Several points here sadly enough:

There are still people who believe that we should "help" the "poor" little
children.

To sterilize or not?  Eugenics vs. mentally challenged people having more
mentally challenged children that they can't take care of.  Who takes care
of them all?  When do you convince for sterilization?  (Dealing with a case
like this, parents with multiple mental handicaps have children they can't
take care of even with help, failure to thrive in youngest, etc)

Eugenics in this country sadly mirrored Nazi Germany.  You could just be the
kid acting up in school and be deamed unfit.  Very scary stuff.  Went even
further to not treating people with syphalis (Tuskeggee trials).  Think that
ended in the 40's and 50's.  Think closer to the 70's.

What about new technology that keeps children alive.  For what?  How long?
When do you finally say no more treatments?

What about new genetic testing.  When is enough enough?  Do we test for
Tay-sachs?  Cystic fibrosis, Down's?  Myopia?  What is too disabled?

In many Eastern countries there is a stigma that a person did a horrible
thing in another life and so karmic law decreed a disability related to the
harm they did another.

Muslim's see charity as a pillar of faith.  Europe, think Quasimodo and
where he ended up.

Ancient archaelogical evidence of Neanderthal remains shows individuals
having lived with live long, chronic conditions that would have
nessessitated (sp?) care from other members.

Elder's seem to fair better in some groups as who wants to get of the person
who remembers where to get food in famine times.

No answers just more questions.


Beth the OT

-----Original Message-----
From: St. John's University Cerebral Palsy List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Betty Alfred
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2000 4:38 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Disability Awareness


This was hard to read.  This was very hard to read.

In a message dated 05/17/2000 3:36:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

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 by Timothy M. Cook
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