March 27, 2006

The NY Times Published My Letter!

The Sunday New York Times printed my letter to the editor yesterday, so I’m pretty psyched! Here’s the link to the letters page. (The missing spaces in the online version did not originate with me, by the way--maybe they should hire me as a copyeditor.)

Here’s the original article. And here's my letter:

Weil quotes the bioethicist David Wasserman, who, citing research, claims, “Families with severely impaired children do not differ significantly in stresses and burdens from families with normal children.” Try telling that to the mother of a blind child with congenital heart failure whose mental age will forever be 6 months. Parents of children with severe disabilities must provide round-the-clock supervision and care. Then there's the enormous cost of specialized medical equipment and supplies, and the heartache of constant medical crises and setbacks. Parents of severely impaired children also worry about who will care for their children after they're gone, and few have malpractice-settlement trust funds to rely on.

Julia E.S. Spencer
Austin, Tex.