Culture Wars.....
Print ViewNicholas Provenzo is the founder and Chairman of the Center for the Advancement of Capitalism. He penned a blog titled Palin's Down syndrome child and the right to abortion . It's creating a bit of a stir. It's not pretty, and you WILL find it disturbing -- but i want you to read his article and react to it in two ways: first, your gut reaction to what he says. Secondly, i would like YOU to respond to a few of his specific statements. Show how a couple of his points are faulty or his reasoning is wrong just as if you were debating him in front of a crowd or on TV. In other words, first just vent and react, but second, show how he is wrong (or right), using some of his own statements.
Oh yeah, two things: read the article slowly, taking time to understand what he says, and don't bother to read the comments -- there are well over a hundred so far.
I don't think i need to put a length on this -- i think you will write plenty. DEADLINE is THURSDAY MIDNIGHT -- ZERO CREDIT IF LATE!
BREAKING NEWS!! McCain to "suspend" his campaign -- check out CNN's story now for class tomorrow!
That article, first of all, isn't written too well (with the typos), and is purely lame. I have some experience with mentally retarded people (my Uncle Chad) and they definitely are not a burden. Everyone in my family loves Chad, and he is one of the coolest and funniest people I know. We take Chad every so often for a week or month and he is more than a pleasure than a burden. Besides, if a human actually had a heart, they would not mind take extra care of a special child just because they loved them. I highly doubt anyone with a mentally retarded child who they didn't abort, wishes that they aborted them in the long run (that would be murder right?). It is also obvious that the my uncle is a Christian, so he'll be even more awesome in heaven. I guess looking through the secularists perspective, who think that abortion is ok, you might think that aborting a disabled child is ok. But it is definitely not a priority which this article makes it out to be. The whole part where he explains - "Christians say that aborting a child is destructive, but bringing a disabled child into the world isn't" and he answers it by saying this is wrong, it sounds a lot like eugenics to me. If that's true than we should be not allowing disabled foreigners to enter the country. Also, after reading the quotes he disliked, they seemed to make more sense than his article. The end of the article shows how Palin probably just kept the baby for good credit, so even if she won the election, and it was all because of more people liking her because she kept that baby, fours years of vice presidency would not be worth it for a lifetime with a baby (that's if she really wanted to abort but didn't for more votes). We'll see how she takes care of the baby as it grows up to see if she really wanted it.
Posted by Ethan — Sep 22, 2008 20:52
The first thing I thought about was that I have a relative that has down syndrome, and I think about the life that he has been able to live for the past forty something years. Doctors are not always totally accurate with their diagnosis, my relatives diagnosis was a lot worse before he was born than he actually is now. I believe God has a reason and a purpose and a plan for every child that is born. Also, I believe in miracles! "With God all things are possible." God cannot perform a miracle in a childs life, if the child is aborted. One of Provenzo's statements that really annoyed me was when he said, "they are essentially stranding the cost of their child's life upon others" because I am sure that most people that pay taxes, etc, would rather have their money be spent on helping a disabled child live a better life that what most of their money is wasted on! Another statement that really annoyed me is when he said "Because a person afflicted with Down syndrome is only capable of being marginally productive (if at all) and requires constant care and supervision." I disagree with this because there is a lot of medical help today for down syndrome people to help them be more productive.
Posted by Brittney Shock — Sep 23, 2008 19:20
It is extremely disturbing to see that there are people in the world who have no heart or soul whatsoever. Aborting mentally disabled babies to rid the world of imperfect people is one of the most immature arguments I have ever heard.These people obviously need help and if they really wished to make the world perfect they should find a bridge to throw themselves off of because the world is better off with 'disabled' people than heartless children whom no matter what their birth certificates say, will never grow up. Besides I remember seeing a special on tv a few years back about a mentally retarded man who lived with all of his family going between them regularly ( like Ethan's uncle ) and he wrote songs and poems. He couldn't write or talk but he would motion to his siblings or parents to play a cd or record that he wanted and what track, then he would motion to them when a specific word was sung and they would write it down and he wrote beautiful poems and songs that way going word by word. That to me is amazing and right there disproves his statement about them only being able to function partially or not at all. Also there is a famous preacher who has cerebral palsy and has a very hard time talking but still preaches sermons on a regular basis. God lets everything happen for a reason and nothing in this world is truly ever random. And to his comment about disabled people bringing out the best in people it is as 'right as rain.' This world has gotten so caught up in themselves they forget that Eve was created to be with Adam because it was not right for him to be alone, in my opinion no person is created to be alone, we need God and we need each other, and if helping out those who can't always help themselves is a burden then why bother caring at all about anything? Rules and Laws are meant to protect people, our basis of life other than to worship God is to help people out, even flipping burgers is providing food for people in a hurry, but America has forgotten what it means to care or have a heart at all. People who are mentally retarded always seem to have the best perspectives on life and you can't help but smile when you are around one, they have the most ' limitations' yet they in a way have the most freedom, they are the happiest people in the world and we can learn much much more from them than we could from heartless pessimists who have nothing better to do than sit behind a computer and point out what is ' wrong ' with everyone who isn't so called ' perfect. '
Posted by Gracie — Sep 24, 2008 15:50