Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
Throughout history, people with disabilities have been treated as moral and social
inferiors. Often, those with certain disabilities have been relegated to live lives of
segregation, resigned to institutions and facilities because they have been regarded as
incapable of making decisions or caring for themselves, or because others, whether
family or those in the community, did not want to bear the burden of their presence. I
argue that this view of disability as burdensome has resulted in the near 100%
termination rate in Iceland in pregnancies found to be chromosomally abnormal. Further,
I argue that this negative perception of disability is a result of systematic coercion, and a
violation of the ethical principles of autonomy and justice.
inferiors. Often, those with certain disabilities have been relegated to live lives of
segregation, resigned to institutions and facilities because they have been regarded as
incapable of making decisions or caring for themselves, or because others, whether
family or those in the community, did not want to bear the burden of their presence. I
argue that this view of disability as burdensome has resulted in the near 100%
termination rate in Iceland in pregnancies found to be chromosomally abnormal. Further,
I argue that this negative perception of disability is a result of systematic coercion, and a
violation of the ethical principles of autonomy and justice.
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