Is trying to Get Rid of the term "Retard" a Useless Effort?

hawkeye sure is a ******* asshole.

whether you use a word or term, or you don't use it. trying to get rid of any word or term, is, for the lack of a better word or term, retarded

in my opinion

You're a Nazi, they started off killing the disabled, then moved on to other 'harmful' influences. The 'collective' could well do without people like you. If we're going to start killing people who are harmful to society we should start with you.

A controversial procedure to limit the growth of severely disabled children to keep them forever small – which ignited a fiery debate about the limits of medical intervention when it was first revealed five years ago – has begun to spread among families in America, Europe and beyond.

The Guardian has learned that at least 12 other families have carried out or are in the process of undergoing such medical therapies. The total number of children who have been administered with hormones to keep them small may have reached more than 100 and interest among families extended into the thousands.

The Guardian is in contact with two of the new families, both involving severely disabled children who were adopted. They include the world's first known example of a boy who has been given hormone therapy that keep him child-sized for the rest of his life.

Five years ago details first emerged of Ashley, a nine-year-old girl living near Seattle. She was born with developmental disabilities that meant she was unable to talk or walk, and continues to have the cognitive ability of an infant.

Ashley's parents, together with doctors at Seattle children's hospital, devised a cocktail of medical interventions to keep her from growing any further. Dubbed the "Ashley treatment", the procedure was born out of the conviction that Ashley's quality of life would improve as it would spare her physical discomfort and pain.

The core of the treatment was hormone therapy: high estrogen doses to bring forward the closure of the growth plates in her bones, which would in turn stop her growing. In addition, surgical interventions included removal of her nascent breast buds to avoid the discomfort of fully-formed breasts later in life, and a hysterectomy to avoid menstruation.

I read it when it first appeared, this is a very specific example, where a child who is quite severelydisabled is kept artificially young so they can be better looked after. It's very controversial, but most of the protagonists seem motivated by the best interests of the child, not the 'collective,' or whatever Nazi buzz word is doing the rounds right now.

You really like using that word don't you, does it makes you feel a bit big? Unlike you, I've not made my mind up, but I can see how it would be easier for someone if they could be moved about without a lot of hoists and other medical equipment.

Re: hawkeye10 (Post 4922055)
You're a Nazi, they started off killing the disabled, then moved on to other 'harmful' influences.

izzythepush wrote:

Re: hawkeye10 (Post 4922055)
You're a Nazi, they started off killing the disabled, then moved on to other 'harmful' influences.

I don't remember the source, but I once read somewhere that the first persons who were gassed in Nazi Germany were mentally retarded children who weren't even Jewish.

For sure, the word "idiot" is disproportionately well represented
in the vocabulary that is forthcoming in this forum!

A point that would only be relevant if someone was talking about killing retards. I am not aware of anyone who does so.