In this political season when we the people are faced with deciding which road to take for this generation, and those that follow, it is easy for many to take the path of least resistance otherwise known as the apathetic route, and proclaim: “politicians…they’re all the same” consequently abdicating their responsibility at the polls. The earth shaking issues tilting the Richter scale are: the economy, jobs, national security, and immigration. Underneath that layer are other issues no less profound, and impact the future of this land of the free, and home of the brave. Social issues seem to be relegated to the second tier of importance, and are looked upon with a snobbish nose of disdain. I ask you to consider a story posted on disabilityscoops.com, by Shaun Heasley , dated May 15, 2012. The headline reads: States Look To End ‘Wrongful Birth’ Suits. Apparently lawmakers from Arizona to New Jersey are looking to sharply limit the ability of parents to pursue legal action against doctors when their children are born with various disabilities, including the one you may have been born with. As I see it, the issues are: a doctors’ legal obligation to inform parents of the possibility of a birth defect, the unborn child’s right to life, and the parent’s choice. Another question to chew on is once a decision is made for or against life, who is affected most? Is it mom, dad, extended family, or in the end, the individual the choice was presumably made for? All of the above considered, one has to ask, if an in the womb procedure were the choice, would that choice have its place in convenience, cost, preservation, or for the sake of the unborn child? I dare not speak for you, or presume I know your belief system, but I would venture to say, that like me, with tears rolling down your cheeks, you have asked on more than one occasion, why God, why was I born this way? The technology available today was not accessible when I was born. If it were, and my mom knew I would be born with a disability, and she made the convenient choice, then I would’ve never have had the opportunity to experience the gift of family, of learning, of singing, of music, of reading, of dancing, of loving, of saying yes, of competing internationally as a disabled athlete, of traveling around the world, of touching the lives of countless people because of my disability, of knowing a wife, children, and grandchildren. If the politics of the day, and the players are disagreeable, then for our society, and culture, go to the polls, and vote for life’s’ sake. It is the social issue of our time.
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