VW - WRIT 150

      I have decided to change my topic from animal testing to the ethics behind gene therapy.      Gene therapy is the altercations of one's gene by targeting body cells such as blood cells or bone marrow.  Although this therapy does not allow these genes to be passed down, targeting an egg and sperm cell will allow that child to develop these genes that can be passed down to future generations.  I was amazed to find that this treatment has helped some patients be cured from hemophilia (body does not induce blood clot), neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's Disease, certain cancers, and even blindness.  I have found that there are 3 types of disease categories for gene therapy: Monogenic/inheritable diseases, polygenic disease (dependent on environment and lifestyle), and infectious diseases such as HIV.        While gene therapy has found to cure many diseases, this treatment has also raised...

     The topic I have chosen is the ethics behind animal testing for biomedical research.  Although animal testing has lead to various medical discoveries, the ethics behind animal testing is widely debated on.  One clear ethical pillar this topic covers about is non-maleficence.  There have been many cases reported regarding animal cruelty in biomedical research.  These research range from developing new drugs to being experimented on.  Some argue that animals are similar to humans and may suffer physically and mentally from these experiments.  They further state that these research are inaccurate as human and animal bodies may have different reaction to the drug being tested.  This leads to the next ethical pillar, justice.  Regulations are put in place rather than stopping all animal testing.  Animal testing is still allowed as long as these laboratories follow the set guidelines.  Some fight for the justice o...

     As my topic focuses on mental health among Asian Americans, I decided to search up studies of Asian culture and its social impacts.       Contemporary Asian America analyses Asian culture and how that has affected the Asian American community.  Being Asian myself, I found myself being absorbed into the stories provided in this source.  One section that particularly stood out was "Behind the Model Minority".  Author Ocampo uses Jermey Lin as an example to help explain this idea.  Before Lin became a worldwide sensation in basketball, he was an Ivy League student.  Studying at Harvard has proved that Lin strived to do everything with the best of his abilities.  This preservation is commonly tied with Asians, and therefore labeling Asians the "model minority".  However, this stereotype is causing multiple problems for the Asian community.  Although a study had found that most Asian Americans are highly educated...

Asian immigrants have been and are still facing difficulties after settling into a different country.  Not only do they have difficulty communicating with natives due to language barrier, they have also faced discrimination, even to this day.  As my parents are immigrants from Vietnam, I was always interested with how they lived in different countries.  Due to the Vietnam War, my parents had to constantly move around and finally settled in the US.  However, life in the US was not easy for them due to the language barrier.  Learning about their lives made me even more interested in the Asian culture.   I had the opportunity to take an Asian Studies course a year ago and have read about the difficulties Asians have faced when immigrating to the US.  Other than escaping the war, the "American Dream" was the main reason why Asians have immigrated to the US.  However, this  "American Dream" mindset has driven these immigrants to constantly wo...

 The article I have found from US News reports about how the pandemic is affecting global trade.  In this article, it is stated that the pandemic has tangled the flow of international trade and even wiped out markets that were heavily reliant on imports and exports of goods.  These effects then lead to shortages of essential goods, such as medical supplies, around the world.  Analysts studying the economy predict that the economy will not revert to its pre-pandemic state until the virus is completely under control.  It is stated that globalization is being redefined during this pandemic as countries are adapting to not rely so heavily on other countries for goods.  Some countries have even started increasing domestic manufacturing of goods to counterbalance the effects of the pandemic.  This article will be used to show how other countries are solving their economic problems they are currently facing due to the pandemic.  This can be an examp...

The World Health Organization, also known as WHO, is an agency of the United Nations that specializes in improving international public health conditions.  Since the start of the outbreak of COVID-19, WHO has been providing the public with information and tips to help stop the spread of the virus.  In January 10, 2020, they published a document that serves as a guidance for countries on how to manage an outbreak of a new disease.  This document cover the following topics:  Infection prevention and control, l aboratory testing, n ational capacities review tool, r isk communication and community engagement, d isease commodity package, t ravel advice, c linical management,  and surveillance case definitions.  The website also provides the total number of daily cases in each region.  We are able to see how the effects of following the guidance WHO provided for each country.  Although China originally had the most cases, the country was able to bring d...