Things Called Fairy Tales

I read an article today that I want to pass on. Those in favor of legalized abortion often point to the "hard cases" as reasons to have abortion on demand.

This article tells the story of Andrea Bocelli, who was just that : a "hard case," a child who was likely to be born with a disability. I enjoyed this story and the fact that it isn't a miracle story. He is blind. But he is a gifted, valuable, vocal man, no less so because of his blindness. We none of us are any less because of our defects and imperfections.

Some hard cases are more dramatic than others : the odds of certain birth conditions can be more certain, and some disabilities are more drastic than others. Yet, Bocelli's story reminds us that that no human story can be anticipated before birth. Each child in the womb, as much as each child in a first grade classroom, is a vast universe of possibilities and unknown future paths. Being at risk for, or having, a disability does not diminish their value.

Indeed, to suggest as much speaks to the dignity of people who have been born already who have handicaps. Would you really tell Beethoven that he has less value because he is deaf? Or the young boy with the mental handicap who tries so hard at school and fails with a smile on his face? We are so quick to ascribe value according to a utilitarian standard that we forget humanity is a value unto itself, and one that cannot be measured.