For over thirty years I've worked
and lived with people who have special needs. I would say without hesitation
that they're some of the most wonderful people you could ever hope to
meet.
The last six years of my working
life were spent with some of the most profoundly impaired people, both
physically and intellectually. Within a few days of commencing work I was
deeply struck by how each person was a unique personality, with a great capacity
for connection, communication, humour and love. Working with each one was a
privilege and impacted my life for the better.
There is nothing to fear from a
person with special needs. I'm more afraid of criminals and addicts and people
with the capacity to conduct elaborate scams. I may be generalising here but I
have found that people with special needs make great friends because they value
friendship for its own sake. They make great employees because they want to be
included in the workforce, work as hard as they can and take sick days only
when they're sick.
I write this in the aftermath of
a widely publicised report of a couple in USA who allegedly aborted their
21week old baby in the womb because test results indicated that the child may
have Down Syndrome or Trisomy 21. There is some speculation that the whole
account was a stunt – that the parents filmed and presented the whole sorry
series of episodes to gain publicity, clicks and money. Whether true or
manufactured, many of us were shocked, appalled, angered and saddened by this
unwarranted publicity.
Families of people with Downs and
their allies have rallied in a heartwarming show of solidarity to show what
most of us knew – that people with Downs may have some unique characteristics
associated with the syndrome, but are no less worthy of life, love and
inclusion than anyone else. The families who have shared their experiences of
living with someone with a disability are the true “influencers”- encouraging a
society which is caring and compassionate, particularly to its most vulnerable
members.
History shows us that once a
society starts to classify some people as less worthy of living, it never
stops. The eugenics movements of the 1920s, 30s and 40s targeted people with
disabilities, African Americans, homosexuals, Jews, the elderly and sick,
culminating in the Nazi concentration camps during WW2. The Khmer Rouge
murdered people wearing glasses. Biblically, when people turned away from God,
worshipping idols and practicing child sacrifice, God turned his face from
them, allowing their enemies to destroy them.
Sadly, this one YouTube
presentation has been used to further promote pro-abortion and anti-Christian
sentiment online.
Yet throughout all this sorry episode,
we see the truth of God’s word shining through:
“In him [Jesus] was life, and that life was the light of all
mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness
has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5
Jesus brings
life and with life there is hope. He has conquered death and sin. We can choose
life, compassion, advocacy and assistance.
For those
who have already untaken an abortion, God will forgive those who turn to Him in
sorrow and repentance and seek forgiveness. Jesus came to seek and save. Life
as a Christian is always a new beginning from the past.
God blesses
a person and society that puts their trust in Him.
