Will immigration lead to the "Balkanization of America"?

Published January 17, 2011 in Short Answers by Mary Ruwart

Question

Recent public demonstrations in the U.S., by both legal and illegal Mexican immigrants, make it clear to me that many have a true allegiance to Mexico, not the U.S. The "open borders" policy you advocate makes me fear the Balkanization of America. I can foresee a time when I may feel like a tourist in my own country if this trend continues unabated. Surely a law making English the national language is needed, isn't it?

Ironically, it is the tightening of our borders about 10 years ago that encouraged illegal immigrants to enter  (Read More)

The thorny question of abortion -- can technology solve it?

Published December 20, 2010 in Short Answers by Mary Ruwart

Question

You've stated in answering other questions that a beginning embryo, being incapable of life outside the mother, is part of its mother and not a separate being. But I ask: who's DNA does it have? As I understand it, the embryo has its own unique DNA. In our legal system DNA is used to identify individuals; so, a being in any state of development with its own DNA should be considered a separate person, shouldn't he/she?

While the embryo is not genetically identical to the mother, it also is not a "separate" individual because it cannot be "separated" from the mother and live. Obviously, as medicine advances, there will come a  (Read More)

Would re-legalizing drugs lead to increased child abuse?

Published December 06, 2010 in Short Answers by Mary Ruwart

Question

If drugs were legal for people to use in their home, wouldn't children be in more danger of physical abuse by drug-using parents?

In all likelihood, there would be less child abuse, not more. The most widely used illegal drug today is marijuana, which tends to make its users less violent than the most popular legal intoxicant, alcohol. If legalization resulted in people switching from drinking to inhaling, domestic violence would likely go down, not up.

Furthermore, those who became more  (Read More)

Who will protect minorities if medical providers are allowed to discriminate?

Published November 15, 2010 in Short Answers by Mary Ruwart

Question

In a libertarian society where everything from housing, to health care, to education, to adoption is privatized, how would the minority population -- namely anyone not white, male, straight, and Christian -- be guaranteed equal rights?

For example, being a lesbian, I am afraid that a Catholic hospital (the only one for miles in my small town) will be allowed to deny me treatment, even for a broken bone, just because I'm gay. Personally, I'm of the opinion that if you can't be a doctor to everyone, maybe you should have chosen a different line of work.