From [UK] Times: (Editor’s note: Link no longer working as of 3 p.m. Eastern)

In the wake of a court decision that found a mother guilty of murdering her daughter with cerebral palsy, parents of children with disabilities say they face daily battles with schools and social services to be given the help they need. During the trial of Joanne Hill, the court heard testimony that Hill was motivated by shame over her daughter Naomi’s condition. (Photo above.)

Joanne Hill admitted to killing her daughter, but denied murder on the grounds of mental illness, including depression.

Parents of children with disabilities described losing social safety nets, including being abandoned by spouses, being ignored by social services, losing services when relocating, losing jobs, and becoming homeless.

… Hill’s is not an isolated case. While most parents love their disabled children unconditionally, they are also worn out by endless battles for the services they are entitled to.

The controversial debate of terminations in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill returns to Parliament in the coming weeks. Some parents say that if they had known how difficult life was to be with disabled children they might have reconsidered their choice.

While it is unclear how much support Hill was offered by social services, her cries for help were clearly not heard. Yesterday, mothers of disabled children were slower to condemn her …

See also: The unique pressures of caring for a disabled child — By Beth Neil in the [UK] Mirror

No one can ever justify Joanne Hill’s actions. I won’t defend her - I can’t.

But as a mother of a severely disabled child myself, I do empathise.

Because I know what it’s like to be pushed to the brink.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 25th, 2008 at 12:26 pm and is filed under abortion, cerebral palsy, criminal justice, depression, disabilities, families, international, mental health, parents, selective termination. 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