Angry mom sends letter to family of autistic child telling them to have him euthanized.

[RhombusHatesYou]

I'm autistic.....and now I'm pissed

You know, for sufficient monetary inducement, my nephew could teach Duelingf with 40lb Sledgehammers.

Don't worry I got a wooden sword

That's nice... Do you want to test it out against a 40lb sledgehammer?

I'm autistic, not stupid

Well, you could be both. Just checking.

 

[Kirbys]

WTF as an autistic person I am deeply offended by what that woman said. I would've done something else than just make hate mail. That's hugely disrespectful :/

Reading the whole note even made me angrier.... Autistic people are not idiots or "retarded"... and I love the world "normal" being used here because that is what this woman is not.

 

[Sheebers]

Is it acceptable behovior from an adult? Hell no. Then again, there are some people who find it funny to joke about throwing a crying baby out of a plane, so clearly some adults have a screwy, selfish mind.

However, if the child is outside and constantly wailing, there is something wrong. The article lacks a hell of a lot of context, but it gives me the impression that the child is not getting the care and attention they need, if they really are constantly wailing.
Then again, this article is too vague. I understand the difficulty of being in an apartement close to people making a lot of noise (music, babies, sex, etc.) but this person seems to have gone over the edge.

Uh, quick note, right here:

The thing about this child is that he has Autism. I'm willing to bet a pretty severe case of it too. Being a big sister of a severely Autistic brother and having grown up with him and seeing a lot of his fellow developmentally disabled classmates, I'll just let you know...Just because the child is outside, wailing or just making noise a lot, does NOT mean he's being poorly cared for.

Kids with severe Autism make noise. That's just something they tend to do. Some make more than others. They can be sitting there calmly, but be rocking back and forth just making vocal noises. They don't really seem to have a lot of volume control. I can't say I understand the reasons why they do it other than it might be a comfort to them, but it is fairly common in kids with Autism. In fact, we learned with my brother, it was when things were totally quiet that was when he was up to something(like annoying my cat, or getting into food he's not supposed to have which we would then have to stop).

As for being outside, well, every kid is different. Autistic kids usually have a routine, and preferences about where they are and the things they do. For my brother, he mainly just hangs out in the dining room where he can watch his movies and have his toys on the table. The kid this letter is harassing, apparently likes being outside in his yard(where he is perfectly entitled to be). Whether it's the front yard or the back yard I don't think was specified? But yes, Autistic kids CAN GO OUT into their yards and enjoy doing so too. Some are better at sticking around and not wandering off than others.

I'm not going to jump to conclusions and say that the mother of the child is not doing a thing to watch the kid, that is not the point, and is not immediately obvious in this situation since all we have to go off of is this bigot's pathetic and hateful rant, because as I have said, Autistic kids wail or otherwise vocalize, seemingly without reason to us "normal" people. And they have their zones where they feel most comfortable, sometimes it could be a backyard, or like my brother, the dining room.

I just want to clear up the fact that THAT IS NORMAL for Autistic and other developmentally challenged kids and not a sure sign of negligence or abuse.

 

[rasputin0009]

Well I'm about to have the unpopular opinion because of my supportive stance of eugenics. Her method and words to carry out the opinion she expressed could've definitely be reworded to fit better. But when anything costs more economic money to keep alive, than it will ever possibly produce, than it's not worth it. Money is a representation of human effort, and that means you're putting effort into something that never gives back, only takes. Ontop of the fact that said human has a large chance of tainting the gene pool it would be better to remove them from it. I don't want anyone to suffer from autism in the future. It's a burden, what selfish right do we have to make a human life to cause suffering upon themselves, and others?

"Money is a representation of human effort"

Wow, that is a really sad way to look at life. I hope you find another ideology to live by sooner than later. I truly do.

And your stance on eugenics doesn't seem all that well thought out. Have you researched much into it? Because there are much more inventive ways eugenics can be implemented without the sterilization that you suggested. It'd be especially silly for someone to support something so controversial without actually knowing anything about it.

 

[emeraldrafael]

So I was just checking my e-mail when I noticed this interesting bit of news:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/ontario-police-aware-hateful-letter-telling-family-euthanize-171036930.html

To put it simply, a lady in Ontario gets pissed off at this autistic kid for screaming loudly outside and writes a very hateful letter to his family which includes how much of a nuisance he was, how he'll never be employed, get married, and of course that he should be euthanized.

As someone who was diagnosed alongside his brother with autism, this sorta hits a little close to home. It kinda shows how ugly a person's thoughts can be when they are turned into words.

Thoughts?

well, some <url=http://www.newser.com/story/172829/community-rallies-after-autistic-boy-gets-hate-mail.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=clearchannel&utm_campaign=story>good news is at least the community rallied around the family with the autistic child (at lease some did).

 

[scorptatious]

Well I'm about to have the unpopular opinion because of my supportive stance of eugenics. Her method and words to carry out the opinion she expressed could've definitely be reworded to fit better. But when anything costs more economic money to keep alive, than it will ever possibly produce, than it's not worth it. Money is a representation of human effort, and that means you're putting effort into something that never gives back, only takes. Ontop of the fact that said human has a large chance of tainting the gene pool it would be better to remove them from it. I don't want anyone to suffer from autism in the future. It's a burden, what selfish right do we have to make a human life to cause suffering upon themselves, and others?

So, because I have autism, I'm not allowed to have kids?

I'm sorry but FUCK THAT.

I'm not saying I will be a father someday, nor do I want to be one anytime soon. And I can kinda agree in the sense that if a person is unable to care for themselves, it might not be a good idea for them to have kids.

But saying that people like me should be prevented from breeding just because we may "taint the gene pool" as you say, it sorta comes off as disgusting.

Have a pleasant day mein fuhrer.

And now, mods, you are free to punish me.

 

[BarkBarker]

Simply said...this is not how we approach a problem by putting our emotions at the forefront of the complaint, I may WANT to go over and tell my neighbours that I often want to punch their kid because it is a fucking brat and they are enablers letting yet another one of their children sink into a deplorable hole of pathetic social behaviour and they themselves deserve to be punched, but that doesn't really do much and it isn't constructive to fire on all cylinders from the get go, maybe start off small and escalate when nothing is done.

 

[Muspelheim]

Gut reaction: "No, and bog off back to Tiergartenstraße. You and swines like you can pretend you're brave holders of unpopular but righteous opinions out of sight. Please close the windows".

After a bit of a think:

We live in enough abundance in modern civilization that we can look after those who were not as lucky as we were to be born in a normal state. Therefore, we should. There is no point pretending we're jackals doing what is necessary for the survival of the pack in meager times in the wild. Helping those that were not as fortunate as ourselves is a good idea, since it could very well be you who needed help. Or will need help.

And I do not believe that the writer of that letter is much of a valuable contribution to the bloody genepool herself.

After a little more thinking: This is certainly a problem. But there are better ways to handle it than suggesting the child to be killed. Like a healthy, grown adult should be able to deduce on their own.

 

[Amir Kondori]

Eh, people suck, this is nothing new.

Also, while the letter was way out there keep in mind there are two sides to this story...

How many people here would want to go strangle the kid next door if he is constantly wailing (whaling, hilarious, apparently autistic people should join Japaness marine "research vessels)

While the letter was just terrible on many levels the parents of the autistic child should also try and spare their neighbors from as much loud wailing as they can. If the child is left out making this noise for hours then I think any neighbor would be pissed off, myself included.

Just look at the number of exclamation points that woman used. A clear sign she had been driven out of her mind by the wailing!

 

[Queen Michael]

Though I'm probably pretty alone with that, I'm on the mom's side.

Actually, I've been reading through all the replies to this thread, and pretty many are on the mother's side, me included. Okay, so most of those of us who are on the mother's side agree that talking about euthanasia is going too far, but on the whole we still sympathize with her plight.

 

[SadisticFire]

So, because I have autism, I'm not allowed to have kids?

I'm sorry but FUCK THAT.

I'm not saying I will be a father someday, nor do I want to be one anytime soon. And I can kinda agree in the sense that if a person is unable to care for themselves, it might not be a good idea for them to have kids.

But saying that people like me should be prevented from breeding just because we may "taint the gene pool" as you say, it sorta comes off as disgusting.

Have a pleasant day mein fuhrer.

And now, mods, you are free to punish me.

Of course it comes off disgusting. We have morals of 'the right to live'. Without natural selection we're progressively making our gene pool worse and worse, because we never let anyone die with science and medicine. That also goes for the fact we keep treating minor diseases with AB's so we're forcing them to become drug resistant. I'm not saying you don't deserve to have kids, but it's better for the humans as a species. Life isn't fair, some people are rolled unlucky lives. All I can say if you want to have kids, but have a genetic disability is to adopt. There's thousands and thousands of kids suffering with no parent. No one to care for them. Adopt them, show love to them. They're suffering, and compared to making other people suffer with giving birth to someone with a disability, adopting is so much better.
POST SCRIPT: Also due note, that many people diagnosed with autism/ADHD/many other disabilities actually do not have them. Our current society(Atleast in America. Yay America) has a HUGE habbit of over diagnoses. In America 80% of males are diagnosed with ADHD, but only ten percent of them actually have it.(I don't actually have a citation to it. It was a factoid that I remember in one of my classes)

snip

Yes you could say that. But it doesn't change the fact we're introducing people with diseases we have to treat. There's a genotype that appears at age ~7. It makes you keeps turning and turning your muscles till your digestive system gets cut off, you can't walk, or do anything but barely crawl. We can treat said disease. But once that disease is in everyone(Or a large majority) and we somehow run out of the ability to treat said disease. What then? We now have thousands, and thousands of people with this disease, dying a slow painful death. I'm not saying there isn't natural selection in a sense, but it's dancing to a different tune. One of intelligence, and wealth. Not physical capability and health.

 

[Aesir23]

While I get that they can be annoying (once was in a class with a girl who would scream at the top of her lungs at random intervals) it is absolutely not ok to send their family a letter telling them their child should be euthanized. Not only is it just plain wrong, it is incredibly childish in a way that is beyond imagination. Obviously, I'm not in this woman's shoes but the fact that she would send the letter seems to speak of very little self control on her end.

So, because I have autism, I'm not allowed to have kids?

I'm sorry but FUCK THAT.

I'm not saying I will be a father someday, nor do I want to be one anytime soon. And I can kinda agree in the sense that if a person is unable to care for themselves, it might not be a good idea for them to have kids.

But saying that people like me should be prevented from breeding just because we may "taint the gene pool" as you say, it sorta comes off as disgusting.

Have a pleasant day mein fuhrer.

And now, mods, you are free to punish me.

Of course it comes off disgusting. We have morals of 'the right to live'. Without natural selection we're progressively making our gene pool worse and worse, because we never let anyone die with science and medicine. That also goes for the fact we keep treating minor diseases with AB's so we're forcing them to become drug resistant. I'm not saying you don't deserve to have kids, but it's better for the humans as a species. Life isn't fair, some people are rolled unlucky lives. All I can say if you want to have kids, but have a genetic disability is to adopt. There's thousands and thousands of kids suffering with no parent. No one to care for them. Adopt them, show love to them. They're suffering, and compared to making other people suffer with giving birth to someone with a disability, adopting is so much better.

While I agree that people should definitely look into adoption because of all of the kids in the system who need loving homes, to say that someone shouldn't have children just because they have an genetic illness or disability so they don't 'taint' the gene pool is reprehensible. Especially when there are some genetic illnesses out there that actually do have a positive side effect. Sickle cell anemia, for example, can make someone more resistant to Malaria and if they do contract it they'll suffer less severe symptoms. Besides, if only genetically healthy people were allowed to have children how would we, as a species, eventually develop defences against these things?

Also, as one of those people born with a genetic illness, I am quite happy to be here and I'm glad that my mother chose to have children in spite of her illness. Obviously I'm not speaking for everyone as there are more severe cases than my own, but to say that my mother has "made me suffer" by giving birth to me would be quite a long shot.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Your kid was born with severe brain damage and/or deformations and would normally die within a week? Of course you have to spend hundreds of thousands on treatment, therapy and equipment to make sure it remains in this state as long as possible. Because some self-righteous people say you have to. Because morals and stuff.

Remember, we're talking about a teenager who spends his days running screaming through the garden here. There's room for doubt he's even aware of the concept of life and death.

Pssst. Even severely autistic kids generally don't die of their condition.

Also I know plenty of non-autistic kids who spend all their time running screaming through the garden. I'm pretty sure they're sane and know the concept of life and death.

 

[oZode]

Of course it comes off disgusting. We have morals of 'the right to live'. Without natural selection we're progressively making our gene pool worse and worse, because we never let anyone die with science and medicine. That also goes for the fact we keep treating minor diseases with AB's so we're forcing them to become drug resistant. I'm not saying you don't deserve to have kids, but it's better for the humans as a species. Life isn't fair, some people are rolled unlucky lives. All I can say if you want to have kids, but have a genetic disability is to adopt. There's thousands and thousands of kids suffering with no parent. No one to care for them. Adopt them, show love to them. They're suffering, and compared to making other people suffer with giving birth to someone with a disability, adopting is so much better.

Autistics if they can get a wife have every right to have their own children. A policy to stop autistics from reproducing would be pointless as autism half the time isn't even properly defined, a person with slightly deviant behavior may be considered autistic for instance.

There may be some weird impairment with the way some think, but the definition of Autism has gone so broad that there are people out there who despite being 'autistic' lead lives like a "normal" person.

 

[sageoftruth]

It's like witnessing the internet, only with pen and paper. Can't believe she wrote all those exclamation marks by hand.

 

[Envy Omicron]

Judging by the unnecessary abundance of questions marks and exclamation points, plus the general tone of the letter, I, as an individual with Asperger's Syndrome, have come to the conclusion that the mother who wrote this letter is most likely a vile, insipid, absolutely abysmal human being, and I pity whatever children she has.

 

[Tenkage]

Judging by the unnecessary abundance of questions marks and exclamation points, plus the general tone of the letter, I, as an individual with Asperger's Syndrome, have come to the conclusion that the mother who wrote this letter is most likely a vile, insipid, absolutely abysmal human being, and I pity whatever children she has.

I completely agree, I too am autistic and I find this sick to my stomach that someone like this exists