From: gjh@galen.med.Virginia.EDU (Galen J. Hekhuis)
Subject: Re: Article to read
Organization: University of Virginia Health Sciences Center
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 00:21:07 GMT

In article <usglkrx.718412033@gsusgi1.gsu.edu> usglkrx@gsusgi2.gsu.edu 
(Lori K. Rothman) writes:
}I just got my October/November issue of _Exceptional Children_, a
}journal published by the Council for Exceptional Children for teacher
}of Special Education.

}In it was a *very* interesting, and frightening, article entitled
}"Early Pregnancy and Academic Achievement of African-American Youth".

}The entire article is worth reading, but I don't have the time
}to type the whole thing in.  A few of the things that jumped
}out at me:

}(The group interviewed consisted of 10 women who were aged 15
}to 19.  Each of them had at least one child)

}8 out of 10 described themselves as happy, but only half expressed pride
}in motherhood.

}Half or less recieved Social Security, Aid for Families with Dependent
}Children or financial aid from the father(s) of the child(ren).

}8 out of 10 had a mother who had been a teen parent.

}2 of them had *planned* their first pregnancy: both at the age of *16*!

}"Adolescent pregnancy and subsequent parenting can create major 
}obstacles to any student's achievement in school.....Students in 
}special education classes, or those otherwise labeled as have 
}disabilities, are of particular concern. Furthermore, sexual development
}in these students may be as healthy and normal as in other
}adolescents.  They are very capable of conceiving and
}bearing a child, although they may not understand the
}process of pregnancy, birth and delivery."

That sexual development may be healthy and normal, and that conception
and birth may be normal does not mean that care for the infant thereafter
is in any means certain.  A sample of 10 is not enough to draw valid
conclusions in any case.  Having said that, I am also somewhat concerned
that anyone conclude that mental capability is necessarily related to
childcare.  

}This topic is important to me, because I teach special education
}students.  I want to know how some of the rest of you feel
}about this issue, and an important related one: that of 
}sterilization.  Should the parent of a mentally retarded child
}have the right to sterilize their child, without his/her consent?

If the parent(s) of the mentally retarded person is(are) able to make other
similar decisions for the child without consent, then I imagine they
might make such a decision without consent.  Ideally, such should be 
handled on a case by case basis, with wise and merciful people involved.
Such is not always the case, however.  It should come as no surprise that
I would oppose any legislation to try to sort this out, however imperfect
the system is now.  Uh, unless there is a law that attempts to do this, 
in which case I would generally be in favor of repeal of such a law.
In short, I will side with the individual, retarded or not, unless that
individual can be shown to be rather irresponsible.  Better yet, I 
would hope that the people involved would consider my opinion to be 
just that, an opinion, and would reach a decision based on their own
knowledge of the circumstances.

I hope I have sufficiently muddied the water so that I can later claim
to have always supported the popular opinion no matter what that might
turn out to be.  Popular opinion is pretty important to me.     :^)
(Smiley face included for those who might need it.)



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     Galen Hekhuis  UVa Health Sci Ctr (804)982-1646 gjh@virginia.edu
                   We are the Cro-Magnon of the future!