Reconsidering Intellectual Disability

L'Arche, Medical Ethics, and Christian Friendship

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Disability, Religion & Spirituality, Theology, Christianity
Cover of the book Reconsidering Intellectual Disability by Jason Reimer Greig, Georgetown University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jason Reimer Greig ISBN: 9781626162440
Publisher: Georgetown University Press Publication: November 2, 2015
Imprint: Georgetown University Press Language: English
Author: Jason Reimer Greig
ISBN: 9781626162440
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Publication: November 2, 2015
Imprint: Georgetown University Press
Language: English

Drawing on the controversial case of “Ashley X,” a girl with severe developmental disabilities who received interventionist medical treatment to limit her growth and keep her body forever small—a procedure now known as the “Ashley Treatment”—Reconsidering Intellectual Disability explores important questions at the intersection of disability theory, Christian moral theology, and bioethics.

What are the biomedical boundaries of acceptable treatment for those not able to give informed consent? Who gets to decide when a patient cannot communicate their desires and needs? Should we accept the dominance of a form of medicine that identifies those with intellectual impairments as pathological objects in need of the normalizing bodily manipulations of technological medicine?

In a critical exploration of contemporary disability theory, Jason Reimer Greig contends that L'Arche, a federation of faith communities made up of people with and without intellectual disabilities, provides an alternative response to the predominant bioethical worldview that sees disability as a problem to be solved. Reconsidering Intellectual Disability shows how a focus on Christian theological tradition’s moral thinking and practice of friendship with God offers a way to free not only people with intellectual disabilities but all people from the objectifying gaze of modern medicine. L'Arche draws inspiration from Jesus's solidarity with the "least of these" and a commitment to Christian friendship that sees people with profound cognitive disabilities not as anomalous objects of pity but as fellow friends of God. This vital act of social recognition opens the way to understanding the disabled not as objects to be fixed but as teachers whose lives can transform others and open a new way of being human.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Drawing on the controversial case of “Ashley X,” a girl with severe developmental disabilities who received interventionist medical treatment to limit her growth and keep her body forever small—a procedure now known as the “Ashley Treatment”—Reconsidering Intellectual Disability explores important questions at the intersection of disability theory, Christian moral theology, and bioethics.

What are the biomedical boundaries of acceptable treatment for those not able to give informed consent? Who gets to decide when a patient cannot communicate their desires and needs? Should we accept the dominance of a form of medicine that identifies those with intellectual impairments as pathological objects in need of the normalizing bodily manipulations of technological medicine?

In a critical exploration of contemporary disability theory, Jason Reimer Greig contends that L'Arche, a federation of faith communities made up of people with and without intellectual disabilities, provides an alternative response to the predominant bioethical worldview that sees disability as a problem to be solved. Reconsidering Intellectual Disability shows how a focus on Christian theological tradition’s moral thinking and practice of friendship with God offers a way to free not only people with intellectual disabilities but all people from the objectifying gaze of modern medicine. L'Arche draws inspiration from Jesus's solidarity with the "least of these" and a commitment to Christian friendship that sees people with profound cognitive disabilities not as anomalous objects of pity but as fellow friends of God. This vital act of social recognition opens the way to understanding the disabled not as objects to be fixed but as teachers whose lives can transform others and open a new way of being human.

More books from Georgetown University Press

Cover of the book Death, Resurrection, and Human Destiny by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Refugees' Roles in Resolving Displacement and Building Peace by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Religion and the Struggle for European Union by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Spanish as a Heritage Language in the United States by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Moral Evil by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Collaborating to Manage by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Mission Creep by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Tradition and Modernity by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book The Usage-based Study of Language Learning and Multilingualism by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book The Ethical Lobbyist by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Out and Running by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book The Ethics of War and Peace Revisited by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Analyzing the Grammar of English by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Pathways of Power by Jason Reimer Greig
Cover of the book Persuasion and Power by Jason Reimer Greig
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy