From the Daily Tarheel at the University of North Carolina:

Guest columnist Sarah Truluck responds to the recent controversy involving Professor Albert Harris, who told his biology class that women have a responsibility to abort their pregnancies if Down syndrome is diagnosed prenatally. Truluck is affiliated with the campus chapter of Best Buddies.

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act passed, granting individuals with disabilities nondiscrimination in the workplace and in other public venues.

However, this act means nothing without our assistance - if we believe every erroneous fact we hear about the inability of people with disabilities to have viable lives and to contribute to the society around them, we will continue to treat them with less than the respect they deserve. If we instead recognize that they do face challenges and that they have things to share with us, we can help improve their quality of life by being an understanding friend.

… By just accepting those with disabilities as they are, respecting the challenges they face and reaching out a hand in friendship, we can help change things, one person and negative stereotype at a time.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 24th, 2008 at 5:53 am and is filed under Down syndrome, abortion, commentary, genetics, prenatal diagnosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post