There's a firestorm in England over the cost of severely
disabled children and the leader of the Conservative
Labor Party's solution.
As reported in The Mirror, a London newspaper, deputy
mayor Owen Lister made his suggestion to fellow
councilors as they discussed the costs of caring for the
youngsters.
Lister, 79, said: "I would guillotine them.
These are children you can't educate. It's merely a
matter of caring for them until they die. The only
difference between a terminally ill patient and a
severely handicapped child is time."
The councilor argued the funds should instead be used
to cut National Health Services waiting lists.
Lister promptly quit after his jaw-dropping remarks,
yet stood behind them.
"It shows how peculiar we are as a society on
this matter that we spend this vast amount of money
caring for disabled youngsters to very little purpose at
all," he said. "It would be better spent on
those who might actually benefit, such as cancer
sufferers. We have 5,800 people waiting to go into
hospital in Swindon. A percentage of those will die as a
result of waiting too long."
These words sent chills down my spine. I have heard
them before. The euthanasia of severely disabled
children at birth or soon afterward has been lurking for
years. Lister's reasoning is the same as that of Hitler:
severely disabled children are worthless.
While it's heartbreaking to hear this kind of talk
today, the reality of the worthiness of a human life has
been played out many times in the media and in private.
Terri Schiavo's worthiness was front page news for weeks
before and after she died.
Many parents are faced with the gut-wrenching
decision of what to do when their child is born with
severe disabilities that might never improve. Do they
allow the child to die or fight for life? What will
society say either way? How will they sleep at night
regardless of their decision?
More importantly, who will support them in either
decision? One side says life is precious and should be
preserved at all costs. The other side begs for death,
not wanting to live a life that is dependent on others -
literally for every breath.
As a disabled person from birth, I cannot be so black
and white about this issue. Soon I will be undergoing
major surgery that may or may not improve my life. I'm
struggling over whether to post a "Do Not
Resuscitate" sign over my bed.
On one hand, to become more disabled than I am now
appalls and frightens me. On the other, what if those
life-saving procedures work and I go back to my regular
life?
Whether the money comes from public funds or not,
it's up to the person or the family to decide.
Either way, there will be suffering.
McKee, a wheelchair user, is an Albuquerque
writer, poet and producer. You can e-mail Barbara
at chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com.
Her column runs on Tuesdays.
