Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Don’t Kill People with Disabilities. Especially Family. @BADDtweets

Don’t Kill People with Disabilities. Especially Family. @BADDtweets

Last updated on: May 1, 2015 at 10:38 am by Jennifer Fitz

Don’t Kill People with Disabilities. Especially Family. @BADDtweets 2015-05-01T10:38:24-05:00 Jennifer Fitz

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’m reminded by Ruth at Wheelie Catholic that May 1 is Blogging Against Disablism Day. My message this year is real simple: Don’t kill innocent people. Specifically we’ll talk this year about the people in your family. Do not kill them.

1. Don’t kill your children. Even the disabled ones.

If you are hoping to have a child, do not make plans to kill that child if he or she isn’t good enough for you. That’s fake parenting. There are plenty of real parents out there who understand that when you conceive (or adopt) you are making the decision to accept the child who comes your way, no matter what.

It’s not “parenting” if it’s about your fulfillment and your perfect life. Parenting is a sacrificial act. It’s about deciding to love and care for someone no matter how difficult it gets, no matter how unpleasant, embarrassing, terrifying, mortifying . . . that’s parenting. It won’t always be idyllic. It may involve tough decisions that don’t look like Mayberry. But it never, ever, involves directly killing your innocent child. If you have to murder somebody, you’re doing it wrong.

–> To review: Aborting children with disabilities does not “prevent” disabilities. It kills children with disabilities. Don’t do that.

2. Don’t kill your other relatives. Even the sick or injured ones.

Sooner or later everyone dies, and it’s not always a quick, easy process. The human body can be woefully stubborn. The in-between phase between perfect health and final breath can be long and painful. It can be extremely difficult to care for a family member who is seriously ill or disabled. There is no obligation to resort to extraordinary measures in order to prolong life. But we don’t therefore directly kill someone who is difficult to care for.

There may come a time at the end of life when the body no longer tolerates food or drink; but so long as it is possible, we provide food and drink. There are times when the best available medical treatment has side effects that might shorten life; but we don’t intentionally give a lethal dose of a medication for the purpose of ending that life. Killing your family members isn’t kind or caring, it’s murder. Don’t do it.

[See below in the links for some more reading on this topic.]

3. Don’t discriminate against yourself, either.

Murder is the worst sort of disablism, and self-murder is not valorous, it’s cowardice. If you don’t want to be a burden to other people, cultivate a kind and caring personality. Learn how to be happy in difficult circumstances. Get your financial affairs in order. Keep your house clean. If you’ve lived a life of generosity and selflessness, should the day should come that someone needs to care for you, it will be that person’s privilege to do so.

Don’t deny them that privilege. Don’t deny yourself the growth and maturity that comes from a time of suffering well-practiced. As you reach the end of your life, don’t deny yourself and your family the chance you’ve been given to prepare for death and bereavement by cutting that time short. Don’t be afraid. Be brave.

Disablism is about cowardice. It’s about not being man enough to hack it in the real world. You’ve only got this one life. Don’t live it like a sniveling weenie, hiding from every little problem that comes your way. Don’t be some fainting parlour-pansy, unable to deal with the stinky, tiring, unpleasant facts of living in this fallen world.

You don’t need a new car, a big house, or the right beer in order to be bold and courageous. Start by not murdering people, and the rest will follow.

Click through to read other contributions to BADD 2015

Related:

The other contributions to BADD 2015 – note this is not a Catholic event, wide variety of opinions going on here.
Simcha Fisher’s hilariously true column about advice given to mothers of newborns: Maybe if we didn’t listen to everyone telling us how to be perfect, we wouldn’t be afraid to just be normal?
My double effect tutorial, if you’re looking for a finer understanding of how end-of-life moral issues work.
A related post of mine looking at IVF and the possibility of arguments in its favor. (Hint: No can do.)
My review of Hitchcock’s I Confess, in which we learn about true heroism, self-sacrifice, mercy and forgiveness. If you’ve murdered someone lately, watch this film. You are not lost. There is hope for you.

Catholic Q&A

Disability & Chronic Illness

Previous Post

April 28, 2015

Help a Widow and Two Orphans

Next Post

May 7, 2015 Is there a Christian Answer to the Transgender Problem? How about BIID?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Catechesis Catholic Q&A Chastity Church Craziness Come See Me Talk Disability & Chronic Illness Economics Evangelization Facepalm Forgiveness Good Things History Homeschooling Human Rights It's All Catholic Listen to Me Survey Series Liturgical Living Marriage Modesty Not Satire. But almost. Rant-o-Rama Sacred Art & Music Satire South Carolina Spark Clutter Stick that Corner Suffering Thinking Topics Writing Stuff

Select a Month September 2026 July 2026 June 2026 January 2026 December 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 November 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What book has the most references to the word "love" in the New Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

John Matthew 1 John Romans