An open letter to PM Lee on true inclusiveness

Dear Mr Lee,

I thank God for your excellent health today, having seen you taken ill during the National Day Rally.

Your tenacity and perseverance to finish the speech in spite of your condition makes you a leader by example. 

I thank you for your support for The Purple Parade each year and the diligent effort of the government towards a barrier-free Singapore for people with disabilities (PWD). 

You said that with many helping hands, persons with special needs can live full and worthwhile lives.

I can't agree more because I am one of them.

On the day you were inaugurated as PM, you have declared to support this special community.

I thank you and all who have worked towards building a society where abilities are celebrated.

Truly, we have not shifted from focusing on a person's contribution to the society.

There are many PWD who have severe disabilities and it is a fact that they will not be able to contribute to our society in the way we would have wanted.

I am blessed to be alive because of good family support, the help of voluntary welfare organizations (VWOs) and the larger community.

I can now live a full and worthwhile life because of the many helping hands approach.

I am alive but I cannot say the same for other babies diagnosed with structural abnormalities.

During the spread of the Zika virus, abortion was readily pushed out as an option when no one can confirm that the baby with Zika virus would have microcephaly.

Even if the child is born with microcephaly, he is not unlike any child with a severe disability, deserving love, care and support like any other children without any disability. 

The Zika virus scare manifests the deep-rooted fear and misconceptions of disability.

On one hand, we celebrate the achievements of PWD and rightly so.

On the other hand, we are quick to dish out abortion to eliminate babies born with structural abnormalities.

It is the height of double standards to appeal to the routine foetal scan that is performed at 20 weeks gestational age to pick up structural abnormalities so that parents would have some time to "consider the implications and make an informed decision as to whether to keep or abort the child" as the reason for keeping the 24-week limit for abortion.

I remember myself crying when I first got to know that the contents of pre-abortion counselling is adapted for women diagnosed with foetal abnormalities.

Mr Lee, why is there no consistency in building an inclusive society, starting with the unborn?

Don't such parents deserve the same support from our government and the community?

It is a tragedy when our value as a human being is merely economic, rather than recognizing the inherent worth and dignity of every human life.

We will grow old, grow weak and may have accidents in life that make us unable to contribute to our society.

What then?

Do we trash ourselves in this throw-away culture that we choose to create?

I'm just a common citizen with no power, no fame, no status, no great achievement by the world's standards.

I have nothing to gain by speaking up for the voiceless.

I don't even know if you will get to read this letter but one thing I know, I cannot celebrate The Purple Parade, knowing that this inconsistency costs lives.

Let's wake up to this reality that discrimination is real for the unborn with structural abnormalities and that we do something about it.
We should have divine discontent in any matter that concerns life and death.

For those who determine that people with severe disabilities are better off being dead, I encourage you to watch The Drop Box movie.

Thank you Mr Lee for reading this long letter.

I believe in a government that is not hypocritical.

As the former President of the United States Thomas Jefferson rightly said, "The care of human life and not its destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government."

I sincerely hope that all the unborn will have equal opportunity to live in this place we call home.
Jesus bless you and I will pray for you.

Yours sincerely,

Serene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTQ2VTf5vWc