Post edited at 1:57 pm on Oct. 14, 2006 by InsaneBlue

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"Never bring a pen to a swordfight"

One of the men I work with is severely mentally retarded, at 46 he has the mental development of a 2 or 3 year old. Although he is nearly impossible to work with (especially since we have to help meet his needs while treating him as an adult) and his quality of life is not what you or I would expect from a 46 year old. I don't know, I guess I am pretty emotionally connected to this issue, but all of the people I work with are the most caring sweet people. So many people think that they have no personality, that just because they can't do what a "normal" person can do, they aren't really a person, that they shouldn't have to "suffer," but if you spent any amount of time with them you would understand that they have the exact same emotions as we do. They are still people.

-Edit: As far as communication goes, just because they do not have vocal capabilities does not mean they have no clue what is going on. Another one of the residents communicates by nodding or shaking his head to yes or no questions, or using a handheld computer that speaks for him.

Post edited at 6:20 pm on Oct. 24, 2006 by beckster

Society needs to respect the humanity of every person.

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Cody

Quote: from DaRareBlackNerd at 3:38 pm on Oct. 12, 2006

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You can't miss what you've never had

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I agree 100%. How can we compare their lives to ours, and base the desicion of allowing them to live or not on this, whenever they don't have the slightest idea of what our lives our like in the first place? Sure, they may see us as fully capable people, and may become jealous, but does that give us reason to kill them? I may be jealous of someone much more wealthy than me to the point of being in severe emotional distress, but are they going to kill ME to put me out of MY pain? No, so why should we do the same for them? No, I'm not saying that my pain can be compared to theirs by ANY means, I'm just saying that there are many other options open for these people besides death.

Also, I don't think we are certified to even enforce our oppinions unless we ourselves are parents. We can not ask a mother to kill their child because of it's dissabilities. That child is not only a part of her, but is also a part of the father.

I am currently training horses for a young couple who have three children. One of these is a severely dissabled boy, probably around the age of five. He is restrained to a wheelchair or stroller at all times because of his disease. Well, his mother brought him outside the other day, in his stroller, and I kept an eye on him while she went inside to get something. I must say, for having no communication besides literally waving his arms and making noises, he was one of the most happy children I have ever seen. He was SO interested in the world around him, I could just see the inquisition is his eyes. Ever for such a young age, I could see the lack of care for his dissability, and the interest in learning and exploring the world around him. Should we deny him this privelege simply because he would have to do it from a stroller or wheelchair?

No, I don't believe that they should be euthanized because many people believe that their sould purpose in life is to have children; whether it be by conception, forster care or adoption; and to take care of these children with all of their hearts. If a parent does not see the need in spending the rest of their lives assuring their child a happy, constrictive future, than I'm sure there's someone else out there who would.

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Even freedom can become perilous when used to please others.
-Me

If the person is capable of killing themselves, I think that's fine (I'm a supporter of suicide), but intelligence, health, strength, or lack thereof, are never reasons to deprive someone of the choice to live.

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When a man leaves his darkness, he follows the Son.

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She does not, nor will she ever live normally, but to deny her the life that she loves, a life that she fights for on a consistant basis is cruel and an unbelievable measure from any account.

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Edgar Allen Poe had a severe mental condition.  As did many, many other famous people (sorry, I'm drawing a blank right now).  A burden to the world in some ways, perhaps, but who is to say that with every baby culled you would not be depriving the world of another brilliant mind?

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My father works with these people, and many of them, however oblivious, spend their days happy. They are very much alive, and they enjoy what they can perceive of life, so it would be inhumane to kill them.

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I've wondered that before. But now I have a mentally disabled cousin, best friend, and alot of people that are around me with mental disabilties. They aren't really that different from us other than they can't reason  They also have some of the biggest hearts I've ever known in a person. It would be inhumane to let them die

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i have OCD and aspergers syndrome and dont want to have kids because i dnt want to pass on any mental health problems, however i consider myself to be fit for parenting so will probably adopt or foster children.

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I don't think most mental disorders stop people from having at least some quality of life...I mean they enjoy life in their own way. Therefore they should not be allowed to die.

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Even people like Terri Schiavo who can't communicate or do anything are still human beings. That, in itself, is a good enough reason to let them live. But with people like her, you can't know whether she wanted to live or not.
Do we pull the plug, and watch as the nutrients stop flowing through her feeding tube? Then do we wait until we see this: ____________?
Did she even feel anything? Before they removed the tube, was she even really alive?


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The Gods of Trolling

I think that parents should have the option of euthanasia. We have it for our pets and to some people pets are their children. I feel that it is somewhat cruel to have a severely mentally handicapped person living. First, they have no idea what the world is or will ever be able to. They can't feed themselves or even learn. If a dog becomes so challenged or even injured [with their mind totally still intact] people will have them euthanized because it is cruel to let a living being suffer. Suffering doesn't just consist of pain, but also living a life of retardation.

I do no think however, that because someone can't learn they should be put to sleep, but someone that can't get up, can't talk, and can't know. I've met a few mentally challenged people and feel sorry for them simply because they will never understand the real nature of life. They will enjoy things that we all will such as the beach and a sunset, but never love, have children, pay a bill, or even shop alone.

I could see myself adopting a mentally challenged girl or boy, one that has the capacity to learn some things and live a nearly normal life, but not someone so handicapped they could never do anything alone, even the simplest of tasks.

So yes, I think they should have the option to have their loved child escape the cruel world. We have it for our pets, why not our children who may bare the same problems? However, I also think that since they ARE living beings too that they should be able to have the chance of living life like anyone else. This is a hard topic, but I would 60% say yes.

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"im just typein to fast i no how to spell thank u!!!
and wow my name is just so cute u have to put it on ur thing" -Airel

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Having flashbacks to the mass exterminations of the Jews in pursuit of the Aryan race here....

My sister is severely mentally disabled.  As is my mother.

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is it fair to them to let them live when they'll never live normally?

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I am curious as to whether or not you have had any kind of experience with a mentally disabled person.  If you have, I would suggest you look deeper.  Just because a person is mentally disabled does not mean that they do not know fear, that they do not know pain, that they would somehow not sense that they were dying even at a very early age, or at the very least sense that something was wrong.

Just because a person does not live normally does not mean that they don't enjoy life, that they don't cling to it as passionately as every other living soul on this Earth.  My sister for example is one of the most passionate people I know, one of the most brilliant minds I have ever come across (and she has an IQ significantly higher than my own as tested).

She does not, nor will she ever live normally, but to deny her the life that she loves, a life that she fights for on a consistant basis is cruel and an unbelievable measure from any account.

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who will be nothing but burdens to their families and everyone else?

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Edgar Allen Poe had a severe mental condition.  As did many, many other famous people (sorry, I'm drawing a blank right now).  A burden to the world in some ways, perhaps, but who is to say that with every baby culled you would not be depriving the world of another brilliant mind?

Interesting topic though....

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I know exactly what you mean my sister has a severe mentally dabilitating condition known as cerebral palsie and dude its called eugenics when you sterlize people who are by your standards sub human and when you kill them its called crimes against humanity FUCK YOU And GET THE FUCK OUT OF THESE FORUMS AND JUST ARGH YOU DON"T COUNT AS A HUMAN BEING IN MY BOOK

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No god will save us; we must save ourselves.
God made me an atheist. Who are you to question his wisdom

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I know exactly what you mean my sister has a severe mentally dabilitating condition known as cerebral palsie and dude its called eugenics when you sterlize people who are by your standards sub human and when you kill them its called crimes against humanity FUCK YOU And GET THE FUCK OUT OF THESE FORUMS AND JUST ARGH YOU DON"T COUNT AS A HUMAN BEING IN MY BOOK

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Anyways.
What makes a human a human? That's the question that needs to be answered. Does a brain constitute humanity? If so, having a brain that doesn't work makes you sub-human, and it's ok to euthanize someone.
But if it's something more, like a soul or a beating heart or the ability to feel, then the situation becomes much more difficult. How can we determine whether Terri Schiavo felt happiness or sadness? She couldn't express those feelings, but what if they were in her searching for a way to escape?


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The Gods of Trolling

Euthanising mentally disabled babies is giving up on them before there was ever any hope,   It's hard on the families and even the kids themselves,  but one day their could be a cure.  And in the end,  what right do we have not too deny them a life?