Viewpoint 38-4: mothering with disabilities.

• Author: Rahman, Shahnaz
• Position: Reprint

In 2012, child welfare authorities sought to remove a new-born baby immediately after birth from a couple who both had cerebral palsy. Authorities identified that the parents would need support in caring for their child, but instead of the state providing that support, they were willing to spend significant dollars to remove the child from the home. The mother told CBC, "We know that we need help, but we know that we are the best thing for our boy right now. We both wanted to be parents and now we are, and we don't want to give anyone control of our family."

That is just one example of the stigma against parents with disabilities. That stigma--that parents with disabilities are less able to parent--shows up in the way that law and policy are designed and implemented. Since we know that women disproportionately carry the burden of child care and single mothers head up the vast majority of lone parent households, this stigma against parents with disabilities is particularly borne by women.

Moms with disabilities face unique challenges in the intersection between gender and disability. Mothers may lose their children through custody disputes or child protection proceedings because of perceptions about their abilities, rather than the best interests of their children. Women seeking to be mothers also face greater difficulties than nondisabled women in exercising their reproductive rights or accessing reproductive technology.

"We know that we need help, but we know that we are the best thing for our boy right now ..."

A recent U.S. study showed that the American legal system discriminates against disabled parents and their children. Statistics show that child-removal rates from parents with psychiatric disabilities are as high as 70 to 80 percent. From parents with intellectual disabilities...