Comments on: No Imbeciles, Please

By: mouse

mouse — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:03:57 +0000

Amy, me too! It absolutely delights me.

For whatever it’s worth, I’m am afflicted with “insanity” (by 1918 definitions not modern) and I have chosen, for that reason amongst others, not to have kids. But hey that’s my choice and to each their own. And suddenly I feel like watching some old Life Goes On reruns.

By: Amy Boland

Amy Boland — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:01:49 +0000

You can be the same gender of your intended spouse all you want as long as you are not the same sex. The law doesn't distinguish the two. I get a little "ha-ha on YOU!" thrill every time a queer transperson gets married. .-= Amy Boland´s last blog ..They Can't All Be Champions =-.

By: abdpbt

abdpbt — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:39:52 +0000

It seems like "feeble minded" is kind of a loose definition to work with. It's so interesting how things change. Today, I suppose there's an implied oath that you are not the same gender as your intended spouse. But feeble mindedness is apparently A-OK. .-= abdpbt´s last blog ..Hanger Tea =-.

By: Sabrina

Sabrina — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:19:22 +0000

There’s still “legal wording” out there that makes you raise an eyebrow. For instance, at least in Illinois, if you’re an unmarried woman and you buy a house, you’d be identified as Sally Jones, a spinster. Stuff like the above was around later than 1918, I think it was my parent’s license where they had to swear that neither of them was an idiot.

By: Kerry

Kerry — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:09:02 +0000

I don’t know the answer either. It’s a tough question, for sure.

The epilepsy one caught my eye, because there are a couple of people on my husband’s side of the family who have epilepsy. One of them is a wife and mom. It never occurred to me that she wouldn’t have been allowed to get married (especially as recently as 1918).

By: ndslotnick

ndslotnick — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:53:44 +0000

As the stepmom to a 21 year old young man with Down’s Syndrome, this strikes a chord with me. I want my son to lead a happy full life, which just might include the desire to marry. I listen to the conversations of my son’s high school classmates and hear them talk about dating, marriage, etc. While I know that their perceptions about marriage are sometimes different than others, I also know that they feel love as well as having a strong desire to be like everyone else. I also have my concerns about the possibilities of procreation – both because of my son’s (and others) lack of ability or in many cases, desire, to care for a child. I am sometimes close enough to the situation to see the direct impact of developmentally disabled adults having children, and it can be scary. I find it to be an incredible dilemna as the parent of a newly 21 year old. I don’t claim to know the answers, but there are many discussions on this around my family and friends. My son has two teammates on one of his Special Olympic teams who have Down’s Syndrome are married (to each other) though they live in the home of one of their parents. Sometime I will broach my concerns with the parents and ask them how they deal with things.