Readers Respond

Re. "Pilgrim’s Paws: A Dream Vacation to Israel," by Marie Laporte-Stark and Chris Stark, Spring 2001

Marie, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed and appreciated the article. I read the article and hung on every word, as I let my imagination wander and I allowed myself to feel as though I was taking the trip with you both, seeing the sights through your eyes. Reading your article and feeling the energy and passion with which it was written, left me with the feeling of, "WOW!"
-- Rosalieta Power, Ottawa, Ontario

Re. "My Word: No Justice for Tracy," Editorial by Raymond Cohen, Spring 2001

"Bravo! Well said. Keep saying it."
-- June Hooper, N.B. Easter Seal March of Dimes, Fredericton, New Brunswick

Good for you! I will share this with friends outside disability who are teaching law and human rights. I think the editorial provides much fodder for further exploration of the current outcry of mercy for Mr. Latimer. I suspect, however, that you may get some backlash depending on who your subscribers may be.
-- Glynis Ellerington, Ottawa, Ontario

I am writing to express my outrage at your arrogance and ignorance in once again assuming that the readers of ABILITIES and "people with disabilities" share your opinion on the Latimer case. I very much resent the habit of those in the disability industry to pretend to speak for me. To me it is obvious that Robert Latimer is a loving father who was convicted by a jury which literally did not know what it was doing. Had they been properly instructed, the members of the jury would not have returned the verdict they did, resulting in a sentence that appalled many of them as much as it did the majority of Canadians. You choose to emphasize your point with references to Nazi Germany rather than to look to perhaps the most sensible nation on earth, The Netherlands, where it is understood that life without quality may lead a person to wish to discontinue living.
-- Ron Moger, Salt Spring Island, B.C.

What is really wrong here is our government needs to change some laws and leave some room for people who want to be gone from their pain and suffering. I am a very senior citizen in ill health and I am looking for assistance to end my life with dignity. I am also the mother of a mentally challenged son who is 45 years old and is living his life without pain, but with a lot of love from an understanding family and community. Like every parent of a mentally challenged child, I too have been weary and frustrated with my son’s struggle to learn, but I certainly never wanted to end his life because he was not in pain. The pain was in my heart and mind and probably in the minds of many parents. I don’t condone Mr. Latimer’s choice, but then, I didn’t have to walk a mile in Mr. Latimer’s shoes, and neither did you.
-- Beverley Jones, Penticton, B.C.

There is another issue here. Our politicians, and perhaps even our courts, are sympathetic to Robert Latimer’s plight through their own sense of guilt. They continue to restrict access to appropriate therapies, to restrict societal help to those families in need, choosing instead to react when families "break" and those less fortunate, like Tracy, pay the price. What is needed is the combined, unified voice of those who suffer and their advocacy groups for improved access, improved integration of the various pieces of the Canadian health care mosaic, to ensure those in similar situations to Tracy Latimer enjoy loving, comfortable lives.
-- Vern Dale-Johnson, Medtronic of Canada, Mississauga, Ontario

From her mother’s journals, there is a clear indication that Tracy was quite content with her life. Persons with disabilities will tell you that although there is often pain associated with disability, it does not mean that the person’s entire life is spent in suffering and therefore not worth living. Currently, there is a father in Stoney Mountain Prison who took the life of his daughter because he could not bear seeing her "suffer" growing up in a reserve community. He is serving life. If Robert Latimer is not dealt with equally under the law, we establish a dangerous precedent of allowing third-party decisions as to whether or not a person should live or die.
-- Marilyn Warf, PUSH Northwest Ontario, Thunder Bay, Ontario

"Just read your editorial. Great work. I know why you wrote it and I’m sure lots of other people do too. Thanks for doing what we probably all felt we should and for doing it so eloquently."
-- Tom Little, cmcs, Ajax, Ontario

Send your feedback to: Letters, ABILITIES magazine, 489 College St., Ste. 501, Toronto, ON, M6G 1A5; fax: 416-923-9829; e-mail: able@abilities.ca.