The modern world is composed of many different culture and people.

Cohabitation is essential to maintain a certain order and a peaceful climate worldwide. In

the process, some people’s rights are often denied, for many different reasons. In

Australia, numerous women with a physical disability undergo forced sterilized. Such

behaviour should stop because physically disabled individual deserve the right to have

children, just like anyone else.

One of the most common point made against physically disabled individuals is

their incapacity to take care of their offspring. This claim is refutable in many ways.

Firstly, a child needs care in many different levels: physical, emotional, psychological,

financial, etc. While it is possible that the illness prevents someone from physically

supporting his child, it rarely implies their inadequacy to provide on the other levels. The

term disabled is often used in a general sense, with a hazy definition. Illnesses come in a

multitude of form, some more severe than others. Thus, not all disabled parents are

unable to physically raise their infant. Secondly, a physically disabled parent can be

assisted in his tasks. For example, the spouse can assist in the daily activities, just like

any other parent would do. The immediate family is also present in case of emergency or

if the couple is divorced. Moreover, governmental and community organisations exist to

help families, disabled or not, such as the CLSC. Thirdly, no one is protected against

accidents or illnesses. One day, one might be unable to attend to his children when he was

previously able to. However, these events are mostly random and unpredictable, making

it impossible to select who should or should not have the right to have children based on

physical disability.
 Another widely used argument to stop the physically disabled from reproducing

as to do with eugenics. Many discourage disabled people to have children because they

will pass on their physical defect. However, the transmission of pathologies is a complex

subject that varies from one illness to another. Moreover, each illnesses have

specifications, proving that the transition between parents and children is not guaranteed.

For example, let us look at muscular dystrophy in particular. There are different kinds of

muscular dystrophy, all with different transmission mode. In some case, the illness will

be autosomal dominant (does not skip a generation), autosomal recessive (only in one

generation) or x-linked recessive (linked to the X chromosome) (Muscular Dystrophy

Canada: Genetics). A gene mutation can also occur, which happens at random: “New

gene mutations are unpredictable, occurring at random within the population.” (Muscular

Dystrophy Canada: Genetics). Muscular dystrophy is only one type of hereditary disease

that illustrates the plethora of different transmission modes. However, there exist

pathologies that are not transmitted from parent to offspring, such as spina bifida,

multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy. The physical damages related to any type of accident

are also not transmitted to the child as they are not part of the genes of the individual. All

of these occurrences prove that physical defects are not always carried to the children of

any disabled person.

In our western world, the choice to have children is regarded as a personal matter.

No authorities have to be consulted during the thought process and no tests are required

in order to have the right to reproduce. The democratic system present in our society

insures that the individual’s right are preserved in every aspect of life. Organisations such

as the UN have created an official charter of rights and freedoms, along with many laws,
to protect the citizens of the world. This charter is universal and applicable for every

human being, regardless of any other criteria, including people who suffer from physical

illnesses and are considered disabled. With this in mind, physically disabled people

should have the same rights as everyone else, which includes the right to have children.

On top of this legislation lays another charter made by the United Nations that directly

concerns this category of people. The convention on the rights of persons with disabilities

was created as a protective measure to make sure that the rights of disabled individuals

are respected and observed with as much rigor as the rights of others. The article 23 of

this convention clearly states that disabled persons, be it physically or intellectually, have

the right to procreate : “The right of all persons with disabilities who are of marriageable

age to marry and to found a family on the basis of free and full consent of the intending

spouses is recognized” (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).

Therefore, this principle should be followed, just as we follow the other rules and laws

that govern our lives in society.

To conclude, there is seemingly no reason why physically disabled individuals

should be denied the right to have children. The complex task of being a parent consists

of many aspects other than being physically present for the infant, which are within the

reach of people with disabilities. The assumption that most illnesses are passed on to the

offspring at birth is also too broad and oversimplifies the actual issue of heredity in the

medical field. To me, the most important point of this debate is not related to technical

facts nor research. That is, everyone on the planet should benefit of equal rights. It is an

ideal that anyone can look up to and that most people support. Becoming a parent is far

from an easy process. If it was the case, a lot of our social problems would probably
disappear. The reality is that there are no courses on how to become a good parent, and

there is no way to regulate or know in advance if someone is suited to become one.

 Work cited

"Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities." Welcome to the United Nations:
It's Your World. 2006. Web. 11 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml>.

"Muscular Dystrophy Canada: Genetics." Muscular Dystrophy Canada: Muscle.ca. 2010.

Web. 11 Oct. 2010. <http://www.muscle.ca/quebec/muscular-
dystrophy/genetics.html>.