In our schools, competition for access to elite preschools, for grades, for social status, in sports, over positions of leadership, and for admission to exclusive colleges transforms one of our most basic institutions for fostering community, ethics and learning into competitive, individualistic corporate training-grounds. In these settings, the importance of competitive sports becomes paramount, for both financial and training purposes, and the artistry of cheating (see this year's Stuyvesant High School cheating scandal) and rule-bending (see Joe Paterno) revered. Such intense competition encourages the professionalization of parenting -- through tutors, highly-educated nannies, prep courses, and professional training camps (such as investment camps). You can imagine the deleterious effects these trends have on the ethos of care and moral responsibility in our families and schools, a critical buffer against bullying and violence in the lives of our children.
Ebey Soman on 25 Jan 09Down syndrome is a genetic disorder (involving an extra copy of chromosome 21) that leads to moderate intellectual disability, as well as a range of physical and health problems. Screening for Down syndrome during pregnancy can be done in a number of ways. The religion and ethics program presents two different women and the tough decisions they had to make after screening their babies for Down Syndrome. Are their actions morally right? or ethically allowable? or religiously authorized?
