Matt

Domin
MWF 9
:00
Abortion and the Mentally Handicapped
Ms. Smith,
We of the Ethics Committee have reviewed your case for an extended perio
d of time. We took into consideration, for our decision, the yearn of any femal
e to experience childbearing, child birth, and the joy of raising young. Being
a mother is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and once you become a mother you a
re a mother for life. There is a tremendous amount of responsibility and work t
hat goes along with having children. We understand your desire to continue the
pregnancy, and to keep the child, but due to your legal status, mental health, a
nd the baby's well being, the decision to terminate the pregnancy has been reach
ed and voted for unanimously.
Your mother has proper legal custody, and as you know, wants the abortio
n to take place. We agree with her concern for your well-being. Child birth is
an extremely stressful situation. The trauma of the pregnancy could intensify
your paranoid schizophrenia, or cause some other mental disorder. Mrs. Smith ha
s informed us that she herself is not capable of caring for the child. We feel
that you will suffer further if you are forced to give up the child. Your psych
iatrist has come to the conclusion that you are not capable of being a responsib
le parent, but you are, at times, capable of making rational moral decisions. H
owever, because you are not able to make important, rational, moral decisions mo
st of the time your mother can claim that you are not mentally capable of raisin
g a child. Also. We took in to account that the father of this unborn child is u
nknown. There is no one to help you make this decision, but more importantly, t
here is not another parental figure to aid in the raising and caring for this ch
ild. From testimonies from your mother and your psychiatrist, it is our underst
anding that you can do neither on your own.
Ms. Smith, you have been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. As you
know, the treatment for paranoid schizophrenia is a variety of different drugs.
This gives you a slightly higher chance of having fetal defects such as cystic f
ibrosis, pulmonary emphysema, abruptioplacentae, miscarriage, or placenta previa
to name a few. We also feel that there is an increased chance that the child w
ill develop a mental disorder. It is not fair for the child or its' care takers
to suffer from deformities that were caused from drug reactions. You must unde
rstand our position in caring for the physical health and safety of this child.
You will not be able to provide for the child, because you have no annua
l income. We feel that the child will not have equal opportunities to have posi
tive growth and development because of this. Living in Community Hospital's lon
g term care unit does not provide a heathy environment for the baby to live in.
The baby will have little opportunity to go outside, be with peers, and have fr
iends. A baby needs a healthy environment to grow and be nurtured in. This is a
basic right that should be granted to any new born. We feel that because of yo
ur living situation your baby will not get the essentials.
Adoption is another issue to be dealt with. As we stated earlier, you m
ight suffer more if you are you are forced to give the baby up for adoption. Yo
u could possibly develop serious depression, and worsen your paranoid schizophre
nia. You may think you give the child up for adoption to benefit their well bein
g, but once you actually give birth to this child, your feelings may change. The
could cause serious emotional trauma on you, your mother, and in the long run w
ill hurt your child. Orphanages aren't the best environment for a child to grow
up in. If you did put your child up for adoption, the likelihood that someone w
ill want to adopt a mental patient's child is low, and if the child is deformed
in some way the chance is even smaller. You took the responsibility to have sex,
now you must take the responsibility to do what is right for your child, no mat
ter how much pain will be placed on you. Every child deserves to have loving,
providing parents and we feel you can't give your child that, and an adoption ma
y not be successful. We, as an Ethics Committee are not willing to take that cha
nce with an unborn child's life.
Children's development is influenced by several different mediums like e
nvironment, parents, friends, and personal characteristics. We feel that if thi
s child were born under these circumstances, the influences presented would be n
egative, and the baby's well being, health, and security are top priority in thi
s case. Being an ethics committee, we cannot permit you to give birth to this f
etus. You are not mentally capable to bear, or properly raise the child. Your li
festyle is not suitable for properly raising a child. Living in a mental hospit
al does not provide an acceptable environment for a baby to grow in, and the neg
atives of this case out way the positives.
We are truly sorry about this decision, but it is the best for you and t
he child. We will do our best to help you in any way. We are here to offer menta
l and physical support. Please understand that this is the best solution for ev
eryone involved. If you have any problems or questions feel free to contact us a
ny time. We did not impose this decision to hurt you in any way. We want you to
get healthy and care for yourself. Until you can care for, and have responsibi
lity for yourself, you can't care for and take responsibility for another. This
decision is final and you must cooperate with us to make this painful situation
as easy as possible. We have sent a copy of this letter to your mother and to yo
ur doctors and we would like to talk with you further. Thank You for your coope
ration.

Sincerely,
The Ethics Committee