Please read this.
Alright, I know a lot of you won't read it. It talks about how parents and caregivers who murder autistic children and adults are given lighter prison sentences compared to other murderers.
It makes me sick, makes me ashamed to be human. And at the same time I'm not entirely surprised that it's happening. We've gotten so good at dehumanizing others (through propaganda, media, racial slurs, comments about mental/physical/social functioning, war etc.) that it becomes justifiable to rid ourselves of anyone that doesn't fit our human standards.
We justify it - of course, these parents are in a tough situation, it got to them, you can't really blame them for giving into the pressure.
That's just sick.
This is something people should be outraged by. This is where laws need to change. We rally to save the unborn (even to the cost of the mother) and yet ignore the lives - lived lives, enjoyed lives, lives that may not be "normal" but are still enjoyed - that are taken away unjustly.
Please, if any of these cases have happened in your state or country, contact a local politician an express your outrage. It will only happen as long as we allow it.
3 comments:
At the risk of beating a dead (or very tired) horse...
I don't get how our society calls this kind of killing "murder", but if a parent aborts a "less than normal" child so it won't have to suffer through life, we call it their "choice". What's the difference? Why is one murder, and the other a no-big-deal choice? I agree with you, Steph, this is sick. Parents should not be let off easy simply because thier child had some kind of problem.
I agree Dena. Selective abortions because of abnormalities is no better than what is happening here. There are some instances where birth defects are incompatible with life (trisomy 18 for example), and there I can understand why a woman would want to terminate, however many children with birth defects or other mental/physical handicaps can lead long full lives.
In cases like this, it is not about the life of the child (or in some cases adult) - it is not some sort of mercy killing (really there is no such thing!) - it's the selfishness of the caregiver.
This is a very tragic and evil thing that does not seem to be getting the attention it deserves. It does show how comfortable we are with dehumanizing people. It does highlight the lack of support these people have and how hard being the parent of a special needs kid is (not that I'm justifying their actions AT ALL). We need to do better helping these people.
Post a Comment