The first two links are just a small sample of responses to Richard Dawkins (see previous post) - there will be more:
Dear Richard Dawkins, You Are Wrong
Hayley Goleniowska, Huffington Post, 21st August 2014
Richard Dawkins, atheist author, provocateur, scientist, you must by now be well aware of the furore over your comments yesterday. Comments that it was 'immoral' to bring a baby with Down's syndrome into the world if you have a choice.
'Abort it and try again', was your advice because it is the 'civilised' thing to do as 'they are foetuses, diagnosed before they have human feelings.'
As I watched the Twitter debate unfurl, you continued that you would not recommend abortion for individuals with Autism, say, as they 'contribute' to society, for they are 'enhanced', which, in your view those with Trisomy 21 are not. You even went so far as to say children with Down's syndrome 'suffer'.
Now hold your horses just one moment Mr Dawkins. I think perhaps you are confusing non-essentialist, humanist thinking with a loss of humanity here ...
The power of being wanted
Ginger Stickney, Green Ginger Tea, 20th August 2014
Every night I do something with Jude that I don't do with any of my other children. Every night as Jude falls into sleep, her beautiful lashes brushing her plumb cheeks, her sweet lips puckered out, I whisper into her tiny shell of an ear "You were wanted. Never ever forget that we wanted you." ... and I hope that someday she will whisper to herself "I was wanted. My parents wanted me. My siblings wanted me. My friends wanted me. The world wants me."
Young people with disabilities campaign for the right to learn
... this eagerness to do, give, provide, find, research, etc. gave me a bit of anxiety early on. How much was enough? Was there ever too much? Were the therapists I was using the BEST I could find? Were the books I was reading the BEST I could read? What was the magic sauce? I needed to know ... It is the unconditional love that tells your child: you are worth the world not when/if you accomplish x, y, z—but because you are you. And you are enough ...
Richard Dawkins, atheist author, provocateur, scientist, you must by now be well aware of the furore over your comments yesterday. Comments that it was 'immoral' to bring a baby with Down's syndrome into the world if you have a choice.
'Abort it and try again', was your advice because it is the 'civilised' thing to do as 'they are foetuses, diagnosed before they have human feelings.'
As I watched the Twitter debate unfurl, you continued that you would not recommend abortion for individuals with Autism, say, as they 'contribute' to society, for they are 'enhanced', which, in your view those with Trisomy 21 are not. You even went so far as to say children with Down's syndrome 'suffer'.
Now hold your horses just one moment Mr Dawkins. I think perhaps you are confusing non-essentialist, humanist thinking with a loss of humanity here ...
The power of being wanted
Ginger Stickney, Green Ginger Tea, 20th August 2014
Every night I do something with Jude that I don't do with any of my other children. Every night as Jude falls into sleep, her beautiful lashes brushing her plumb cheeks, her sweet lips puckered out, I whisper into her tiny shell of an ear "You were wanted. Never ever forget that we wanted you." ... and I hope that someday she will whisper to herself "I was wanted. My parents wanted me. My siblings wanted me. My friends wanted me. The world wants me."
Young people with disabilities campaign for the right to learn
Andy Merriman, The Guardian, 19th August 2014
In June, my daughter attended a demonstration outside the houses of parliament. Sarah, who has Down's syndrome, travelled by coach from Somerset with fellow students and staff from her college, where she met 80 other young people to launch a campaign highlighting the need for educational equality for people with disabilities ...
Andy Merriman wrote 'A Minor Adjustment' in 1999, a popular book in our library collection.
What is the magic sauce for unlocking your child’s full potential?
What is the magic sauce for unlocking your child’s full potential?
Sipping Lemonade, 10th October 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment