KATHERINE BOHAN,
Sir, - It would be comfortable and naïve of us to believe that the reported shelving of the Disability Bill reflects positively on a Government appearing to listen to the concerns of the disability lobby. The reality, however, is disturbing.
This offensive piece of proposed legislation is not simply a matter of concern to a small lobby. It is a wake-up call to all citizens, for it strikes at the very nature of the relationship between the State and its citizens. Disability rights are human rights and the Bill seeks to deny those rights to all citizens of Ireland, not just those who are disabled. The essence of this denial of human rights is economic. This is a cruel double irony for all those suffering from disability; in the words of the Lotto ad: "It could be you".
A society is not judged by economic criteria, nor is the true wealth of a nation measured by how many wealthy people live in it, but by the manner in which it treats its most vulnerable members. By any measure the Disability Bill demonstrates how bankrupt our political leaders truly believe us to be.
More insidious, however, is the suggestion that by removing particularly offensive sections and by entering into consultation with disability groups, this Government is in some way a listening and caring Government. The public should know that this Bill follows years of consultation and that the issue is not resolved by tinkering with a fundamentally flawed piece of legislation. Rather it is the philosophical approach in denying human rights demonstrated by this Government that needs radical change.
If the Constitution, as has been argued by the Government on many occasions, is a bar to effective legislation guaranteeing enforceable rights for the disabled, then let the good citizens of Ireland decide what sort of society they want by promoting a referendum. Any constitutional amendment should take account of the Supreme Court's finding, in considering the original Equal Status Bill, that people with disabilities are entitled to be discriminated against because their human rights are deemed of lesser consequence than the right to make a profit.
Would that our political leaders could demonstrate a similar passion for effective constitutional amendment and legislation to protect the basic human rights of our daughter, who has a learning disability, as they claim for the forthcoming referendum on abortion and for photo opportunities for the 2003 Special Olympics. - Yours, etc.,
KATHERINE BOHAN,
Greygates,
Mount Merrion,
Co Dublin.
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Sir, - On Tuesday, February 19th, I attended a packed public meeting in the Mansion House on the Disability Bill. Many people, individuals with disabilities, families of people with disabilities and organisations for people with disabilities spoke of their major concerns about the Bill.
The criticisms were genuine and well thought out. Many people were annoyed with the long delays before many of its provisions would take effect; the facts that the rights of the disabled would not be legally enforceable and problems about the position of service providers. Most people objected to the provision that would bar disabled persons from taking civil actions against the State.
Above all, there was a great sense of anger. However, there was also a great sense of hope for the future. The days of second-class citizenship are over and civil rights are now top of the agenda. It is now up to the Government to go back to the consultative table with all the disability groups and come up with a Bill that respects the rights of the disabled.
There are enough capable people in this country to bring forward proper rights-based legislation. Then we all win and our children will have a caring and generous future. Let's do it now. - Yours, etc.,
Cllr FINIAN McGRATH,
Charlemont,
Griffith Avenue,
Dublin 9.