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  • This house will prefer a world without family based upbringing of children to communal upbringing of children.

    Infoslide

    Different relevant narratives surround and construct an individual from birth. These environmental concerns and details are often skipped, but are intrinsic markers of a person, their upbringing and their life. Two strains are significant to discuss, where social or communal uprbringing provides the best social cues and development for the child, or does parenting restrict itself to just the family threshold? Familial upbrining is a style of upbringing where your family is the primary caregiver vs in communal upbringing where the community leads the upbringing of the child.

    Summer Debate Symposium 2025 · Novice Semifinals · 2025-07-06

  • This House, as Lila, would surrender and destroy the Hero Gem to stop the terrorist from seizing control of the city

    Infoslide

    Lila is the youngest child of her family of super heroes that have the power of flight and super strength. Their identities are hidden from the public and they live in a 3rd world South East Asian Country. Her older brother, older sister, and parents gain these powers through the Hero Gem which is the only one of its kind. A terrorist group is threatening to kill 100 hostages and seize control of the government. They are demanding Lila and her family to destroy the Hero Gem which would make them lose their powers. In exchange, the terrorists won't carry out their devious acts. If the demand isn’t followed, the hostages and civilians will be killed, the power supply to the city will be cut off, and trade routes that supply essential materials will be blocked to seize control of the city.

    5th Mindanao Novice Cup · College Semifinals · 2025-07-05

  • This house would frame the notorious criminal instead of the well-meaning man

    Infoslide

    You are a prosecutor by profession. One day, you discover that a kind, well- meaning man accidentally caused the death of an innocent woman. As you investigate the case, you uncover something troubling: the available forensic and circumstantial evidence could easily be used to frame someone else- a notorious criminal widely believed to have murdered multiple people, but who has always escaped justice due to legal technicalities.

    England BP 2025 · State Finals · 2025-07-05

  • This House, as a highly educated professional in an authoritarian state, would refuse work in any organization that is controlled or heavily influenced by the government.

    Tokyo IV 2025 · Novice Finals · 2025-07-05

  • We will ban artworks that incite violence, hatred, or harm specific communities.

    Infoslide

    In the modern context, many works of art have sparked controversy for allegedly encouraging violent behavior, spreading hatred, or deeply offending specific community groups (based on religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, historical background, etc.). These works can appear in various forms such as music (rap promoting revenge and gun violence), paintings (cartoons insulting religions), films (glorifying terrorist acts), or poetry and stories (verbal violence targeting different communities). Examples include the photograph "Immersion" by photographer Andres Serrano, and the show "Family Guy." These works are believed to have wide-ranging consequences such as hatred between communities in society, discrimination, violence, polarization between political groups, etc. However, many artists argue that they are merely reflecting reality, expressing personal emotions, or using shocking or satirical elements to draw attention to social issues.

    Zoo Pre-NSDC Gathering Cup 2025 · Novice Semifinals · 2025-07-05

  • This House believes that all Australian states and territories should allow abortion at any stage of pregnancy without restriction

    Infoslide

    Abortion is legal in the ACT at any stage of pregnancy for any reason. Abortion is legal for any reason until 22 weeks in NSW, South Australia, and Queensland; 24 weeks in the Northern Territory and Victoria; 23 weeks in Western Australia; and 16 weeks in Tasmania. In all these states and territories, aside from Tasmania, abortion is legal until birth with two doctors' approval. GIMMICK: Judges may ask POIs.

    UNSW IV · Semifinals · 2025-07-05

  • This house believes that the person to be sacrificed should be chosen by lottery instead of by majority vote

    Infoslide

    You are part of the first manned mission to settle Mars. After an accident, all contact with Earth is lost and supplies have become so depleted that the only way for anyone to survive is to sacrifice one member of the 10 person group.

    England BP 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-07-05

  • This House would allocate more votes to individuals who demonstrate higher levels of empathy

    Infoslide

    Empathy refers to the the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, often leading to compassionate and prosocial behavior. It can manifest as emotional empathy (feeling what others feel) or cognitive empathy (understanding others' perspectives).

    Diliman Debate Open 2025 · Round 1 · 2025-07-05

  • This house believes that the Philippine opposition should reject ""moral high-ground"" politics in favor of electoral pragmatism

    Infoslide

    Moral high-ground politics prioritizes ethical consistency, principled stands, and ideological purity over winning elections. In the Philippines, it is associated with opposition leaders who reject alliances with traditional elites, focus on anti-corruption narratives, and uphold democracy and human rights as core messages. Electoral pragmatism prioritizes winning power over ideological consistency by using strategic compromises, broad alliances, and mass appeal tactics. In the Philippines, this could mean working with ex-Duterte allies, adopting popular policies, or shifting messaging to connect with ordinary voters rather than relying on historical narratives.

    Diliman Debate Open 2025 · Quarterfinals · 2025-07-05

  • This House, as a medieval ruler, prefers to be feared like Vlad Tepes than to be loved like Henry VI.

    Infoslide

    Vlad Tepes, known as Vlad the Impaler, was a ruler of Wallachia, now part of Romania, during a period of political instability. His reign, remembered for his brutal methods of repression, was marked by constant conflicts with nobles who tried to undermine his authority and by successive invasions from the Ottoman Empire, against which he fought to maintain the region's independence. Part of Romanian historiography depicts him as a severe yet effective ruler in restoring order, reducing corruption, strengthening central power, and protecting the borders, even at the cost of horror.

    XI Torneio Temático de Debates · Pré-Final Novice · 2025-07-04

  • That we prefer a Brzezinski-style approach to a Kissinger-style approach in foreign policies.

    Infoslide

    A “Brzezinski-style” approach to foreign policy emphasises the long-term ideological weakening of authoritarian regimes through support for dissident movements, human rights, and the use of soft power and alliances. A “Kissinger-style” approach emphasises strategic pragmatism and maintaining a balance of power, often engaging with authoritarian governments to preserve geopolitical stability, even if this involves compromising on democratic values.

    UQ Pre Australs 2025 · Round 5 · 2025-06-29

  • That governments should limit no-knock warrants to cases involving imminent threat to life.

    Infoslide

    A no-knock warrant is a court order that allows law enforcement officers to enter a property without first announcing their presence or purpose.

    UQ Pre Australs 2025 · Round 3 · 2025-06-29

  • This house would permit the governments of nations facing sustained threats from organised crime (e.g. Colombia in the 1980s, Mexico during peak cartel violence, or El Salvador in the 2020s) to significantly curtail civil liberties in order to combat the threat (e.g. warrantless surveillance, pre-emptive detention, relaxed evidentiary standards, etc.)

    2025 Australian Schools Open · Semifinals · 2025-06-28

  • This house, as Aurora, W choose to go back into the hibernation pod.

    Infoslide

    You are Aurora, an astronaut on a spaceship, transporting 5000 colonists in hibernation pods on a 120-year journey from Earth to a new, habitable planet. However, just 30 years into the trip, an asteroid collision damages the ship, causing some hibernation pods to malfunction and their passengers to awaken, including you and another astronaut named Jim. Over the next year, you and Jim fall in love, but one day, an android robot accidentally reveals that after Jim’s pod malfunctioned, he purposely awakened you to keep him company and lied about your pod malfunctioning. Since your hibernation pod still works, you have the option of re-entering into the pod.

    York University Summer Debating Tournament · Grand Final · 2025-06-28

  • This house would establish an affirmative legal defense for individuals who commit acts of property destruction and other similar minor criminal offences in the course of political protest

    Infoslide

    An affirmative legal defense is a legal strategy in which the defendant admits to committing the act in question, but argues that they should not be held legally liable because of a justifying or excusing circumstance. Examples of affirmative defenses include self-defense (“Yes, I hit them — but only to protect myself.”), necessity (“I broke into the cabin because I would have frozen to death.”), and duress (“I committed the crime because I was threatened with violence.”).

    2025 Australian Schools Open · Quarterfinals · 2025-06-28

  • This house believes that governments should erase superpowers of all humans

    Infoslide

    The world became a superhuman society with about 80% of the population possessing uncanny meta-abilities or superpowers. Governments train selected people with extraordinary powers to be heroes who are tasked to deter crime and rescue individuals from danger. Technology made it possible for governments to ''erase'' the superpower of an individual.

    York University Summer Debating Tournament · Junior Finals · 2025-06-28