Eugenics Current Event

Above is a graph of the number of sterilizations in Virginia during the time the law on eugenics was active.

Who: Victims of Eugenics Sterilization
What: Compensation of $25,000 to the surviving victims
When: March 20, 1924 to the Present (Article posted February 27, 2015)
Where: Virginia
Why it Matters: This compensation matters because of the 30 US states that originally passed eugenics laws, Virginia is the second state to compensate the victims. It is inhumane to forbid anyone from having a family. It goes against their civil rights, and while a consent from the victims was necessary to perform the operation, many of the victims weren't given all of the details and precautions of the procedure. Of over 7,000 victims of the eugenics sterilization in Virginia between 1924 and 1979, there are only 11 known survivors still alive. How it doesn't make up for the decades of harm the government imposed on its citizens, this compensation does give victims and supporters a sense of healing and forgiveness.

Link to Original Article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/va-general-assembly-agrees-to-compensate-eugenics-victims/2015/02/27/b2b7b0ec-be9e-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.html

Current Event on Death Penalty: Con

Who: Tom Wolf, governor of Pennsylvania
What: Tom Wolf decide to impose a moratorium (halt) on the death penalty in the state of Pennsylvania.
When: February 13, 2015
Where: The state of Pennsylvania
Why it Matters: This event is important because an entire state is rejecting the idea of the death penalty. Wolf claimed the methods we use now are "error prone" and "expensive", and if we were to continue use of the death penalty, we need to carefully go through each stage of a case, and make sure we don't execute any innocents. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association believe Wolf didn't have the authority to impose the moratorium, and it may be repealed.

Link to the Original Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/14/us/pennsylvania-governor-halts-executions.html?ref=topics&_r=0

Current Event on Death Penalty: Pro

Who: Lawyers and jurors, James E Holmes
What: Lawyers questioning potential jurors on whether or not they think the gunman of the cinema shooting in Colorado at the premier of the Batman movie in 2012, James E Holmes, should die.
When: Event happened on July 20, 2012, article posted on February 11, 2015
Where: Centennial, Colorado
Why it Matters: This matters because this shooting was rather big new in 2012, and it relates to pro-death penalty because several witnesses and jurors agreed that Holmes deserves to die for his crimes, claiming death the only way to ensure justice. An interesting thing from the questioning was that several of the jurors questioned had some sort of relation to the case, having friends who knew a witness or one of the victims.

Link to the Original Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/us/in-aurora-case-jury-pool-is-pressed-on-death-penalty.html?ref=topics