Comments on: The Children Whom Reason Scorns

By: retriever

retriever — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:12:30 +0000

This video was posted on a very liberal social worker’s blog, Trench Warfare, and is poignant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th6Njr-qkq0&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Freaskroicowl%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F&feature=player_embedded

I was appalled, however that one of my kids said angrily, upon watching it “Easy for them to love a baby who dies in three months.” She is particularly burned out right now by her brother’s difficulties. Tho horribly stressed, I tend to believe that while there’s life there’s hope with my kid (tho yesterday bad) http://dianaretriever.blogspot.com/2009/06/lion-taming.html

But I think that it has been very, very hard on our other kids. They are better people for it, loving, compassionate and loyal. But bludgeoned by it.

By: Jean Martin

Jean Martin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:53:00 +0000

My special-needs daughter was one of those who would probably have been considered “disposable” according to the Groningen Protocol. I remember your post 5 years ago about this and how horrified I was at that time. Your statement “Who will teach us patience, compassion, . . .” speaks volumes. My daughter made a huge impression on many people in her short life. In my career, however, I have worked with physicians who I consider brillant in what they do but who frighten me with their attitude toward those who are viewed as less than perfect. My daughter’s life had a definite purpose upon this earth. . .”God’s reasoning is not flawed.” (h/t Joe).

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:56:18 +0000

You have perfectly illustrated why “…lean not to your own understanding…” is so much more than just a “proverb,” but is a God authored, universally correct principle. Human reasoning is flawed. God’s is not.

By: D.

D. — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:52:17 +0000

Sir –

Thank you for this post. I am a nurse and sometimes find myself shocked at how detached I can be while at work. It is not that I do not care (I do) but there is work to be done, a list a mile long of things that must be accomplished. I find myself doing things to patients that are technically correct and “perfect” in terms of following hospital policy or procedures that would have shocked or appalled me before I became a nurse.

What the public does not understand is that everything we do is geared toward saving and preserving life and function. This is one of the primary forces that tempers our ability to be detached. I shudder to think what will happen if that ever changes, if we are forced to reorient our purpose to achieve life for some and death for others.

By: retriever

retriever — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:02:28 +0000

Very good post. It’s debatable which was crueller, people euthanizing disabled or ill children, or the practice in this country until the 60s of people institutionalizing and giving up their disabled and psychiatrically ill children. Some horrific stories of what happened, and the damage it did to the kids and families.

I have heard that at one point, once the Nazis were firmly in power, the policy of euthanizing the disabled and mentally ill ran into slowdowns in a couple of areas. For example, not as many bipolar people were killed because it was discovered that such a high percentage of high-ranking members of the Nazi party had relatives with this diagnosis. Also, it is interesting that the research into Kanner’s Syndrome, Asperger;s went on at this time (without alll the children being killed), given how extremely bizarre most people with this autistic spectrum disorder are without years of specialized training and therapy of a type only available in recent years.