Disability Rights and Women Asylums

The disabilities movement fights for the right not to have to have an abortion. In other words, expecting mothers who have fetuses that have the potential of having (a) disabilit-y/-ies should not be forced into getting an abortion. This coercion is not only direct but also from more subtle forms such as lack of information being provided to the expecting mother on how people with disabilities live life. This article by Saxon strongly reminded me of the articles we read last week about how society views those with disabilities and the lack of help they receive from the US Government. The media portrays the idea that their disability is the cause of their difficulties and lower living standards. As I think about what I instinctively believe of those who are disabled, all of it is negative -- especially in terms of economic and social dependency on others. I picture myself having a child and wondering if I would care more about how the disabilities of my child would affect me and my family or how much my child would suffer from the discrimination of others or if my child could grow up to be a strong individual who knows her (in the non-specific gender sense) own limitations. I know there are conditions in my family that I must be vigilant for, but I don't believe they are so debilitating that I would prevent my child to enter this world because of it. Thinking about the future, it would scary to think there might be a day that part of the pregnancy process would include getting an amnio test. I wish to believe that would not affect me, but it would. I liked how this article pointed out ways of thinking this society has today that should be challenged to increase the acceptance of different types of people. From this and previous articles, it seems how medicine approaches the reproduction of different groups of women reflect how society values this population group.

Like previous articles, Showalter's article about how Britain dealt with insane women during the Victorian era in a historical world controlled by men has affected the thoughts of how people deal with the same issues since then. The article showed how patients would be viewed to fit preconceived notions about them, similar to today's society where discriminations against different groups of people usually involve generalizations that individuals cannot totally fulfill. This article gave me information in things I hadn't known before. I knew that males could not accept the concept that females were also sexual beings, but the fact that ice baths would be used as a type of "cure" shocked me. From Chinese medicine, I have been taught that contact with cold is bad for a woman's body, especially during menstruation. The woman will experience pains in that area due to poor circulation that results from the cold water treatment. I get chills thinking about the treatment back then. I have to admire the psychological these physicians could produce through their tactics but the crueltly is amazing. I an glad I don't live in such an era.