3RD YEAR 'AIM' DISCUSSION CLASS

SECOND SEMESTER

Again, a presentation will be made by four or five class members for each topic. The topics in the second semester:

TOPICS COVERED:

Right to Die or Duty to Live - the issues concerning the complex subject of whether euthanasia or mercy killing should be allowed by law. We looked at a family's dilemma when divided by this issue, as featured on BBC's 'Staying Alive' and the differing legal situations in Britain, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States.

Life Imprisonment or Death Penalty - What should happen to those found guilty of the most serious crimes? While Japan and states in the US still retain the death penalty, other countries such as Britain have abolished it.

Judges or Jury? - The jury system may be well known to people in Japan from court scenes in Hollywood films, but it is not used in the legal process in Japan. There are pressures for its introduction in Japan, but there also moves to abolish it in Britain in trials involving particularly complex evidence such as fraud. We looked at the development of the jury system in Britain and jury scenes in the films 'A Civil Action' and 'The Verdict'.

Human Organs or Animal Organs? - There is an increasing tendency to consider that people's lives can be prolonged with 'spare parts', whether from humans or animals. We looked at viewpoints on this question and related issues including why people do or do not want to donate organs. Members devised skits promoting organ donation

Surrogate Mothers or Natural Mothers? - Scientific developments have enabled help to be given to couples who cannot otherwise have children. We looked at situations in various countries, including Japan where 'blood ties' are considered particularly important and where even adoption is relatively rare.