The recent gaffe by our Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison saying that he was blessed not to have children with disabilities was a complete insult to all those children who have been born with disabilities – they are precious, valued by their parents and a blessing. His comment came after a mother of a disability child asked about future funding for the NDIS (disability system in Australia) for her son, yet his answer on himself being blessed not having to deal with a child with disabilities came as a shock to all, but the mother still really wanted an answer about the funding as parents need that funding to help their children with therapy, support workers and all other needs involved with a disability child. Saying you are lucky not to have one of those children is ridiculous but indicative of the society we live in where anything wrong in a child is view as one professor of Curtin university Katie Ellis said society see disability as a ‘tragedy’ model where you pity the family and leave them to deal with their childs disability whereas it should be a "social model" and all society is responsible to help or care not merely pity those with disabilities but give practical help and support as with all families and children.
However, coming from a self-claiming Christian who goes to church then what Scott Morrison said is even worse in that it goes against the Bible in every way. Since Christian teaching is that all children are a blessing and gift from God and it is not qualified with how perfect they have to be…it is not qualified by if they have a disability or not or have high IQ or extreme talents. That is something selfish middle-class man wants in a materialistic society. That is something the prosperity doctrine churches, the celebrity churches such as Hillsong and C3 Phil Pringles philosophy impregnated church – that you are blessed if everything is perfect, if you are wealthy, if you have the best houses, the best cars, the best jobs that is what a Christian is blessed by God because they have all those perfect things. If you do not have those things you are not in Gods will and you are not enough. It is a false doctrine that needs to be knocked on the head. Born of middle-class greed and values twisted into a Christian type teaching of being right with God means everything goes right and nothing bad ever happens and everything you do will ripple with being ‘blessed’ by God. The suffering and anything else hard to endure goes out the window and you must not be right with God if that happens. Your child has a disability? You must have done something wrong, or you have lost Gods blessing. It is a false doctrine to make everyone feel good about themselves before God.
It takes away any responsibility of the church to help those in need because if they are in need they must not be right with God, right? Wrong. Am I my brother’s keeper? Yes I am. Am I to love my neighbour? Yes. Am I to treat others how I want to be treated? Yes I am.
Those advocates in disabilities have reacted with anger to what ScoMo said, in his seeming ignorance of the life of those who raise disability children and yes actually love them!. While the prime minister’s own politicians of course defend him saying it was nothing malicious, it took him a long time to get his two daughters so he was blessed. However he meant he was blessed they were born with no defects and that is wrong and ignorant of a man so called Christian to say in the face of the suffering and strain many parents are facing in Australia in trying to raise their special needs children – with their funding being cut particularly those children with autism or cerebral palsey where it appear to be the worst thing to ask for a wheel chair and they are not being helped!
The Australian of the year said he woke up feeling blessed today because he has a disability in response to Scott Morrison’s ignorant comment – how could our political leader be so dumb and so selfish? Because he is middle-class and lives in a happy rose coloured world due to all his money and opportunities in life and does not want to think about anyone else’s suffering.
Similarly in disabilities and Aged Care the Prime Minister is not interested in making things better for those who are not adding to the economy and by not looking after those who need help you will condemn your own country
“Prime Minister Scott Morrison also apologised to tennis champion and Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott after making the “blessed” remarks. Alcott joined a long list of politicians and disability advocates condemning Mr Morrison for saying he and wife Jenny were “blessed” to have children without disability.
“Woke up this morning feeling very blessed to be disabled – I reckon my parents are pretty happy about it too,” Alcott said on Thursday morning. Alcott also said “Feeling sorry for us and our families doesn’t help. Treating us equally and giving us the choice and control over our own lives does.” (21 April 2022, Courtney Gould and Ashleigh Gleeson, News.com)
Parents of disability kids need help to give their children the best lives they can have, just like any other children and parent’s love is unconditional regardless of any so called ‘defect’ our children are precious. I love my son I am blessed. We are only cursed when a selfish world turns it s back and puts our children down or exploits them in the pursuit of their material wealth and money, when our disability workers are not being trained properly or at all, and the NDIS is used to make money for administration but wont give funds to the actual ones with disabilities like they were meant to or claimed to. The curse is living a selfish world and greedy human tendencies in our country’s leadership. May we change this. Don’t those such as ScoMO know it is more blessed to give than receive? Apparently not.
I do not want any more children hurt in disabilities by ignorant, impatient workers who don’t care about them at all. Or pretend to care but have no idea about a disability person. I want standards in educating disability workers and training them, and I want cameras in disabilities made mandatory to protect our children from harm especially our non verbal who have no voice…and without cameras they will never have protection or justice..we need a bill that makes it a crime to hurt a disability person in duty of care of an organization. Or the lying providers will continue to make many disability children’s lives one of fear and intimidation and they cannot even tell us who hurt them. Now that would be a blessing to have our children trully protected and give parents of disabilities children and adult children peace of mind for their futures. It needs to happen and is the right thing to do.
All the best
Anndrea x
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#disabilitylivesmatteroz