서강대학교

초록/요약

Once the value and sacredness of life is acknowledged, any act that intercepts life cannot be rationalized in any way. However, in real life, life-abusing acts like abortion are being practiced. Such behavior results from mechanical view of humanity and medical needs, without any regard to the value and sacredness of life but due to Amongst the views that attempt to rationalize life-abusing behavior, a view which suggests the possibility of physical and psychological disability is gaining considerable recognition. However, this view is based on the lack of objective understanding of disability. Taking of human life based on such mythical or visionary prejudice must be strictly forbidden. In this sense, instilling a proper understanding of disability could be the starting point in approaching the problems of human life. The phenomenon of rationalizing the destruction of life in the present society is evident in genetic counseling and euthanasia. Abortion through genetic counseling is rationalized by the suffering and burden brought about by the birth of a disabled child, and the low quality of life inflicted by disability. Likewise, euthanasia of the mentally-retarded is argued to rid the mentally-retarded of the suffering they must go through. Ohter euthanasia supporters pay more attention to the cost they must pay in society, and argue that they should be eliminated since they are useless in society. The rationale behind such life-destroying phenomenon - i.e. suffering brought on by disability-is merely a prejudice. This thinking is not based on factual information, but is merely a stereotype or myth. If a healthy (non-disabled) person commits a life-destroying behavior based on this kind of prejudice, it would pose a serious problem. Special education attempts to minimize this type of prejudice by developing the essential skills of the disabled, which minimizes the negative effects of disability; and gives the disabled person as well as the family some tangible hope by giving them some suitable skill to help them adjust to their role in society. Ultimately, special education attempts to eradicate life-threatening behavior on the grounds of burden and estimated suffering by eliminating the reasons behind the undervaluing of the importance of life on the basis of disability. This will eventually recover the belief in the valure of human life. The purpose of special education is to get rid of the prejudice that disability in some part of the body destroys the whole human being, and to form a society where the disabled people are treated and respected as ordinary human beings.