An abortion is a medical or surgical procedure that ends a pregnancy. Throughout history, differences over moral and religious values have made abortion a highly controversial issue. The procedure has been legal in the United States since 1973, but it remains controversial with divergent views on such questions as when human life begins, the rights a woman has over her own body, and government interference in the private lives of individuals.  The two factions involved in this controversy are poles apart in their views on abortion...      >> read more

Of all American institutions, the educational system has perhaps the greatest impact on the lives of ordinary people. More than anything else, in fact, it is education that shapes a person's future. Because of the importance of education, Americans want citizens, not politicians, to have as much control over it... >> read more

Strictly, an environmental policy can be defined as a government's chosen course of action or plan to address issues such as pollution, wildlife protection, land use, energy production and use, waste generation, and waste disposal. In reality, the way a particular government handles environmental problems is most often not a ... >> read more

In January 2001 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of scientific experts assembled by the United Nations, released a frightening report on the potential consequences of the climate phenomenon known as global warming. The panel found that the 1990s had been the warmest decade on record and... >> read more

Many Americans agree that the current system is not working. According to Harvard economist David M. Cutler, "The problems of medical care confront us daily.... Barely one in five Americans thinks the medical system works well." Those concerned with improving the system often look to other nations for reform models... >> read more

In January 2003, the Department of Homeland Security became the Nation's 15th and newest Cabinet department, consolidating 22 previously disparate agencies under one unified organization. In 2002, no single federal department had homeland security as its primary objective. Now it is our mission. We are integrating our resources to meet... >> read more

Illegal immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border face a new danger in their harrowing trip across the vast Sonoran desert of America's Southwest. Some U.S. citizens who live near America's southwestern border with Mexico are frustrated by what they see as an unrestricted flow of illegal immigrants. These Americans believe that... >> read more

Same-sex marriages are not legally recognized in the United States. As a result, partners in homosexual relationships often lack privileges, such as the right to inherit property and to medical, tax, and retirement benefits, that partners in traditional marriages enjoy. However, local governments ... >> read more

The U.S. Social Security system provides benefits to the elderly, retirees, the disabled, the unemployed, and children. The Social Security taxes that workers pay go toward benefits for people who have already retired. This system worked well when the population included 1 retiree for every 120 workers...  >> read more

The United States's dealings and contacts with, and the American people's attitudes and policies toward, any foreign country are conditioned by the historical and cultural outlooks of the two countries. Any discussion of foreign affairs must start with the assumption that we are analyzing two societies of different traditions as well as two entities...  >> read more

Despite fervent opposition from millions of people around the world, and without the backing of the United Nations, American and British troops invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003. In justification of the preemptive attack, coalition forces cited Iraq's failure to cooperate with its UN-mandated disarmament obligations... >> read more