Mark Stephenson

Ken, I thank God that you have come to be at peace with the journey that has been set before you. Not only that, I'm hearing you say that the distress that has come your way has deepened your relationship with God. It sounds like that was a long time in coming. With you, I praise God that he makes and keeps promises. 

Angela, thanks for sharing. For those of us who do not yet live with disability, it's hard to imagine ever coming to the point of being able to say with you, " . . . accepting I have MS and embracing all God has for me now, I'm happier and have greater wellness then I did when I was fine and working." Considering that so many of us baby boomers will be acquiring disability in the coming 20 years, the next big thing for ministry is for people, like you, who have learned to be well and live with a disability to teach people who have newly acquired disability to do the same. Doesn't that sound like an exciting new arena for ministry?

I agree Shannon. Most parents make the decisions they make for their children because they believe they are doing what is best for their kids. But parents need to remember that these decisions can affect others, besides their own children, so we need to interact with one another in a gracious spirit. 

Bill, I'd like to see your statistics for this assertion. Disabilities I have in mind with regard to communication differences include intellectual disabilities, autism, and even (sometimes) fetal alcohol syndrome and schizophrenia. Rarely are these self-caused. 

Readers, as Joy knows, she and I had a discussion about some of these topics not long ago, in case anyone would like to read the ways I addressed some of the concerns Joy raises, in particular, the effectiveness of vaccines, the claim that vaccines are made using aborted fetuses, and the link suggested between vaccines and autism. 

Yes, this decision is frightening for everyone, and especially people who have disabilities, which is why we Christians need to respond. For more information, besides the excellent Cardus article, see Not Dead Yet, the ironically titled U.S. organization that opposes assisted suicide, and the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, which just produced two excellent articles in response to this decision by the Supreme Court of Canada. 

Bill, indeed, many fetuses are spontaneously aborted, but to say that a soul enters a fetus when the fetus becomes viable outside the womb is arbitrary, and that point has been shifting downward as neonatal medicine has advanced. In fact, there will come a day when artificial wombs will be a reality, and fertilized eggs will be viable outside a human womb, though probably not in my lifetime.

The point of my article is to emphasize that couples need not give up hope about their child or their marriage if they have a child with a disability. People and marriages can flourish even when circumstances are very difficult!