Op-ed: Schiavo case reveals lack of interest in disability rights
April 7th, 2008In the second of two columns this week marking the third anniversary of the death of Terri Schiavo, columnist Nat Hentoff traces the work of a foundation started by the young woman’s family. (The first column is here.)
Hentoff quotes Schiavo’s brother Bobby Schindler as saying that the foundation continues to “fight daily to shed light on the fact that having a disability of ay kind does nothing to diminish a person’s inherent value and worth.” But fundraising for the foundation has not been easy. Says Hentoff:
I am surprised that so far there have been no major donors. It’s an indication that disability rights — including denial of life itself — are still of minor interest to much of the public and the far-flung media, including the struggles of those families — families whose loved ones are far from dead, but, who, like Terri, are in imminent danger of disappearing.
As Terri’s father, Bob, has said: “We pay great lip service in this country to disability rights, but as the degree of a person’s disability increases, the level of legal protection that person receives decreases.” This can be changed only by action from those Americans who realize that we are all only temporarily able.
Those who do not want others to decide when they should die should consider helping sustain the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation.
This entry was posted
on Monday, April 7th, 2008 at 3:33 pm and is filed under NOT2BEMISSED, civil rights, euthanasia, media, public attitudes, quality of life.
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