From The Port

The Birds and the Bees and the Medical Politics of Perfection

I wanted to share my concern with you in response to several stories in the news, about the Ashley Treatment, and about bioengineering of "perfect" children. Abortions are actually being recommended for minor birthdefects. This "perfection on demand" attitude is spreading throughout the "civilized" world today. I wonder why this is?

Perhaps we no longer believe that a baby is a gift from God. Have we drifted into an arrogent vision of genetically engineered human life? Does a godless society believe that human worth is based on beauty?

One of my doctors has a club foot aquired after birth, as a result of Polio. After reading this article, several questions re the "New Ethics" arose in my mind. Is it ok to eliminate unborn babies who have club feet, but allow children who develop club feet as a result of disease or injury to live, go to school, and to even become doctors?

My brother's eldest child was born with a severe club foot. The doctor ordered a brace, and 24 hour home care performed by the parents. This treatment was so successful, that no one today could ever determine which foot was the club foot. My nephew played all sports, and served in the Air Force. My brother and his wife could not love him more.

What is it then, that causes some folks to believe it is better to abort that club foot baby, and try again for a "perfect" one?

I think, perhaps, it is the continued, and unaddressed "attitudes" we face in the community everyday. Making fun of others. Looking down on others. Demeaning, discouraging, and disincluding others who are considered not our equalls. Not Good Enough for us. It is our own feelings of inadequacy that alloows us to bully others, in an attempt to disasociate with those "undesireables" and to becole aligned with the "beautiful people." It is our fear, not their lack of worthiness, that is the real imperfection. We should be about perfecting ourselves, not our bodies. we should look to our heart, not to our "packaging."

One thing I have noticed is the confusion folks have over the Civil Rights Act of 1990. There seems to be a real disconnect with this Law. I hear many times folks tell me it means: "You must not treat disabled folks differently from other folks."

Huh? Somehow I think there is a major gap in criticle thinking skills here, if this is what folks believe.

I wish one could understand that what the Act, the ADA, requires Cities to do is to "identify" policies, practices, programs, activities, ordinances, etc, that discriminate against foplks with disabilities, and modify those policies, practices, programs, activities, ordinances, etc., so they no longer discriminate against PWDs.

It means we must identify barriers and remove barriers. So we don't handicap others whose abilities are different from ours.

It means there is nothing "wrong" with having a disability.

It means that PWDs have abilities, and need to go about their lives just like everyone else.

It means that to fail to identify barriers, and failure to remove barriers is to "handicap" PWDs so they have an unfair burdon, and are disadvantaged. It results in isolation, institutionalization, humilaition, shame, begging, poverty, lack of self esteem, etc, etc, etc.

Failure to identify and remove barriers is not only poor behavior, inhuman, and unethicle, it is also ILLEGAL!!

Perhaps someday we can abort babies who would grow up to alergic to bees, or peanuts? We could eliminate asthma this way, too? Maybe, we could develop sophisticated tests that would detect bad attitudes? We could then abort any potential bigot? Eliminate selfish, uncaring, self-centered folks from even blighting this earth.

Now that is one way to fight against this idea of inclusion!

posted by Kathy Podgers @ Saturday, January 27, 2007