A Tale of Two States: Abortion Referenda in the Aftermath of Dobbs

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned the access to abortion that had been established with Roe v Wade. As a result, states had autonomy to make statewide policies on this issue. Some states chose complete bans, some partial bans, and others provided continuing access to abortion. This article explores the dueling referenda of 2022 and 2023 in Kentucky and Ohio, respectively, following the Dobbs decision in 2022. Voters in both states voted to continue to permit abortion access in their states, yet access in each state is different. Using case studies, we examine the political nuances and electoral aftermath of these referenda, and find a dichotomy behind how electoral decisions have influenced policy at the state level based on party control and political leadership

Male and Female Genital Modifications in Anthropological Perspective

The chapter discusses the origins, dissemination, and contemporary global distribution of cultural, heritage-based genital modification practices of females and males. These are performed as rites of passage; religious obligations; safeguards to virginity, chastity, and marriageability of girls; or group and gender identity. Male genital modification practices are unevenly distributed globally and originated multiple times in parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. Detailed accounts of the history of male circumcision in ancient Egypt and the Levant are provided as examples of the variations in practices and multiple origins, and male circumcision among Muslims in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere is covered. Female genital modifications were also known in antiquity and similarly originated multiple times in Africa, Asia, and possibly elsewhere, probably along with or following the establishment of male modifications. Female genital cutting is practiced by followers of several religions, and some Muslims believe it to be required or at least desirable in their faith. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the spread of male circumcision was further accelerated by medical promotion, in the belief that it contributed to disease prevention and morality. The World Health Organization’s current support for male infant circumcisions while at the same time promoting abolition of female genital cutting (with some exceptions) is discussed. The contentious ethical issue of whether it violates human rights to surgically alter the genitalia of infants or children, who are unable to provide informed consent, is also discussed

Case Studies in Forensic Physics

This book applies basic principles of physics to conduct forensics-style re-examinations of several historical events. The authors familarize readers with introductory-level physics while demonstrating how physics concepts can be utilized to resolve historical debates about unsolved mysteries and controversial events. Each chapter introduces a new physics concept, then applies that concept to case studies in detail. The authors also identify the advantages of using case studies as a pedagogical approach to understanding physics. This second edition expands the number of physics principles and case studies covered. The book provides readers with the tools of a good forensic physicist and the ability to utilize them for real-world applications

A Broken Pipeline: Women Running for Public Office in Ohio

In Ohio, where are women more – or less – likely to serve in public office? The pipeline theory suggests that we should see a pyramid shape in women’s representation, with more women at lower levels of the political career ladder, particularly in local and county-level offices, and fewer women as we move up the hierarchy. With original data for over 6500 seats, we explore the presence of women serving in legislative office at the local, state, and federal level in Ohio. Our analysis suggests that the pipeline theory does not help us understand the presence of women in elected office in Ohio: while there are, as expected, very few women at the top of the political career ladder, there are also very few women at the bottom. If anything, the “pyramid shape” predicted by the pipeline theory is oddly inverted. But the presence of so few women serving at the local level means that there is no “farm team” where women with political experience can be recruited to run for higher levels of office. Ultimately, our analysis shows that women are substantially underrepresented at all levels of Ohio’s political hierarchy

Bretzke, James T. Moral Debates in Contemporary Catholic Thought: Paradigms, Principles, and Prudence

How do we navigate a morally complex world? How do we know how to do the right thing, especially when so many voices are clamoring for our attention, telling us that they have the full truth of just what the “right thing” is, and what it requires of us? James T. Bretzke, S.J., one of most lucid interpreters of the Catholic tradition writing today, helps students morally analyze a wide range of controversial and contested issues in society today through the use of principles, paradigms, and the cardinal virtue of prudence. After introducing the approach of principled prudence, drawing on Thomas Aquinas, Catholic Social Teaching, and other sources, Bretzke engages a range of moral considerations in the following chapters: the death penalty, abortion, gender, immigration and border security, welfare, economics, and faithful citizenship