There was an article about Robert Latimer in yesterday’s National Post in Canada. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=528343
Robert Latimer is the Canadian farmer from Saskatchewan who killed his 12 year-old daughter Tracy in 1993 because she was “suffering” from cerebral palsy. Latimer has become a media celebrity over the years.
He was recently released on day-parole and has decided to live in Ottawa where he can agitate for his cause with the government representatives.
Today a letter appeared in the National Post that is written by Deiren Masterson from Toronto, that truly puts the Latimer case in perspective. http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=530493
Masterson writes
When Rebecca Beayni -- a 25-year-old living with cerebral palsy who is unable to talk or walk -- was awarded the city of Toronto Young Adult Award for Social Justice last year, there wasn't a mention of it in the Post. And to quote this article, Tracy Latimer “functioned at the level of a three-month-old.” So does this mean that three-month-olds are expendable too?
I have a friend, Michael, with Tracy's condition, a man with severe cerebral palsy whom doctors predicted wouldn't live past 10 -- he's now 36. He needs care in all aspects of life. He eats with a feeding tube. He has a particular love of music. Six years ago he danced for Pope John Paul II in front of an audience of millions. He's living a deeply meaningful life.
I’m able-bodied and able-minded, just like your reporters. With these tools I'm writing for my friends Rebecca and Michael, against the threat that Robert Latimer’s “cause" poses to them and those whom their lives represent. My message to your readers: Wake up!
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