Bishop's apology falls short, says the Vatican

The Vatican says Bishop Williamson's statement does not meet the conditions set by the Vatican on February 4, "when it ordered Williamson to "in an absolutely unequivocal and public way distance himself from his positions" regarding the Holocaust."

Instead, Williamson issued a statement yesterday saying, in part, "To all souls that took honest scandal from what I said, before God I apologize."

The bishop has stated he believes there were no gas chambers during the Holocaust and that no more than 300,000 people perished, rather than 6 million as recorded by historians. His statement did not say his views were erroneous or that he did not believe them.

The Vatican indicated that the statement did not meet the conditions for Williamson to be a member of the Catholic clergy.

The danger of denying history

In all, between 200,000 and 250,000 mentally and physically handicapped persons were murdered from 1939 to 1945 under the T-4 and other "euthanasia" programs.

This was referred to as murder of the unfit.

Forced sterilization of persons who suffered from diseases considered hereditary, such as mental illness (schizophrenia and manic depression), retardation ("congenital feeble-mindedness"), physical deformity, epilepsy, blindness, deafness, and severe alcoholism was the forerunner of eugenics. Killing those who were a burden on society was used to justify " the systematic killing of the mentally ill and the handicapped. In October 1939, Hitler himself initiated a decree which empowered physicians to grant a "mercy death" to "patients considered incurable," not to alleviate suffering but to cleanse the Aryan race by eradicating those considered to be genetically defective.

After I read Meredith Gould's blog over the past week and what she refers to as the Williamson snafu, and the "toxic, pernicious and woefully durable nature of anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism", I spoke to her about my need to join in solidarity and speak up about how this is a larger issue, one about how we treat human beings.

When Meredith writes that Williamson has said out loud what far too many others think privately relative to the Shoah and Jews , I think of the reactions I get when I write about disability and eugenics and disability and laws for assisted suicide. There is a great deal of denial about what is going on.

Stephen Drake over at Not Dead Yet writes that the worldwide euthanasia movement doesn't have an interest in limiting "eligibility" for euthanasia or assisted suicide to people who are "terminally ill," but typically introduce legislation as a "door-opening" strategy. In fact, here in the U.S. the latest move - in New Hampshire - is an attempt to redefine "terminal condition" to encompass any "incurable" condition that will result in "premature death."

The word "incurable" was applied to disabled people during the Holocaust. As Stephen Drake points out, having any kind of spinal cord injury lowers one's life expectancy so yours truly would be included, and this language would include many disabled people.

Those who deny the Holocast deny the history and the truth of those who suffered and died. Worse yet, they deny the ongoing and "woefully durable" anti-Semitism and - yes - ableism that dehumanizes people and devalues their lives.


[image description: Taken from Chewing the Fat, it shows the symbol worn by those with disabilities in the concentration camps. It is a ' black triangle (for asocial) with a white strip of cloth with the word BLOD (stupid) written on it'.]

Extreme Eugenics in the House of Lords

Led by   Molly Baroness Meacher, who told the Lords that children born with severe disabilities are "not viable people".

"The comments came as the Lords debated an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, put forward by Lady Swinton, Baroness Masham of Ilton, that would have protected unborn disabled children from abortion after the 24 week gestational time limit. The amendment was defeated by 89 votes to 22.

Under Britain's abortion law, children judged to have some form of disability, including such comparatively minor disabilities as club foot or cleft palate, can be aborted up to the time of natural birth." via lifesite.net

"MP's want clearer rules on abortion of the disabled"

hat tip to Monastic Musings

Sr. Edith writes about this article in the Daily Mail which reports that:

"The law governing the abortion of "seriously handicapped" babies should be made clearer, an influential committee of MPs is to say.

An inquiry will call for a clearer definition of disability, amid claims that growing numbers of foetuses are being aborted for conditions that can be cured."


To read the rest of the article click above.

Botched abortion raises eugenics issue in Italy

"Rome - A botched abortion in which a healthy twin foetus was terminated instead of its sibling with Down syndrome has reignited the abortion debate in Italy and raised allegations of eugenics.

....
"What happened in this hospital was not a medical abortion but an abortion done for the purposes of eugenics," she said, referring to the belief that the human species can be improved through selective reproduction.

The abortion was performed on a 38-year-old woman in Milan in June, but news of its outcome has only recently become public. Doctors blamed the mistake on movement of the foetuses between the examination and the abortion."

Via The Curt Jester

"Tinkering With Humans": NY Times book review of the Case Against Perfection

Over my coffee this morning, I read the review of the Case Against Perfection on the subject of genetic engineering. Its author questions the "old fashioned" view that genetic engineering and aiming toward a "perfect" society would rob us of our dignity and humanity.

I profoundly disagree and I have a few thoughts on the matter from where I sit as a disabled woman. Let me start by explaining that I believe the idea that our society has developed that perfection should be a goal comes from a fear of our own humanity and its unpredictability - the very glory of our existence which sadly is losing its value in the mainstream view.

Yesterday I scootered over to an outdoor concert in a public park. There were college students on their bikes watching, families on picnic blankets, seniors, and tourists.

I was the only gimp in sight - at least the only one with a visible disability. Now mind you, I've spent weeks getting mobilized after shoulder injuries, so it's just happenstance that I got my disabled body there at all, which does make me wonder how many more people with disabilities don't have the means to get to an event like this. I suppose if I did the math in my head knowing who lives in the area, I can think of at least half a dozen people I know of within a one mile area-2 blind friends, 4 in wheelchairs. In a three mile area I know of at least thirty. None of them had the transportation to get there.

Everyone was very friendly and I had a wonderful time but I found myself thinking this morning about how such scenes present a false sense of "perfection" which really does rob our society of seeing the whole picture. I know some reading this will question what I'm saying because they see disability as a negative and feel its eradication would be a worthwhile goal because it "eliminates suffering". But those are untrue words. Because being disabled has been equated with suffering, some people equate suffering with being disabled and mix up the whole thing in their heads.

I enjoyed that concert as much as anyone else there - because I was able to get there. What causes the suffering from disability is the lack of resources that lead to isolation. It's not the disability itself. Most people with disabilities who I've met are full of joy and life. I know we've all met able bodied people who are not that way and I warrant you that tinkering with humans and eliminating disability won't fix that.

The dignity of each human being as we're created is something I believe in as a Catholic. As a person with a disability, I can bear witness to you that the fears that feed eugenics and genetic engineering as a "fix-all" of the human race are misfounded.

By denying segments of our society the resources they need to function we have already "selectively eliminated" from participation those who are visible in our society. Let's not compound this by cutting their existence off at birth.

Wheelchair user barred from presenting petition on infanticide to Royal College of Ob/Gyn..

....because she needed someone to push her wheelchair and only one person is allowed, according to RCOG, into its London headquarters.

"The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) London, today refused to let wheelchair-user Alison Davis present a petition on the infanticide of disabled babies. Officials told Ms. Davis, leader of the No Less Human disability rights group, that she could not come in because she would need someone to push her wheelchair, and the RCOG would only let one person into its London headquarters.

Alison Davis, who has spina bifida, said: “It would be comical if it weren't also tragic that the RCOG, which has asked for a debate on the killing of babies with disabilities such as spina bifida, won't let me, a disabled person, hand over our petition which has some 28,000 signatures. Neither I nor my career is a threat to anyone.”

Click above to read the rest.

On the 80th Anniversary of the Buck decision and Contemporary Trends in Eugenics

"This month marked the 80th anniversary of the disgraceful Supreme Court decision in Buck v. Bell, which upheld Virginia's involuntary sterilization laws. In his majority opinion, Holmes declared: "It is better for all the world, if instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime, or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind . . . Three generations of imbeciles is enough."
...Though society may be inclined to regard Holmes's detestable opinion in Buck v. Bell as a relic of a time past, eerie similarities exist in contemporary remarks of the well-respected."

Via Washington Post Op Ed by Andrew J. Imparato is president and chief executive and Anne C. Sommers is the policy counsel of the American Association of People With Disabilities, based in Washington.

This op ed explores the current trend in eugenics in legislation such as the futile care law, Britain's Royal College's argument for active euthanasia a la Peter Singer, increased prenatal testing, and perception of the disabled as "burdens" and "defective".

The authors write:

"On this 80th anniversary of Buck, let's not foolishly believe that victims of eugenics are an artifact of history. So long as we speak in terms of good genes and bad genes, recognize a life with a disability as an injury, and allow health policies to value some lives over others, we continue to create human rights violations every day."

Whose Planet Is It Anyway?: Just mailed my taxes...

Over at Whose Planet is it Anyway, a post about being "fed up with all the people I'm supporting with my tax money" from a person with autism's point of view:

"And how about the eugenics researchers who are happily munching on all those tasty grants from the National Institutes of Health that fund their autism genetic studies to develop a prenatal screening test? That's my tax money being spent for their genocidal schemes, too."

Click above to read the rest.

Disabled woman denied sustenance

Over at Human Life Matters, a story about a woman with developmental disabilities

Disability Rights advocates work to save Baby Emilio

Groups such as Not Dead Yet, ADAPT, the Feminist Response in Disability Activism, and individual advocates are working to keep doctors from pulling the plug on Baby Emilio, a toddler with disabilities in Texas who has been declared as "futile" under the Futile Care Law. Under the Futile Care Law, physicians must give only 10 days notice before they withdraw treatment if further care is deemed medically futile, even over the wishes of the patient and family. The ethics committee at the hospital, which has been given this Ultimate Authority, has deigned to allow the child's family until April 10 to find a hospital or doctor to care for him before they pull the plug.

This would be done AGAINST THE WISHES OF THE CHILD'S OWN FAMILY, who want him to be kept alive.

Meanwhile there is a bill pending in the Texas legislature which would prevent hospitals from doing this until the family has had time to find another hospital to care for the child.

I will post the petition again on my blog. We only have 300 people and organizations who have signed this.

Anyone else believe in the value of the life of a toddler with disabilities and/or the right of his parents to make the decision?


Via Inclusion News Daily

Over at Historical Christian....

Aimee writes a spiritual post about people with disabilities and God's love.

She writes about Bruce, who has a cognitive disability, after he comes out of an institution to live in the community:

"Bruce spent the first half of his life in an institution, and I asked him one time what it was like. He told me stories, in his simple, innocent way, that I cannot reproduce here. He also told me that when he first came out, he was terrified, because he had never been out in the world before, and didn’t know what to do or how to act, found all the noise and activity confusing and terrifying.

But now, he found it a joy, and loved living every day. He always spoke with joy and love of his ability to live in the world, have a job, be around people, and have friends. And it showed – he was a joy to be around."

What a gift to find a post that highlights what people with disabilities can bring to the community rather than one that complains about accommodating them! Thank you Aimee.

Prenatal Screenings: Church responds to recommendation for Down syndrome tests

Via St Louis Review Online

Whose Planet Is It Anyway?: Life Is Suffering

Whose Planet Is It Anyway?: Life Is Suffering

An excellent post about eugenics that states in part: "If we aborted every fetus that was ever going to suffer, the human species would promptly become extinct." She also notes that perfection is a moving target and that many children now labeled with disorders would not have been years ago.

"