The Works of God

October is officially National Disability Employment Awareness Month.  President Obama included in his official declaration:

Individuals with disabilities are a vital and dynamic part of our Nation, and their contributions have impacted countless lives.  People with disabilities bring immeasurable value to our workplaces, and we will continue to address the challenges to employment that must be overcome.  This month, let us rededicate ourselves to fostering equal access and fair opportunity in our labor force, and to capitalizing on the talent, skills, and rich diversity of all our workers.

I agree whole-heartedly.

But I would also suggest the President, in wanting to make a generous statement about people with disabilities, did not use the word ‘immeasurable’ accurately. The Federal government measures value all the time: gross national product, employment levels, investment in capital and personnel.  We watch these measurements with great interest.

By contrast, God, who creates out of nothing, knits together little human beings for his glory who will have an eternal existence.  Eternity would seem to be more appropriately connected to ‘immeasurable value’ than productivity in any workplace.

In fact, it is that connection to productivity in the workplace that leaves me unsettled.  I know quite a few children who will never be ‘productive’ in terms of their ability to produce an economic benefit to society.  This lack of future benefit combined with alleged certainty about the ‘quality of life’ a child will experience results in some horrendous things – like abortion rates of more than 90% for some disabling conditions.

How can we even begin to make statements about ‘immeasurable value’ in one area of life when these future workers aren’t allowed to be born?

Yes, I’d feel much better about this declaration if the President took a stand on pre-born babies with disabilities having intrinsic value and inherent, God-given dignity.

Please, Mr. President, do more than make declarations about employment for people with disabilities.  Do more than talk about abortion being ‘safe, legal and rare‘ in this country.  Please, tell people to let the children live.