Social Issues

AIDS Epidemic

AIDS is an acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is caused by a virus that destroys the immune system. This weakens the body so that it is more prone to infections and normally rare cancers. In 1986 12,000 Americans died of AIDS. And by 1988 it had grown to 20,000 deaths. In attempt to solve this issue the U.S. Congress passed the first bill that included funding for AIDS research and treatment in 1983. But it was still difficult to understand.

Education

During the 1980s it became more clear that the students were performing poorly in school. The students started learning less and less during the school day. And the environments became filled with rising drug use and violence. Democratic and republican politicians agreed on the fact that the schools were not delivering a quality education. But they couldn’t agree on how to solve the problem. 

Abortion

In 1973 Supreme Court rulings recognized that women have the constitutional right to decide whether to abort or continue a pregnancy while the 1980 Supreme Court ruling declared that state and federal governments are not obligated by the constitution to provide funds to ensure that women can exercise their abortion rights.