Earlier this week, Rick
Santorum, a former American Republican Primary hopeful, delivered a speech to
the Republican National Committee (RNC) in Tampa, Florida to support the
republican nominee, Mitt Romney. Unlike most other speeches at this year’s RNC
primary, the topic of disability came up several times, and most prominently in
regard to a right to life issue for children with disabilities.
Santorum spoke about how
he and his wife disregarded the medical experts that told him that his
daughter, Bella, who was born with trisomy, “was incompatible with life and to
prepare to let go…even if she did survive her disabilities would be so severe
that Bella would not have a life worth living.” He said, “We didn’t let go and
today Bella is full of life and she has made our lives and countless others
much more worth living.”
This kind of anti-medical model talk from
Santorum was refreshing to hear from any politician in this election because it
is the kind of rhetoric people have been using in the disability community to
empower themselves for decades. The medical community tends to devalue the life
of people with disabilities based on their conception of what a “normal human
body” should be, and typically society does not question this authority. Naturally, people with disabilities object,
because they feel that they should be the expert on their own quality of
life—not medical authorities.
However, within the same
breath several sentences earlier, Santorum spoke about shaking hands with
people with disabilities that he had met during his campaign, and said he, “…cradled
the little, broken hands of the disabled…Hands that struggle and bring pain, hands that ennoble us and bring great joy.” Unfortunately
this rhetoric is not empowering for people with disabilities as it paints them as helpless, defenseless,
child-like, and dependent people. To be fair, perhaps he was referring to
children with disabilities, but eventually children with disabilities, like all
children, want independence and grow into adulthood. People with disabilities want
to be treated with equality and dignity— not with charity or pity.
As the U.S. has been a
leader in disability rights, the disability agenda of potential U.S. leaders
are of worldwide importance. We hope to hear even more from American
Republicans and Democrats on disability issues as the 2012 Presidential election
draws closer.
For the full text of
Santorum’s speech go here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80348_Page2.html
