Thursday, March 19, 2020

A Guide to the Government Link to Abortions

A Guide to the Government Link to Abortions One controversial issue surrounded by rumor and misinformation is that of government funding of abortion. In the U.S., do taxpayer dollars pay for abortions? To dispel the rumors, lets look at a  brief history of federal funding of abortion. It will help you understand why, for the past three decades, abortion has not been funded by the government. The History of Federally Funded Abortions Abortion was made legal in the United States by the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade in 1973. During the first three years of legalized abortion, Medicaid the government program that provides health care  to low-income pregnant women, children, the elderly, and the disabled covered the cost of terminating a pregnancy. However, in 1977 Congress passed the Hyde Amendment which put limitations on Medicaid coverage of abortion. This allowed it for Medicaid recipients only in the cases of rape, incest, or if the mothers life was physically endangered. Over the years, those two exceptions were eliminated. In 1979, abortions performed if a mothers life was endangered were no longer allowed. In 1981, abortions performed due to rape and/or incest were denied. As the Hyde Amendment must be passed by Congress annually, the pendulum of opinion over abortion coverage has swung back and forth very slightly over the years. In 1993, Congress permitted abortion coverage  for victims of rape and incest. In addition, the  current version of the Hyde Amendment also permits ​abortion for women  whose lives are endangered by their pregnancies. It Extends Beyond Medicaid The ban on federal funding for abortion affects more than low-income women. Abortion is not covered for women in the military, the  Peace Corps, federal prisons, and those who receive care from Indian Health Services. The Hyde Amendment also applies to coverage provided through the Affordable Care Act. The Future of the Hyde Amendment This issue came to life again in 2017. The House of Representatives passed a bill establishing the Hyde Amendment as a permanent fixture in federal law. A similar measure is up for consideration in the Senate. If this passes and is signed by the President, the Hyde Amendment will no longer be up for review on an annual basis, but be a perpetual law.

Monday, March 2, 2020

Vocabulary Describing Physical Characteristics

Vocabulary Describing Physical Characteristics These words are used when describing people and their physical characteristics, including nouns and adjectives. Each word is placed into a related category and example sentences are used to provide context.   Age baby - Everyone goes through a lot of diapers when they are a baby.toddler - Toddlers take their first steps around the age of two.child - Having a child is one of the great joys in life.teenager - Many teenagers have to deal with a lot of stress because of testing.teens - I played a lot of sports in my teens.thirties/forties/ fifties - Most people have settled down by their forties.young man/woman - That young man was very kind and gave me directions.youth - We need to develop some more sports programs for the youth. middle-aged (man/woman) - That middle-aged man asked me for directions.elderly (man/woman) - Take time to listen to an elderly woman. Shell teach you a lot.early  /mid/late - He looks like hes in his mid-twenties.about - Shes about thirty years old.thirtysomething - She told me that shes thirtysomething. Describing How People Look / Seem good-looking - Hes a good-looking doctor with a wife and two kids.beautiful - The beautiful actress turned to the cameras with a glowing smile.pretty - He fell in a love with a pretty girl from Las Vegas.cute - That guy is really cute! Whats his name?handsome - The handsome actor was famous for his love of riding horses.glamourous - The glamorous couple climbed onto their private jet and flew to Paris.elegant - Shes an elegant woman with lots of poise.sophisticated - He was a sophisticated man who enjoyed many different hobbies.ugly  - I look so ugly today! Why dont these pimples go away!hideous - I havent slept in three days. I must look hideous.unsightly - Hes worried that the scar is unsightly.   Build fat - Unfortunately, Peter has become rather fat in his old age.overweight - Many Americans are overweight these days.slim - Hes that slim guy standing next to Peter over there.thin - Angela is tall, thin and very beautiful.skinny - Many people might say that models are skinny these days. Thats very different from being slim.plump - If you drink a lot of beer, youll certainly become plump.stocky - Hes a tall, stocky guy that looks like a lumberjack.well built - Todd is very well built and looks great in a suit.   Complexion pale - If you spend too much time indoors, you might become very pale.tan - After two weeks on the beach, he was very tan.clear - I was happy that I finally had a clear complexion when I become twenty.good - He has good skin. I think hed make a great model.spotty - Older people often have spotty skin on their hands.pimpled - I walked through the crowd of pimpled teenagers and knew I was in the wrong place!freckles - The freckles on your cheeks make you so cute!spots - I cant get rid of these spots on my hands.pimples - I had so many pimples when I was a teenager. It drove me crazy! Facial Features on Men mustache - Curly mustaches are coming back into fashion in places like Portland.clean-shaven - Most men in this city prefer a clean-shaven look these days.beard - Some men wear a beard because theyre lazy and dont want to shave. Hair long - Alice has long blonde hair.short - I like to wear my hair short during the summer.shoulder length - She has beautiful black shoulder-length hair. She looks like a movie star.black / red / brown / grey / silver - Tom has thick black hair.blonde - Hollywood tends to prefer blonde women for certain types of roles.brunette - I have brunette, shoulder-length hair.white - Hes gone complete white in his old age.curly - She likes to wear her hair curly.spiky - Some punks like to wear spiky hair.