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9/21/99, 2:21 amedt
Why I oppose Princeton University appointing Peter Singer
Imagine a major University promoting The Bell Curve, which used sociological evidence to justify racial prejudice, as a progressive academic standard. Peter Singer's bioethic, similarly, uses medical judgment to rationalize intolerance of people with disabilities. If we as a community continue to deny people with disabilities full inclusion in American life to the extent that we make judgments about individuals with disabilities "quality of life", we will reverse the trend toward integration and return to a separate dependent and ostracized group.
Assigning and judging value of life begs the question of the inferiority of some people and the superiority of others. Peter Singer points to an ethic that will define people with disabilities as inferior, less valuable, and costly.
I am working for an ethic of equality to create quality in life, not a standard of 'quality of life'. If any other minority were being evaluated on their quality and utility, the civil rights issues would be clear. People with disabilities, however, are still struggling to be recognized as complete and independent humans that will not give up their hard fought civil liberties.
Physical inability is not equivalent to inferiority. Peter Singer holds one minority group up to his evaluation and judgement of value. He only finds one minority group to be inferior. This is 180° turn from the emphasis of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Our social and legal ethic points one direction and Singer says the moral ethic points the other way.
In the airport in Atlanta, the gate agent referred to Barbara Bounds as "a wheelchair." Barbara and I then discussed how that was basically why we were making the trip to protest Princeton University promoting Peter Singer. Language is the most simple way to take away some one's "personhood", and throughout the stir of issues and emotions, Barbara and I wanted people to know that citizens with disabilities will not stand to have their personhood chipped away by language, philosophy, or public policy.
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