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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints needs a more systematic, comprehensive approach to understanding, supporting and spiritually feeding children with disabilities, five moms said Friday. Fellow Mormons routinely look away from the disabled, especially those with autism, the moms said during a Sunstone Symposium session in Salt Lake City. They tend to talk down to all such children, even when the disability does not involve mental capacity. They proffer religious platitudes about how parents of special needs children must have earned the assignment by good behavior. It doesn't have to be that way, the women said. -SNIP-About...

Italian authorities said a woman who collected a state disability pension by claiming she was a complete invalid was caught jogging with her dog. Police in the city of Monteforte Irpino said the 62-year-old woman was being monitored by police for some time before her arrest July 29. She had been repeatedly seen jogging with her dog and tilling land on her farm, ANSA reported Wednesday. The woman, who had received a state disability pension as well as state support for a personal caregiver, was charged with fraud.

"Something's wrong with this baby," my ultrasound technician told me. She had just scanned Mrs. Jones (a fictitious name) at 20 weeks and went on to describe her findings, findings that surely meant little chance of survival for that baby. As I later spoke with Mrs. Jones to relay the findings, she wept. I arranged an appointment with a maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist. The next day I received an urgent call from my patient. Through more tears, she described her visit in which the MFM doctor confirmed the grim prognosis. The baby would die, probably within a week or two....

A Missouri man driving his John Deere tractor from his home in Willow Springs, Missouri to Washington DC is making a stop in our region July 25th. The Gulf War Veteran says he's at a breaking point because he claims he is disabled, but not getting disability benefits from his country. As a result he can't afford to fix his car so his only remaining mode of transportation is his tractor. Letterman's tractor tops out at about 20 miles per hour. He plans on driving between 10 and 14 hours a day. He is making his way to DC because...

President Barack Obama's much-anticipated pro-United Nations treaty campaign has been launched with a White House ceremony declaring support for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. But despite the title and language of the treaty, including the affirmation of a "right to life," it is doubtful whether the treaty would protect the rights of unborn children with disabilities, such as those with Down syndrome. Through its affirmation of "sexual and reproductive health"-a phrase that clearly means access to abortion and abortion rights-the treaty also supports abortion, even though it has been estimated that over 90 percent...

Reactions to Sarah Palin’s decision to resign the governorship of Alaska have been a reminder of her unmatched ability to elicit strong emotions from friend and foe alike. We know some of the reasons why. It’s her evangelical Christianity and her folksy manner. It’s her small-town roots and her “new feminism.” But there is something more. A year ago, Palin gave birth to her youngest son, Trig, who has Down syndrome. Since then, mother and son have become objects of the left’s unrelenting scorn and the right’s unflinching fidelity. An underexamined reason why Palin is loved and loathed so fiercely...

Mother sues hospital for £1.5million for 'missing' baby's severe disability Last updated at 10:09 AM on 16th July 2009 The mother of a five-year-old boy facing a lifetime of severe disability is seeking a £1.5million payout in a unique 'wrongful birth' case. Rupert Parsons, who met Prince Harry at a Child of Courage presentation, has to breathe and eat through tubes and will need a lifetime of round-the-clock care. The youngster was born at Musgrove Park Hospital in his Taunton home town in September 2003 suffering from 'severe, profound and multiple disabilties', including congenital heart defects, a single kidney, a...

Bandaids on Fiscal Bullet Wounds by: Mytheos Holt, July 13, 2009 In the face of legislation to create a public option in health care, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) recently convened a panel of experts to discuss the prospects of reforming the existing institution of Medicaid—a proposition which economists Thomas Granneman and Mark Pauly aim to defend in their newly released book “Reform Medicaid First: Laying the Foundation for National Health Care Reform.” The talk was moderated by Robert Helms, of the Medicaid Commission. Pauly and Granneman gave the first two speeches. In his speech, Pauly stated that the most...

Women More Likely Than Men to Reject Unattractive Babies Wed Jun 24, 7:04 pm ET WEDNESDAY, June 24 (HealthDay News) -- Women are more likely than men to look away from less-than-cute babies, according to a study that challenges the idea of a mother's unconditional love. The findings might reflect an evolutionary-based need to provide limited resources only to healthy offspring, suggest the researchers, from Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. "Our study shows how beauty can affect parental attitudes," study senior author Dr. Igor Elman, director of the hospital's clinical psychopathology laboratory and an associate professor of psychiatry at...

Fat can be disabling. A person 180 pounds over a healthy weight is susceptible to arthritis, has increased blood pressure, a weakened heart and could soon need a walker just to get around. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, such a person could legally be labeled as disabled. But should obesity be considered a disability? On Tuesday the American Medical Association voted a resounding no at its annual meeting. But in a country where nearly one in three people is obese but where laws do not always cover size discrimination, and many health insurance policies do not cover obesity treatments...

The Supreme Court took the side of parents of children with disabilities today, ruling that they can claim reimbursement for the cost of private schooling if the public system failed to offer an appropriate program for their child. The 6-3 decision settles a heated and costly dispute that has arisen across the country. It also deals a potentially expensive setback to public school systems that are strapped for money. At issue was who must pay the cost if parents of a child with a disability withdraw him from public school and send him to a private school. In a case...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin paid a visit to Long Island, N.Y., on Sunday and spoke about the joys of raising her 1-year-old son Trig, who was born with Down syndrome. "We are just so blessed to have this child in our lives," Palin said before a crowd of about 1,000 people. "What God has shown us with Trig in our lives is 'Yes, every single person has purpose no matter their developmental abilities.' " Also at the event – a fundraiser for Independent Group Home Living, a non-profit for children and adults with developmental disabilities – were Palin's husband, Todd;...

Technological advancements have afforded many benefits to the pro-life cause. Ultrasound imaging has revealed the child in the womb as a living, feeling human being, and at earlier stages than previously thought possible. The widespread use of such technology helps explain significant shifts towards the pro-life position -- both in sentiment and in deed, especially among young Americans -- over the last fifteen years. But medical technology has had some negative effects, too, especially for unborn babies with disabilities. Ultrasound imaging is routinely employed to discern genetic abnormalities in unborn children and to end the lives of those who fail...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is using her public profile to draw attention to the needs of those with autism and other developmental disabilities in the New York metropolitan area. The former Republican vice presidential candidate is scheduled to join a fundraising walk for the group Autism Speaks in Westchester County on Sunday morning. Then she is to be honored on Long Island later Sunday at an anniversary celebration for Independent Group Home Living Inc. Palin's youngest son, Trig, has Down syndrome.

Sen. Edward Kennedy plans a new disability-insurance program that would automatically enroll all American workers as part of the sweeping health-care bill he is preparing to introduce, aides said Friday. Premiums would automatically be charged, and in many cases deducted from workers' paychecks, unless they choose to opt out of the disability program. The idea is to give all workers a basic level of protection in case they become disabled. But it could draw complaints from people who see it as a de facto tax, given that few workers are expected to opt out. On average, premiums could not exceed...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., April 2, 2009 – Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Stamatelos realized he had two choices after waking up two years ago with severe wounds in the intensive care unit at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Army Staff Sgt. Ramon Padillamunguia, one of three patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, D.C., attending this year’s National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic at Snowmass Village, Colo., skis down a slope proving the therapeutic benefit of a positive mental mindset. The six-day clinic wraps up April 3, 2009. VA photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Stamatelos...

Couples having IVF treatment are to be warned for the first time that their children have a higher risk of genetic flaws and health problems. Official guidance will make clear that test-tube babies could be up to 30 per cent more likely to suffer from certain birth defects. The alert has been ordered by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the Government's watchdog on fertility issues. It means that the one in six British couples estimated to be infertile will have to balance their desire for a child against concerns that IVF methods could lead to life-threatening defects or long-term...

As many of you may know, I dissect many of the social problems that MMA can encounter and create as it intermingles with society. As “The Grumpy Sociologist,” that’s my role in the MMA media. Hey, nobody else really does it. But I love a good story when I see one, and many of you may also know that I am an amateur wrestling enthusiast. While FightTicker.com is predominantly an MMA site, we would be remiss not to take notice that the NCAA Div. 1 National Wrestling Championships began this past Thursday and conclude today. Exemplifying amazing determination over his...

Transcript of Obama's Interview on Leno 'The Tonight Show'We all are aware of Obama joking about "special olympics"... but it's worse. Leno asked him about the presidential dog (official transcript): Q Wow. And it's, what, a Portuguese water head? (Laughter.) What is it, what kind of dog is it? THE PRESIDENT: It's not that. (Laughter.) Q It's not that. THE PRESIDENT: It's not a "water head." (Laughter.) Q Whatever they are, I don't know what they are. THE PRESIDENT: That sounds like a scary dog. (Laughter.) Sort of dripping around the house. (Laughter.) ... Perfunction blog reports:Except it sure didn't...

In her State of the State speech, Gov. Sarah Palin promised more support for children with special needs, such as giving more money to screen children with autism.

Movie theaters face suit over lack of captioned films Advocates cite disability laws By LEVI PULKKINEN P-I REPORTER For most cinema buffs, silent movies went out with the Coolidge administration eight decades ago. But for film fans who are hard of hearing, today's theaters offer little beyond an indecipherable silence. Captioned showings remain rare, and existing technology that would allow attendees to read along at their seats is rarely used. Now, a small group of Washington residents hopes to change that through a lawsuit filed earlier this month in King County Superior Court. As others have around the nation, the...

LOS ANGELES -- The mother of newborn octuplets and six other children collected more than $165,000 in state disability payments for an on-the-job back injury that she and a doctor said was worsened by pregnancy, according to state documents released Thursday. Nadya Suleman, 33, became pregnant with all 14 of her children after a 1999 injury during a riot at a state mental hospital where she worked, according to documents disclosed to The Associated Press following a public records request to the state Division of Workers' Compensation. The octuplets' birth last week and subsequent disclosure that Suleman is a single...

Growing up in Dallas, Alison Schuback was the kind of young woman yearbooks were created to enshrine. At 23, she was beautiful, popular, working on her master's degree in family therapy, and envisioning a life spent helping others. Then, on October 17, 1997, a Chevy Suburban ran a red light and plowed into the side of her gray Mitsubishi Eclipse, which was waiting to make a left-hand turn at an intersection. As Schuback's car whipsawed into other vehicles, the fibers of her brain twisted and tore, wreaking havoc on the delicate network that keeps humans sentient and mobile. ... Then,...

To understand what it’s like to work on the railroad — the Long Island Rail Road — a good place to start is the Sunken Meadow golf course, a rolling stretch of state-owned land on Long Island Sound. During the workweek, it is not uncommon to find retired L.I.R.R. employees, sometimes dozens of them, golfing there. A few even walk the course. Yet this is not your typical retiree outing. These golfers are considered disabled. At an age when most people still work, they get a pension and tens of thousands of dollars in annual disability payments — a sum...

Now, this is a funnier clip. Charles Rangel is in a world of hurt when it comes to his taxes. He is chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, but he has gone into default on his taxes. Of course, the Dems are being hypocritical and allowing him to keep his spot. Jay Leno makes fun of his inability to understand the law he himself writes:

Congress gave final approval yesterday to legislation that will bring more Americans under the umbrella of “disabled” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). President Bush said he’d sign the bill (S. 3406). The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 reverses several court rulings from recent years that had limited the scope of ADA protections. It directs U.S. courts to apply a broader definition when deciding what truly qualifies as an ADA-covered disability. The biggest change: The bill makes clear that courts (and employers) should not take into consideration any “mitigating measures” that reduce the impact of an impairment—such as medication,...

Much has been discussed about John McCain not being able to use a computer and in an ad from the Barack Obama campaign (shown above) it says, "Can't send an email," referencing McCain. An article in Boston.com from 2000, shows McCain cannot type on a keyboard. It took a blogger from The Corner less than a day to find an article in Boston.com that references John McCain injuries from Vietnam, showing he cannot tie his shoes, comb his hair properly or "typing on a keyboard," stating it was because of his severe war injuries, which limit his ability to do...

Warning: You may need to protect your keyboard from spewed beverages! I could not stop laughing after seeing the look on Plug's face when he realized what he had said. Priceless!!!

Perhaps nothing Sarah Palin said in her boffo address at the Republican Convention had as much resonance as her statement that “sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge.” That truism was redeemed from mere Hallmark-card sentimentality because everyone knew that Palin’s 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant and that Palin herself gave birth to a boy, Trig, with Down syndrome in April. The joys in the Palin household lately have been particularly leavened with challenges. Palin’s choice to give birth to Trig after she learned of his condition 13 weeks into her pregnancy endeared her to pro-lifers and contributed to the...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Joe Biden, Barack Obama's pro-abortion running mate, is coming under fire for comments he made today attacking vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. After attacking her on abortion, Biden then slammed Palin on the birth of her son, who has Down syndrome. During her acceptance speech last week, Palin promised the parents of disabled children that she would be their advocate in the White House. Biden questioned that commitment by attacking Palin's stance on the issue of embryonic stem cell research, which has never helped a single patient. "I hear all this talk about how the Republicans are...

No particular Republican is named but it’s no mystery whom this is aimed at. Was Joe Biden referring to Sarah Palin, a mother of a child with Down syndrome, when he made this comment? “I hear all this talk about how the Republicans are going to work in dealing with parents who have both the joy, because there’s joy to it as well, the joy and the difficulty of raising a child who has a developmental disability, who were born with a birth defect. Well guess what folks? If you care about it, why don’t you support stem cell research?”...

Little Trig Palin prompted more than delegate coos when he joined his mother on stage at the Republican convention. He also raised new questions among parents whose children have disabilities. Was Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin simply including her 5-month-old son, who has Down syndrome, in a big family moment, or was she exploiting him in a tight presidential campaign? Would he help break down social barriers facing children with Down syndrome, or would those children now be drawn into the right-to-life debate? Getty Images Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's son Trig joined her on stage with her husband, Todd, at the...

ALPHARETTA, Ga.-Polishing off his strawberry-banana yogurt, Jacob Moore races to his keyboard with a whoop, picks his way through "Pop Goes the Weasel" and gives his mom a high five. This is the average stuff of childhood, and it has not come easily to the 8-year-old with Down syndrome. For his mother, Heidi Moore, achieving average "is like climbing Mount Everest." The family has been clambering up with the help of therapists, 15 surgeries, prayer and a tight-knit community of parents whose children live with the disorder. That network is abuzz with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s arrival on the national...

Amid the barbs and hockey banter Wednesday night, Gov. Sarah Palin directed an emotional appeal to the hearts of millions of parents with children who have special needs, promising they would “have a friend and advocate in the White House” in a McCain-Palin administration. Palin’s offer of friendship sparked hope in many parents, advocates and lawyers as the often-marginalized subject of disabilities rights took center stage. ****** Ms. Palin’s effort to rally parents of children with disabilities has also prompted reaction among those who fear that her idea of advocacy might really mean preventing abortions of fetuses with Down syndrome,...

The VP pick's decision to raise a Down Syndrome baby should spark a debate on the value of "imperfect" human beings. When Adolf Hitler set about his plans to craft the perfect, master Aryan race, his first task was to eliminate the handicapped and mentally disabled; as the first step in this goal, midwives and physicians were ordered to register children born with severe birth defects, and “experts” reviewing the cases ordered the deaths of about 5,000 such children from 1939 to 1945. The vulnerable in our society are the canary in the coal mine: When society decides that any...

Most of my Chinese friends as is the case with many Americans, know very little about Governor Sarah Palin, John Mcain's choice for running mate in the 2008 Presidential Election. When they do learn more about her, there is one aspect of her life that will undoubtedly catch the attention of many people here. Earlier this year, Governor Palin gave birth to a baby boy despite the fact that doctors told her that he would have Down syndrome. Making the same choice in China is nearly unheard of. If a Chinese mother finds out that her unborn baby is afflicted...

ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today released the following remarks by John McCain as prepared for delivery via satellite to the Americans with Disabilities conference: In a few months' time, Americans will choose their next president, and the course that our country will follow in the years to come. Many thousands of those votes would never be cast at all, were it not for this organization and its Disability Vote Project. Like so many other rights and privileges in our country, the right to vote always belonged to Americans with disabilities. But exercising that right could...

All Desiree Carpenter wanted was a chance to succeed. As a young woman Ms. Carpenter (not her real name) had been subjected to repeated physical and sexual assaults, losing her eyesight during one attack. Her assailant did hard time, but now he was back on the streets and vowing to track her down. Her only hope was to flee to another state, assume a new identity, and start over. Washington was the best place to begin anew, since the state had passed tough anti-stalking laws. So she packed her bags and hopped on the train with her two children in...

The mother of a 13-year-old autistic boy who was banned by a court order from attending services at a Roman Catholic church in Bertha, Minn., woke up Sunday determined to take her son to mass. But Carol Race changed her mind when Todd County Sheriff Pete Mikkelson met her at the end of her driveway Sunday and told her she would be arrested if she brought her son, Adam, into the Church of St. Joseph. Instead, Race took Adam and her four other children to mass at Christ the King Church in nearby Browerville, Minn. "It occurred to me that...

The fact that he is legally designated with a disability pension may raise further questions. "It is a legitimate question to ask about the commander in chief: Is he fit to serve," said Robert Schriebman, a senior Pentagon tax advisor and tax attorney who recently retired as a judge advocate for a unit of the California National Guard. If McCain can hike across the Grand Canyon, then why should he be getting disability payments from the government that are tax-exempt, Schriebman asked. McCain shattered his knee and broke both arms when he was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967....

Fighting for Lexie : Court of Appeals Should Reject Latest School Choice Challenge Timothy Keller, Goldwater Institute Daily Email, April 16, 2008 The fate of Lexie Weck’s education is in the hands of a three-judge panel. The Arizona Court of Appeals will hear arguments Wednesday, April 23 in the nation’s first-ever legal challenge against publicly funded scholarships for children with disabilities and children in foster care. Lexie is a six-year-old girl with autism and cerebral palsy, who uses a scholarship to attend the Chrysalis Academy where she is flourishing. A year ago, she was in a public school making little...

From what I know of history, I know that Franklin Delano Roosevelt did not like to be photgraphed sitting in his wheelchair. So when I saw this photo of Bill Clinton unveiling a statue of FDR at the San Juan, Puerto Rico Capitol Building on 4/7/08, I went to work. I contacted the FDR Library, and asked them the following qeustion: "On Monday, April 7, 2008, Bill Clinton unveiled a statue of FDR at the Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From what I recall, FDR went through great lengths and was always trying his hardest not to...

California legislators to pregnant women: No parking privileges. Lawmakers killed a proposal Monday to qualify women for "temporarily disabled" parking placards in the final three months of pregnancy and the first two months after birth. Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, said he hoped to provide a "transition period" for women struggling with birth-related problems. "For that brief five-month period, let's give them some consideration," DeVore said. Assembly Bill 1940 died in the Assembly Transportation Committee despite an amendment by DeVore to bar the placards from being used beside meters or where parking fees are charged. Needing eight votes for passage, AB...

Give birth, get a parking pass? California lawmakers are considering granting special parking privileges to women in the final three months of pregnancy and the first two months after birth. The legislation would apply to more than a half-million women who give birth every year in California. Assemblyman Chuck DeVore's bill would qualify pregnant women for "temporarily disabled" parking placards from the Department of Motor Vehicles. "Let's be reasonable here: There are challenges, physical challenges, that arise as a natural part of life," DeVore said of pregnancy. The Irvine Republican said it makes little sense to force a pregnant woman...

Images used in society reflect the way a culture views disability, said Rosemarie Garland-Thompson, a professor of women's studies and English at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Garland-Thompson presented a lecture Tuesday that encouraged community members and professionals who attended to view images of disability in a different way. She is a visiting speaker for the first annual Disability Studies Forum. "Images of people with disabilities are out in the world. I read images for the stories that are in them," Garland-Thompson said to the audience in the Health Sciences Education Building. Garland-Thompson analyzed how people take these received stories,...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A leading pro-abortion group has said it will not oppose a bill that will help reduce the number of abortions on babies who are potentially afflicted with Down Syndrome. The measure has already received approval from a Senate committee and is headed to the full chamber for a debate and vote. Last month, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved the Pre-natally and Post-natally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act on a unanimous vote.The bill is designed to help reduce the number of abortions of babies with Down syndrome and other conditions.Sen Sam Brownback,...

HONOLULU, Feb. 20, 2008 – A person’s ability is far more important than a person’s disability, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke to reporters while en route here after visiting the Wounded Warrior Battalion West at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He is on a six-day trip to California, Hawaii and Australia. “Those who have been injured served so well,” Mullen said. “One of the things they are asking is, ‘OK, what am I going to do with the rest of my life?’ They want to be as good and great as they...

TAMPA - An arrest warrant has been issued for Charlette Marshall-Jones, the detention deputy who dumped a quadriplegic man from his wheelchair, Sheriff David Gee said late Friday. "Miss Marshall-Jones has been made aware of the charges against her, but as of this moment has not turned herself in and we do not know her whereabouts," Gee said.

DEAF parents should be allowed to screen their embryos so they can pick a deaf child over one that has all its senses intact, according to the chief executive of the Royal National Institute for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People (RNID). Jackie Ballard, a former Liberal Democrat MP, says that although the vast majority of deaf parents would want a child who has normal hearing, a small minority of couples would prefer to create a child who is effectively disabled, to fit in better with the family lifestyle. Ballard’s stance is likely to be welcomed by other deaf organisations,...

The phrase has long since entered the political lexicon, but it was former House Speaker and Massachusetts Representative Tip O'Neill who first christened Social Security the "third rail of American politics." The reasoning behind his snide dubbing is twofold: the high political mortality rate of those who suggest change to the program, and avoidance of the issue by even Washington's most forthcoming public officials. During the Oct. 9 GOP debate, presidential candidate Fred Thompson threw conventional wisdom to the wind and grabbed the rail. Hard. Thompson called Social Security's current trajectory "unsustainable" and proposed reducing the benefits of recipients to...