As I was preparing for my presentation with the articles, "The Female Malady" by Elaine Showalter and "Abortion Wars" by Marsha Saxton, I was completely astonished. Showalter's article illustrates the heavy influence of male dominance on health during the 1850s. It was obvious that men were threatened by women empowerment, so they would diagnosis them as "crazy" so their aspirations to work out of the home or live outside of the domestic sphere were ceased. The cures these men devised for mental insanity were absurd. Cold water, fluid injections, and leeches---- now that's insane! The power that males had in this society is clearly displayed through the study of female insanity, because males did obtain the control even in the health field.
I really enjoyed Saxton's article. It was moving to hear this type of information from someone who is disabled and has spent their lives according to that particular lifestyle. She opened up a controversial topic, which has pros/cons to each situation. Personally, I can't justify an either side. I don't think it's right or wrong. I feel like disabled people contribute to society just as much as someone who is not disabled. There are many examples in our society today that emphasize the strong capability of disabled people. For example, in the TLC show "Little People, Big World" the Roloff family is functioning in society as any other family. Their dwarf son is a skilled soccer player, while the two dwarf parents are working and managing a large farm. Is it really fair for an outsider, such as a doctor to justify the life of a disabled person? In the Grey's Anatomy clip, I wasn't surprised to see the non-disabled people feeling sorry or labeling the young girl's life as "hell".
These two articles really made me think about serious issues that one day will affect me. I wondered about what I would do if I was an expecting mother with a predicted disabled child on the way. What would you do?
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