UN says huge obstacles remain for people with disabilities
December 3rd, 2009From the Voice of America:
Kicking off the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations has issued a statement saying that hundreds of millions of people with disabilities around the world continue to face overwhelming obstacles in their efforts to lead a meaningful life. An excerpt:
Globally, almost one in ten people is a person living with a disability and recent studies indicate that persons with disabilities constitute up to 20 per cent of the population living in poverty in developing countries.
Many persons with disabilities continue to face barriers to their participation in their communities and are often forced to live on the margins of society. They often face stigma and discrimination and are routinely denied basic rights such as food, education, employment, access to health and reproductive health services.
Many persons with disabilities are also forced into institutions, a direct breach of the rights to freedom of movement and to live in their communities.
In commemoration of the Dec. 3 event, the UN launched a campaign called “Empowering Persons with Disabilities with the Right to Act.”
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December 4th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Great point! It seems all too often I see anti-abortion/Pro-Life rhetoric end at birth as if life after birth is someone else’s issue to take on.
This seriously made me smile, I often feel on the wrong side of the table and alone being pro-choice with a child with Down syndrome, but it’s nice to see that there may be some common ground for those of us who differ on abortion rights issues.
Thanks for the post!
December 4th, 2009 at 9:43 am
I hate being so pessimistic all the time but don’t statistics representing this reality of “disability” make a far more convincing argument for terminating “unwanted” pregnancies than what most doctors or advocates are providing in the form of promoting a “positive” diagnosis of DS and other disability labels?
If we’re going to be “pro-life” here in the US let’s start talking real pro life – long term issues and let’s start with this grim reality of what most people face when they are brought into a world that continues to isolate them because of their disability.
Harriet McBryde Johnson was relentless arguing for her own “right to life” but she was literally one in a few million. She was different not because of her disability so much but because of her economic means. Her family provided for her.
We can parade our children as examples for “pro life” all we want but what most people see is the grim reality of isolation and poverty.