http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2238288/Katie-Renfroe-suffers-rare-genetic-disorder-megalencephaly.htmlKatie Renfroe, four, was diagnosed with megalencephaly before she was born, causing some of her facial features to be abnormally large.
She also had part of her brain removed as an infant to control the seizures that were happening as often as 50 times a day.
...
'You can lay here, you can cry or you can leave this in
God's hands, which is where she belongs,' Angie remembers thinking. Next, she
talked to God.
'If you let me have her, I'll raise her and take care of her
the best I know how to do for as long as you give her to me.'
...
As Katie has grown, so have her cheeks. Extra skin on top of
her cheeks gives them a mottled brown look. Her ears are also deformed and she
has some hearing loss.
Her tongue doesn't fit in her mouth, but ever resourceful,
she has still figured out how to suck her two fingers and her thumb.
She doesn't have seizures anymore but her muscles tighten
up, causing a stiffness that rolls from one side of her petite frame to the
other.
When that happens, whichever family member is closest pats
her back, rubs her arm or pinches her feet to help her snap out of it. - Daily Mail
Is the life of this child and other severely disabled children a life of dignity and enjoyment? Would you want to be this child? If given the choice, would these children have chosen the bodies they were born into? Is the choice of the parents to continue the pregnancy an entirely selfish one, or did they place themselves in the shoes of the child and determine that they would want and enjoy life in a broken body? Is God to blame when the parents refuse to abort for religious reasons? Is God to blame for creating the defects in the first place? Is God punishing these children for some past sin?
Our society is busy churning out baby-mad women who think that birthing a child will somehow complete them, unfortunately none of these women actually know how to raise their child to become effective and considerate humans who contribute to the wellbeing of all. The parents are so obsessed with having a child that they do not consider everything that it will entail, nor do they act in the best interests of the child. The thoughts and statements of "I want a child", "I want to hold my legacy in my arms", "I am incomplete and will only be complete by having a child" - are all indicators of self interest and NOT the potential child's interests.
Just consider the TV series that are aired these days, all glorifying the concept of child rearing and perpetuating the belief that every woman is absolutely dying to have a child and that babies are the key to disappearing all your woes. These shows also encourage the idea that parents are practically the "owners" of their child(ren) and that outside interference is an absolute taboo, even in situations of abuse. The TV series show disabled children in a very flattering manner, playing on the emotions and guilt of parents to bring a child into this world knowing that its body is broken and will never allow the child to live a full life, as if simply being alive in this wonderful, wonderful world is enough. It is not enough to simply exist.
This is a hard question, a controversial topic. The media manipulation being perpetrated today is unacceptable, as not one of these TV shows considers what it is to walk in the shoes of a disabled person who is completely dependent on others, nor does it even touch on considering what is best for the child.
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