Disability doesn’t mean a devalued life
In the debate on the status and funding of campus pro-life club, Youth Protecting Youth (YPY), the Access UVic Association of Disabled Students has consistently sided with YPY.
We share YPY’s concerns about one life being valued over another particularly when it comes to valuing the lives of people with disabilities less. Access strongly supports YPY’s right to organize freely and promote their views. We voted against placing restrictions on YPY’s communications, against revoking club status or funding, and for reinstatement of that status and funding after they were revoked.
In the debate concerning YPY, freedom of speech is at stake. We need full and frank discussion of all aspects of abortion, including the vexing questions raised by selective abortion and the valuing of one life over another.
Selective abortion is an issue that sometimes pits disability rights activists against feminists. Disability rights activists are sometimes labeled “anti-choice” in debates on abortion or viewed as pawns of pro-life activists within the so-called religious right. This is a distortion of a more nuanced political position held by many within the disability rights movement. Genuine choice is, in fact, central to our political position.
Selective abortion is part of a process that works to devalue the lives of people with disabilities. There may be enormous pressure to abort after a “negative” pre-natal test result. We question whether women in those circumstances get fair and balanced information about living with disability. In the face of perpetually negative perceptions of disability, the decision of women to not abort potentially disabled children can be a courageous, positive choice.
Access does not promote a “pro-life” position based on religious belief. The basis for our support is distinct. We share YPY’s concern that the choice to abort is not always freely made. It is influenced by factors which have nothing to do with the welfare of women or their reproductive freedom and everything to do with discrimination against women, and in the case of selective abortion, against women and people with disabilities.
A possible resurgence of eugenics concerns many disability organizations. Selective abortion, especially due to pre-natal screening, seems to many disability activists to be a form of modern day eugenics.
Selective abortion is part of a continuum of practices imposed upon people with disabilities and their families. This continuum includes sterilization and euthanasia.
The notion of disability as a completely devalued life experience at birth and at death has detrimental implications for people with disabilities throughout life. Our contributions to the community are deemed to be so negligible that we won’t be missed. The unspoken message is that our lives are not worth living.
In fact, our lives are as sweet to us as life is to anyone. If people believe otherwise we want to talk about it. If women believe certain children would rather not be born at all, or will not be welcomed, valued or included in their society, we want to talk about it. We believe YPY should be allowed to talk about it too.
12 Comments
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alicia madill June 11, 2010, 9:43 p.m.
When I was pregnant with my second child I got a telephone from my physician. It was urgent that I come in to see her. Not something you want to hear when you are 5 months pregnant and have just had your amnio. I can barely remember the drive from my home to the doctor's office. Pounding heart. My doctor looked at me with tears in her eyes and said,
We have a Downs baby here.Two weeks later, a highly trained specialist and me were together in a clinic. With the amnio on, and both of us watching the image, he inserted a hypodermic needle through my abdominal wall, into my uterus, into the foetus, into its heart. We watched the heart stop beating and movement end. I have never ever seen any written reference anywhere to the possibility of pressure until today. I never shared about that decision with anyone except my husband. It was well meant, but it was the heaviest pressure I think I've ever felt when making a major life decision. I can't be the only woman this ever happened to. I've shed some tears today that were choked up for six years. Thank you.
alicia madill June 11, 2010, 9:43 p.m.
When I was pregnant with my second child I got a telephone from my physician. It was urgent that I come in to see her. Not something you want to hear when you are 5 months pregnant and have just had your amnio. I can barely remember the drive from my home to the doctor's office. Pounding heart. My doctor looked at me with tears in her eyes and said,
We have a Downs baby here.Two weeks later, a highly trained specialist and me were together in a clinic. With the amnio on, and both of us watching the image, he inserted a hypodermic needle through my abdominal wall, into my uterus, into the foetus, into its heart. We watched the heart stop beating and movement end. I have never ever seen any written reference anywhere to the possibility of pressure until today. I never shared about that decision with anyone except my husband. It was well meant, but it was the heaviest pressure I think I've ever felt when making a major life decision. I can't be the only woman this ever happened to. I've shed some tears today that were choked up for six years. Thank you.
Anonymous June 15, 2010, 11:08 p.m.
Dear Alicia,
I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you so much for sharing your pain - I'm humbled and touched to hear about it.
My mother experienced pressure to abort my sister. When she didn't, the medical professionals discouraged her choice. I'm so sorry that you weren't supported in your decision-making either.
Please know that the pain you've endured doesn't take away your goodness, worth or dignity. Thank you again for your courage in talking about your suffering. I'm praying for you, your family and your child.
Love,
A Friend
Anonymous June 15, 2010, 11:08 p.m.
Dear Alicia,
I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you so much for sharing your pain - I'm humbled and touched to hear about it.
My mother experienced pressure to abort my sister. When she didn't, the medical professionals discouraged her choice. I'm so sorry that you weren't supported in your decision-making either.
Please know that the pain you've endured doesn't take away your goodness, worth or dignity. Thank you again for your courage in talking about your suffering. I'm praying for you, your family and your child.
Love,
A Friend
Bahram Farzady June 21, 2010, 5:58 a.m.
Great article Rose. You make some good points.
I believe that women choose to have abortions when faced with the possibility of giving birth to a disabled child, not because they do not believe that child's life is worth living, but because they do not think they can handle all the pressures of raising such a child and their community and family are not willing to help.
Perhaps that's not always the case, and you do a good thing in bringing that to everyone's attention. Nevertheless, if you accept that disabled people (cognitively disabled people in particular) are simply, by the fact of their cognitive impairment(s), never going to be able to amount (intellectually and on average) to the same standard of cognitively able people, then presumably their lives are in so far as they can never be expected to win Nobel prizes and such, less valuable than the lives of others.
This is not to devalue the lives of certain people a priori, but certainly, insofar as we place different values on different lives, (Albert Einstein v. Sarah Palin), on average, the life of a cognitively disabled person will end up being less valuable than other lives.
Presumably anyone with an IQ below 70 will be able to appreciate life far less than someone with a greater IQ; or am I missing something?
Bahram Farzady June 21, 2010, 5:58 a.m.
Great article Rose. You make some good points.
I believe that women choose to have abortions when faced with the possibility of giving birth to a disabled child, not because they do not believe that child's life is worth living, but because they do not think they can handle all the pressures of raising such a child and their community and family are not willing to help.
Perhaps that's not always the case, and you do a good thing in bringing that to everyone's attention. Nevertheless, if you accept that disabled people (cognitively disabled people in particular) are simply, by the fact of their cognitive impairment(s), never going to be able to amount (intellectually and on average) to the same standard of cognitively able people, then presumably their lives are in so far as they can never be expected to win Nobel prizes and such, less valuable than the lives of others.
This is not to devalue the lives of certain people a priori, but certainly, insofar as we place different values on different lives, (Albert Einstein v. Sarah Palin), on average, the life of a cognitively disabled person will end up being less valuable than other lives.
Presumably anyone with an IQ below 70 will be able to appreciate life far less than someone with a greater IQ; or am I missing something?
Rose Mariana June 24, 2010, 2:15 a.m.
Bahram, I agree that there is more to selective abortion than whether women believe a disabled child’s life is worth living. Will her own life be worth living is the other question the mother may need to ask herself. That is part of the issue, for sure.
I’m not sure I agree that those among us who are gifted or great achievers are more valuable. Maybe we are all equally valuable, except for Sarah Palin. Just kidding. These are challenging questions, though. It's not easy.
I’m not sure that the higher our IQ the more we can appreciate life either. We can appreciate intellectual pursuits better, but that’s not everything.
Rose Mariana June 24, 2010, 2:15 a.m.
Bahram, I agree that there is more to selective abortion than whether women believe a disabled child’s life is worth living. Will her own life be worth living is the other question the mother may need to ask herself. That is part of the issue, for sure.
I’m not sure I agree that those among us who are gifted or great achievers are more valuable. Maybe we are all equally valuable, except for Sarah Palin. Just kidding. These are challenging questions, though. It's not easy.
I’m not sure that the higher our IQ the more we can appreciate life either. We can appreciate intellectual pursuits better, but that’s not everything.
Bahram Farzady July 3, 2010, 7:01 p.m.
IQ is potential. I know plenty of smart people who contribute very little to anything and who appreciate sports in a rather intellectual way, but that's it. You might say they'd be better off with far lower IQ's.
Nevertheless, people with IQ's below 70 are not just unintelligent. Their lives are more comparable to those of intelligent animals than the average person. It seems perfectly understandable to consider an abortion more than otherwise if you know this is how your child is going to turn out.
Also, presumably people with physical disabilities (even if the world were far more accommodating) experience more pain & hardship (surgeries, etc...) on average than able-bodied people. Not to say that the mere fact that you know your child is going to be disabled is more than enough reason to have an abortion, but that if you were considering it otherwise, that your child will be disabled may quite reasonably nudge some women over to making a decision they may have made anyways.
This doesn't necessarily mean that they don't think disabled lives are worth-living. Although I agree if anyone thinks that, they're quite plainly wrong.
Bahram Farzady July 3, 2010, 7:01 p.m.
IQ is potential. I know plenty of smart people who contribute very little to anything and who appreciate sports in a rather intellectual way, but that's it. You might say they'd be better off with far lower IQ's.
Nevertheless, people with IQ's below 70 are not just unintelligent. Their lives are more comparable to those of intelligent animals than the average person. It seems perfectly understandable to consider an abortion more than otherwise if you know this is how your child is going to turn out.
Also, presumably people with physical disabilities (even if the world were far more accommodating) experience more pain & hardship (surgeries, etc...) on average than able-bodied people. Not to say that the mere fact that you know your child is going to be disabled is more than enough reason to have an abortion, but that if you were considering it otherwise, that your child will be disabled may quite reasonably nudge some women over to making a decision they may have made anyways.
This doesn't necessarily mean that they don't think disabled lives are worth-living. Although I agree if anyone thinks that, they're quite plainly wrong.
cee cee July 8, 2010, 5:17 p.m.
Alicia, heart goes out to you similar experience here. Our amnio showed a defect, my doctor definitely thought it was a no brainer to abort. Kind of makes me wonder now...oh well.
cee cee July 8, 2010, 5:17 p.m.
Alicia, heart goes out to you similar experience here. Our amnio showed a defect, my doctor definitely thought it was a no brainer to abort. Kind of makes me wonder now...oh well.