Hi Kat,

I've heard about this case here and there over the last couple of years,
and I also find it very disturbing.  Although having said that, even
though our public health care system seems better than the US, it is
still very difficult to get appropriate, and enough care and assistance
for people with severe disabilities - not enough resourses to go around,
so I can understand the family's desire for more money to provide for
all the supports that this young woman will need.  But, I think that
suing the doctor isn't the way to go about it - the gov't and society
in general need to be held accountable for the lack of access and
support that is a result of the discrimination and devaluing of PWD.  I
have *huge* problems with the mother's attitude, and the fact that she
has essentially gone public in saying that she wishes her daughter
hadn't been born can't be good for her daughter, and it isn't good for
children and young adults with disabilities who haven't yet been given
the chance to see the damage society's prejudices do to hear this in the
media.  At one point in my own life, I would have agreed that having a
disability makes you worth less - that's how brainwashed I was, and
reading an article like this then would have reinforced that feeling.
Thankfully I was able to throw off that thinking, but it is very hard,
with things like this happening.

A distasteful situation all round.

Rayna
(very late in responding to this...)


[log in to unmask] wrote:

>Rayna, do you know anything about this case? She seems to be in Sydney.
>
>
>http://www.courttv.com/news/2005/1110/harriton_ctv.html
>
>This bothers me on so many levels, I can't even begin.
>
>Kat
>
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