A Proposed Statute Master 5.1
Mandatory
Use of Skin Protection
for All Individuals Under the Age of 18
Whereas it is well documented that only
15 percent of Americans regularly wear a sunscreen when they are outside, and 25 percent never wear sunscreen.
Whereas there is a direct link between the sun’s ultraviolet
(UV) rays and melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Whereas there were more than 42,000
new cases of malignant melanoma diagnosed in 1999.
Whereas more than 7,000
Americans die each year from melanoma.
Whereas disruption of the earth’s ozone layer by atmospheric
chemical pollution may lead to rising levels of UV radiation.
Whereas 80 percent of a person’s UV
exposure occurs prior to age 18.
Be it enacted by the Federal Statutes
that:
All individuals under the age of 18 are
required to wear headgear and clothing that covers 90 percent of the
extremities while outside during peak hours of UV exposure. This covering shall
occur in all public locations that are currently under federal jurisdiction,
including public school property, recreation sites, federal buildings, and work
sites supervised by employers that are overseen by OSHA regulations.
Master 5.2a Getting Prepared to Support or Oppose the Statute
Follow the steps below to develop your list of reasons
to support or oppose the proposed statute.
1. Spend about 5
minutes in a brainstorming session identifying reasons to support the statute
and reasons to oppose it. Fill these reasons into the table on page 5.2b.
2. View the video
clips at this site (The
People Respond) that show people commenting on the proposed statute. What
questions do these people raise? Add these issues to the table.
3. Ask yourself
what additional information about UV light and skin cancer might help
strengthen your position. For example, you may wish to look for evidence to
support the reasons you have listed or for information that can help you answer
the following questions: (use
this site to answer the following questions on a separate sheet)
·
What is skin cancer? Who is most at risk? What outcomes can
people who develop skin cancer expect? What outcomes does society experience as
a result of skin cancer?
·
How can people reduce or prevent dangerous exposure to UV
radiation? How effective are these different methods of protection?
·
Is UV exposure really
a risk factor related to skin cancer? When and where does most exposure occur?
Are there other important sources of UV exposure?
·
Are there other cases where society has limited behavior for
public health reasons? For example, what can we learn from the Australian
experience with skin cancer? Are there other examples of limiting behavior for
public health reasons? How effective are they?
4.
Develop a short presentation to express your views on this proposal.
·
Include if you support the statute or do not support the
statute
·
Give brief background on skin cancer
·
Explain why you have taken your position on the issue
·
What changes you might make.
·
Support with data, reasoning, facts
5.
After presentations each member separately Complete Handout 5.3 (below) Analyzing
the Results of a Public Policy Discussion
Master 5.2b Reasons to Support or
Oppose the Statute
|
To Support
the Statute
|
To Oppose the
Statute
|
|
|
|
Master 5.3 Analyzing
the Results of a Public Policy Discussion
Answer the following questions related to the public
policy discussion you just completed.
1. What revisions, if any, would you make to the
statute in the light of the reasons you heard?
2. What other suggestions
can you make about reducing the incidence and impact of skin cancer in the United States?
3. How does this
activity illustrate that:
·
good choices can reduce a person’s
chance of developing cancer?
·
values sometimes conflict in debates about
laws related to personal and public health?
·
it is possible for people to hold
different positions on a controversial topic and still participate in a
reasoned discussion about it?
4. How has research
about cancer helped improve personal and public health in the United States?