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TSO Letters

 

Letters to the Editor:

Opening the door to stem cell research
The twenty first century dawns a new frontier in the realm of biology. This drastic and far reaching revolution started in 1953 with the discovery of the double helix and has led scientists to marvelous discoveries... Details >>

TSO Letters Response: Israel is the real terrorist state

Making peace between Israel and Muslim nations

I am writing this to respond to Mahan Abbasi's letter on Iran's Nuclear Program.  I would first like to say to Mahan Abbasi that the article on halting Iran's nuclear program is not written to attack the people of Iran, but its leaders that have taken it astray.  Your president denies that Holocaust ever occurred... Details >>

TSO Letters Response: Halting Iran's Nuclear Enrichment Program

Israel is the real terrorist state

Neither Iran nor Hezbollah are terrorist states, but it is Israel that has more than 200 undeclared nuclear bombs and is killing, terrorizing and torturing Palestinian people who resist its occupation of their mother land. Bush is also very dangerous man... Details >>

 

Response: Homeschooling is Effective
Homeschooling is very different in the various regions and countries around the world. Many homeschoolers choose homeschooling for religious reasons, others choose it for safety or simply for a better education. It is fully the parents responsibility to be sure their children are socialized. If they don't they give a bad name for the rest of us homeschoolers. Now, where I live in Dallas, Texas, USA most homeschoolers are involved in community and personal endeavors that force them to socialize with a more diverse peer group than strictly their age group. Unlike what is done in schools... Details >>

Homeschooling is Socially Ineffective
Personally I feel that homeschooling is not very effective. From my experience meeting children and teenagers who have received their education through homeschooling, there are a number of problems I have observed. First, I have noticed that teenagers who I have worked with at different jobs who have been educated through homeschooling lack social skills... Details >>

Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right With the Death Penalty
The death penalty, a punishment used for the worst of crimes; murder, genocide, and crimes against humanity.  However, most of the world doesn't use the death penalty.  Bangladesh, China, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen all have the death penalty for children as well as adults... Details >>

"Abortions are evil"

I think that abortions are evil. People who don't want the baby think about adoption not abortion. I'm only 16 and I would someday like to have children. I could probably even adopt some kids as well. I personally love being around babies and even little children.
 --Crystal, 16, Iowa, USA

"Democracy doesn't help"
If you are sick, democracy doesn't help.
If you are out of a job, democracy doesn't help.
If your school is destroyed, democracy doesn't help.
If you are out of water, democracy doesn't help... Details >>

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Previously Featured:

Genetics Ethics:

A TSO Letters Special Series

Genetically Modified Foods: Serving the World
The controversy surrounding this is that one side claims genetically modified plants can end world hunger and do away with pesticides. The other side says that this all will harm the human race rather than help it. Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology, and the resulting organism is said to be genetically modified, genetically engineered... Details >>

Gene Patenting: Moving research in the wrong direction
The process of patenting genes in our society is something I believe is not beneficial for our society because it provides both the chance at a genetic monopoly, but also, it is being selfish towards having the opportunity to own a gene, or part of one, without even knowing what it is or what it does. Genetic patenting is the process in which scientists patent sections of gene sequences to keep for their private usage and individual research... Details >>

Pick out your baby like a pair of shoes
Humans have long since struggled with how to better themselves and their children. Since man was first created, he was self-conscious of his body and his mind, specifically in relation to his fellow humans. Previously, this act of self-betterment was accomplished by learning to better ones mind... Details >>

A Voice of Support for Therapeutic Cloning

I was always taught that we should utilize the freedoms of our country.  One of the great freedoms that we enjoy in America is freedom of speech.  Even though I am but one voice among the masses, I feel that I should share my opinion. After learning about genetic technology in my biology class, I soon realized the potential of therapeutic cloning... Details >>

Let nature design the babies, please

2003, just three years ago, was when the Human Genome Project was completed.  Initiated in 1990, it was an ambitious undertaking, represented by scientists around the world to identify all 25,000 genes, approximately, in the human DNA. The project has left us with the legal, ethical, and moral issues of what to do with this data that is now being organized in a comprehensive way for easy access by virtually anyone with the means... Details >>
Welcome to the TSO Letters Special Series: Genetics Ethics. In this series, students are writing letters to newspapers, organizations, and politicians who have influence over the issue of Genetics Ethics. Students select a topic to write their letter on, and send the letter to an audience they select. TeenSpeak Online merely serves as a destination for these letters to be published. To submit your letter, click here. To respond to this series using our Message Boards, click here.

South Dakota has recently passed legislation making nearly all abortions in the state a criminal offense, except in cases "where it is necessary to save a woman's life." Do you agree with this legislation? Should other states around the country follow suit?

Previous Top Response:

Abortion is a pressing issue, in the U.S. as well as in many other countries around the world.  But until the U.S. figures out how we feel about abortion, we cannot enforce strict regulations on any other country.  That being said, can different U.S. states have different policies regarding abortion? On the one hand, every U.S. state has different policies regarding different aspects of laws.  The most prominent example I can think of is our electoral system.  Each state divides electoral votes differently. So I think that South Dakota can pass any legislation it wants, but it would benefit everyone if all of the U.S. was in sync with this particular legislation.

                                                                                                       --Deborah, 15, IL, USA

What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the world today?

Previous Top Responses:

I think the biggest problem that the world is facing is the discrimination among people due to different nationalities, casts, religions, etc. These misunderstandings develop to cause terrorism and many other problems. If we want to make this world a peaceful place, then we should neglect all these differences and move together hand in hand toward the right path.

--Sumaiya, 17, Pakistan   

I consider that the most urgent problem and pressing issue in the world is the lack of mutual understanding. People don't respect each other, don't listen to the people of other nationalities, religions and cultures, they don't notice and value the feelings and emotions of other people. But it is so easy - to feel empathy, it requires nothing!

--Natasha, 18, Russia   

In my opinion, the most "pressing issue" in the world today isn't an event or even occurrence of sorts, but instead something broader: ignorance.  It is unawareness of other cultures and religions that fuel the Middle Eastern conflicts, and lack of knowledge is what prevents us from taking actions in the genocides in Africa.  They say ignorance is bliss, but nowadays we can see quite the contrary.

--Michelle, 15, IL, USA   

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