PRO

  • PRO

    Certain crimes against humanity offend against basic and...

    There are basic standards of justice which merit global application. Certain crimes against humanit...

    There are basic standards of justice which merit global application. Certain crimes against humanity offend against basic and universal norms of justice. Therefore, all people have an interest in seeing them upheld and should have the legitimate expectation that this will happen. It is a fallacy to argue that asserting universal rights is a form of cultural imperialism. As long as the universal jurisdiction is focused on serious transgressions that are clear violations of the global judicial code (e.g genocide, torture mistreatment of prisoners of war), issues of differing cultural practices are irrelevant.

    • https://debatewise.org/debates/2735-universal-jurisdiction/
  • PRO

    Even if we think the terrorist cause is illegitimate we...

    There is a moral duty to respect a basic level of humanity.

    Even if we think the terrorist cause is illegitimate we have a moral duty to respect a basic level of humanity. There are certain acts, such as torture, to which no individual should be subjected, regardless of their own behaviour. The Geneva Convention is about universal respect for human dignity (International Committee of the Red Cross, 1949). Civilised nations can and should be expected to act in a humane manner, regardless of the barbarity of one’s adversaries. Respecting them as a human being is a simple moral obligation that has brought us to where we are today. The idea of torturing them is primitive and brings us down to their level. You have to understand that they plan on either killing or being killed when they are in the terrorist mindset, and that by completing their task for them is just granting their wish. One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. Its relative and all depends on perspective.

    • https://debatewise.org/debates/3379-terrorists-should-be-subject-to-the-geneva-conventions/
  • PRO

    Human life is not possible without any one of these...

    Universal human nature

    Fundamental human rights exist and are founded on universal human needs. Certain needs are necessary to human life in every instance and circumstance. These include food, water, shelter and security of person. Human life is not possible without any one of these things, and so these needs may be termed 'fundamental rights' necessary to the continued existence of that person. Every person has a right to the fulfilment of these needs as the alternative is non-existence, which is contrary to our basic human nature to survive. Because all humans everywhere possess at birth a drive to survive and all share these requirements, they are clearly fundamental to our nature and we have a right to their fulfilment and protection.  

  • PRO

    Even if we think the terrorist cause is illegitimate we...

    Even if we think the terrorist cause is illegitimate we have a moral duty to respect a basic level o…

    Even if we think the terrorist cause is illegitimate we have a moral duty to respect a basic level of humanity. There are certain acts, such as torture, to which no individual should be subjected, regardless of their own behaviour. The Geneva Convention is about universal respect for human dignity. Civilised nations can and should be expected to act in a humane manner.

    • https://debatewise.org/3011-terrorists-should-be-treated-as-prisoners-of-war/
  • PRO

    Medical Malpractice and Universal Health Care". ... What...

    Universal health care creates a universal standard of care

    Nathan Newman. "Medical Malpractice and Universal Health Care". Progressive Populist. October 01, 2002 - "The other advantage of "Medical Malpractice and Universal Health Care". Progressive Populist. October 01, 2002 - "The other advantage of universal health care is that it creates a clear standard of care. What government pays for becomes the reasonable standard of care, a standard that can be debated democratically at appropriations time for the health care budget rather than haggled for erratically in the courts."

  • PRO

    Even if we think the terrorist cause is illegitimate we...

    The moral duty to respect a basic level of humanity, which the Geneva Convention embodies, must be retained

    Even if we think the terrorist cause is illegitimate we have a moral duty to respect a basic level of humanity. There are certain acts, such as torture, to which no individual should be subjected, regardless of their own behaviour. The Geneva Convention is about universal respect for human dignity (International Committee of the Red Cross, 1949), not merely for those who show it in return. Civilised nations can and should be expected to act in a humane manner, regardless of the barbarity of their adversaries. Only by acting in such a manner can states prove the superiority of their own humanity.

  • PRO

    In 1998 the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and...

    Labour standards are necessary to protect basic human rights

    Labour and business standards are a cornerstone of agreement on universal human rights between various international actors and so it is right that they should be linked to aid. In 1998 the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work were adopted and are considered binding on all members regardless of whether they have ratified the conventions.[1] The business and labour regulations protect the basic worker rights and improve job security through demanding the elimination of discrimination and empower workers through the recognition of “freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining”[2] like in those in developed western countries. This then provides a minimum standard and aid should only be given to those that ensure those minimum standards they have signed up. It would also help compliance to prioritise those who go further in their protections of labour when it comes to receiving aid. It should be remembered that there has been general acceptance of international labour standards not just for human rights reasons but also because having minimum standards is beneficial economically – for example a 40 hour working week is more productive per hour than a 60 hour week.[3] [1] the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, ‘About the Declaration’, International Labour Organisation, http://www.ilo.org/declaration/thedeclaration/lang--en/index.htm [2] ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up, Adopted by the International Labour Conference at its Eighty-sixth Session, Geneva, 18 June 1998 (Annex revised 15 June 2010), http://www.ilo.org/declaration/thedeclaration/textdeclaration/lang--en/index.htm [3] Robinson, Sara, ‘Bring back the 40-hour work week’, Salon, 14 March 2012, http://www.salon.com/2012/03/14/bring_back_the_40_hour_work_week/

  • PRO

    The Pitfalls of Universal Jurisdiction: Risking Judicial...

    Universal Jurisdiction was never a legal principle

    Henry Kissinger. "The Pitfalls of Universal Jurisdiction: Risking Judicial Tryanny". Foreign Affairs. Aug. 2001 - "The doctrine of "The Pitfalls of Universal Jurisdiction: Risking Judicial Tryanny". Foreign Affairs. Aug. 2001 - "The doctrine of universal jurisdiction asserts that some crimes are so heinous that their perpetrators should not escape justice by invoking doctrines of sovereign immunity or the sacrosanct nature of national frontiers [...] The very concept of universal jurisdiction is of recent vintage. [...] It is unlikely that any of the signatories of either the U.N. conventions or the Helsinki Final Act thought it possible that national judges would use them as a basis for extradition requests regarding alleged crimes committed outside their jurisdictions. The drafters almost certainly believed that they were stating general principles, not laws that would be enforced by national courts."

    • http://www.debatepedia.org/en/index.php/Debate:_International_Criminal_Court
  • PRO

    With estimates that the cost of this investment might...

    Universal healthcare is not affordable

    No policy is created, debated or implemented in a vacuum. The backdrop of implementing universal health coverage now is, unfortunately, the greatest economic downturn of the last 80 years. Although the National Bureau of Economic Research declared the recession to be over, we are not out of the woods yet.[1] Is it really the time to be considering a costly investment? With estimates that the cost of this investment might reach 1.5 trillion dollars in the next decade, the answer is a resounding no. Even the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities – a left leaning think tank – opined that the Congress could not come up with the necessary funding to go ahead with the health reform without introducing some very unpopular policies.[2] Does this mean universal health care should be introduced at one time in the future? Not likely. Given that there are no realistic policies in place to substantially reduce the “riot inducing” US public debt[3] and the trend of always increasing health care costs[4] the time when introducing With estimates that the cost of this investment might reach 1.5 trillion dollars in the next decade, the answer is a resounding no. Even the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities – a left leaning think tank – opined that the Congress could not come up with the necessary funding to go ahead with the health reform without introducing some very unpopular policies.[2] Does this mean universal health care should be introduced at one time in the future? Not likely. Given that there are no realistic policies in place to substantially reduce the “riot inducing” US public debt[3] and the trend of always increasing health care costs[4] the time when introducing universal health care affordably and responsibly will seem ever further away. [1] New York Times, Recession, published 9/20/2010, http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/r/recession_and_depression/index.html, accessed 9/18/2011 [2] New York Times, Paying for Universal Health Coverage, published 6/6/2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/opinion/07sun1.html, accessed 9/18/2011 [3] Taylor, K., Bloomberg, on Radio, Raises Specter of Riots by Jobless, published 9/16/2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/17/nyregion/mayor-bloomberg-invokes-a-concern-of-riots-on-radio.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=public%20debt&st=cse, accessed 9/18/2011 [4] Gawande, A., The cost conondrum, published 6/1/2009,  http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande, accessed 9/18/2011

CON