In a message dated 09/05/1999 1:50:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<<  I am afraid your are correct re: the direction of bioethics toward
 eugenics(a politically correct term for "population pruning"). Peter Singer
 is the tip of the iceberg.

 Bobby
  >>

Yes Bobby, I'm afraid I am right too, although I'd dearly love to be wrong.
I've been searching through the Princeton website, and the deeper I dig, the
more concerned I become.  They are serious about bioethics at that
University, and serious about making policy.  It's interesting to note that
Princeton's president, Dr. Harold Shapiro, is also the Chairman for the
National Bioethics Advisory Commission.  This appointment of Dr. Singer was
no fluke.  They have the only undergraduate bioethics society in the US too,
and the outline for one of the bioethics classes includes such discussions as
"what is the definition of a human."  Dr. Singer has defined that, and as you
already know, it doesn't include all of us.  A requirement that counts for
20% of the class grade involves conducting community surveys, and helping in
the community with bioethics education.  The list of groups they can select
from to accomplish this task goes from a preschool all the way up to high
school, as well as a Planned Parenthood group.  They can select other groups
as well, with the permission of their professor.  With regard to conducting
surveys, they are instructed to be mindful of bias.  That is how the
scientific community would view the informed perspective of a person with a
disability.  Bias is indeed a valid factor to take into account, but I
believe it would be morally corrupt to term our perspective of our value to
society as "bias."  This is a reach.  I'm address how they would consider our
views if they were to include us in surveys about utilitarian bioethics.


These students are not bumbling fools.  They are of a serious mind about this
subject, and they know how to say what they want to say.  And this is only
one University.  What's going on at the others?  I don't feel good about
these "outreach" programs.

This is not to suggest that these classes are deliberately designed to
manipulate the minds of the students, or that the outreach programs are
designed to manipulate the minds of younger people.  On the other hand, it's
very disconcerting that Dr. Singer in particular, who has been so outspoken
about his genocidal philosophy for so many years, was selected to be the Ira
W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, and that this appointment was either
spearheaded by, or sanctioned by the president of Princeton, who just happens
to be the chair of the National Bioethical Advisory Commission, a US
presidential appointment.

I have made some firm decisions about how I present myself to nondisabled
people.  If there is dissension among us, I never share that with people
outside our community.  Even though we are fragmented within the ranks, I
never let that be known to nondisabled people, or people outside of families
with a member who has a disability.  I never let them think anything but that
we are completely tribal, type of disability notwithstanding.  I have also
become extremely selective about who I discuss my personal medical issues
with.  I do not talk about my disability with people outside disability
circles, unless there is something I can say that promotes us in a positive
light.  I do have close friends I might share this and that with, but they
are few and far between, and they have to have demonstrated to my
satisfaction that they are not "ableists" at heart.  I have become hard-lined
about this as of late.

I think it's a good idea now for the world to start seeing us as being of one
heart and mind.  We will disagree with each other on many things, which is
fine and healthy.  But the rest of the world doesn't need to know what we
might quibble about internally.  If we do have any weakness in the chain,
they don't need to know it.  This is not a "we vs. they" philosophy at all.
But a man of great influence has advocated the elimination of some of us, and
it seems like a good time for us to start thinking in terms of having a
tribal commitment mentality.

I have also come to discover that it feels personally empowering to think
this way.

Regards,
Betty