Editorial: Remove ‘hurtful’ language from Idaho law
February 13th, 2010Editors at the Idaho Statesman endorse proposed legislation that would remove the following words and terms from Idaho’s state code: “mentally retarded,” “mentally deficient,” “handicapped,” “lunatic” and “idiot.” An excerpt:
These words haven’t become merely archaic. They are hurtful. They should give us all pause and make us cringe a little.
Critics will accuse [the bill's sponsor] of indulging in political correctness. This argument is as flimsy as it is convenient.
If our state law contains language we know to be needlessly offensive to a segment of our population, shouldn’t we do the right thing and change our wording? Isn’t that just common sense and common courtesy?
See also:
Lawmaker: Nix ‘retarded,’ ‘lunatic’ from Idaho law — AP/Idaho Statesman

