that mandate ultrasounds prior to abortions don't work." Daily Kos. May 28th, 2010: "I have always consitered ultrasound mandates to be insulting to a woman's intelligence and ability to make informed decisions without governmental interference. To me, they don't give a woman more information that would influence a mind already made up."

• US intervention in Libya - June 19th, 2011.
• Should colleges ban fraternities? - June 15th, 2011.
• Random sobriety tests for drivers - June 7th, 2011.
• Home plate collision rule in baseball - June 1, 2011.
• Child beauty pageants - May 28th, 2011.
• Trans fat ban - May 19th, 2011.
• China "one child" policy - May 12th, 2011.
• Release of Osama bin Laden death photos - May 6th, 2011.
  
• Osama Bin Laden Sea Burial - May 3rd, 2011.
• Return of Israel to pre-1967 borders - April 30th, 2011.
• Term limits for legislators - April 19th, 2011.
• Seattle deep-bore tunnel - April 13th, 2011.
• Should the US arm Libyan rebels? - April 2nd, 2011.
• High-speed rail - March 30th, 2011.
• Mandatory military service - March 26th, 2011.
• No-fly zone over Libya - March 15th, 2011.
• Military recruiting in public schools - March 11th, 2011.
• Bullfighting - March 8th, 2011.
• Collective bargaining rights for public unions - March 4th, 2011.

See Past Debate Digest topics

• Debate: Gay marriage Gay marriage was legalized in New York state on June 24th, 2011. It became the sixth and largest state in the United States to do so, supporting the case for gay marriage and reinvigorating the debate on the subject.[1]
• Debate: Corn ethanol: Steven Rattner. "The Great Corn Con." NYTimes. June 24th, 2011
• Debate: Natural gas: "Insiders sound an alarm amid a natural gas rush." New York Times. June 25th, 2011
• Puerto Rico statehood in America "Puerto Rico Gov. Fortuno on Obama Visit, Ongoing Statehood Debate." PBS.org. June 14th, 2011
• Pre-selecting sex of children "FDA Bans Gender Selection Procedure." Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. May 11th, 2011
  
• War on Drugs, Legalization of Marijuana, Legalization of drugs. The executive summary of the Global Commission on Drug Policy report announced in early June: “The global war on drugs has failed,” reigniting the debate on whether the "war" should be abandoned or dramatically changed.[2]
• Abortion The abortion debate has gained increasing attention in recent weeks as Republicans, empowered across the US after the 2010 election, push for stricter abortion laws: Meghan Malloy. "House-amended abortion bill passes without debate." The Iowa Independent. June 8th, 2011
• Infant male circumcision Jennifer Medina. "In Santa Monica, Circumcision Opponent Abandons Efforts." New York Times. June 7, 2011

More Debates in the News

This section features strong work done by Debatepedia editors. Consider joining their efforts. User Guide. See Recent changes for all recent community edits.

• June 25th. Debate: China is headed for a revolution was created and developed quite well by MrtDbt and Bakunin.
• June 24th. MrtDbt added an argument to Debate: Infant male circumcision.
• June 19th. Debate: US intervention in Libya was posted to the Debate Digest.
• June 15th. Debate: Should colleges ban fraternities? was posted to the Debate Digest.

England4Ever created and edited Debate: Aaland Islands.

• June 13th. Founder Brooks Lindsay created Debate: Dowries, without arguments (open for editing).

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