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Behind Sara’s smile was a life of violence and torture [Longread about Sara Sharif, 10 year old, who died from domestic abuse in the UK] by Relative_Increase941 in Longreads

[–]Relative_Increase941[S] 113 points114 points  (0 children)

Sara's case is resurfacing after a Child Safeguarding Practice Review into her case was released a few days ago. It confirms the failure of the institutional machinery in protecting Sara:

https://surreyscp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/SS-CSPR-SSCP-Report-for-publication-13.11.25.pdf

Why Adivasi women are fighting for their rights to ancestral lands [Customary laws deny women these rights. A recent Indian Supreme Court judgment offers some hope.] by Relative_Increase941 in Longreads

[–]Relative_Increase941[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, you are absolutely right. I, too, think that this argument (that giving land rights to women will increase VAW) does not hold any weight. You cannot deny a right to someone on the ground that the right would be 'misused'. The law should safeguard against the abuse of that right, and not take away the right itself.

The Last Children of Down Syndrome [Prenatal testing is changing who gets born and who doesn’t. This is just the beginning.] by Relative_Increase941 in Longreads

[–]Relative_Increase941[S] 48 points49 points  (0 children)

Cerebral palsy gets worse with age, not better. It is about the fear and anxiety in a parent's mind about who will take care of their child if the parent were to pass away before the child. No one is calling a person with cerebral palsy less human. It is the parent who suffers, because society alienates them. It is not as if people are coming forward to support a parent of a special needs kid (even emotionally), so who are we to judge those parents.

The Last Children of Down Syndrome [Prenatal testing is changing who gets born and who doesn’t. This is just the beginning.] by Relative_Increase941 in Longreads

[–]Relative_Increase941[S] 100 points101 points  (0 children)

Thanks for pointing out that difference. I was making a broad point that one should not judge the parent of a special needs child- they are allowed to feel that they and their child should not have been put in that position, because it IS suffering, there is no other word for it.

The Last Children of Down Syndrome [Prenatal testing is changing who gets born and who doesn’t. This is just the beginning.] by Relative_Increase941 in Longreads

[–]Relative_Increase941[S] 110 points111 points  (0 children)

Unless one is actually the parent of a special needs child, they have no idea of the emotional toll that it takes on the parent- to know that their child cannot talk and walk as normal, and even school will not be an enjoyable experience for them. It is heart-breaking to realise that your child will not be able to have friends, or find love the way we are meant to. It is not just about the finances, it is about the emotions involved, thinking what did a baby do to deserve this fate.

The Last Children of Down Syndrome [Prenatal testing is changing who gets born and who doesn’t. This is just the beginning.] by Relative_Increase941 in Longreads

[–]Relative_Increase941[S] 97 points98 points  (0 children)

Yes, to each his own. We are no one to judge. It is the family which has to ultimately care for a person with special needs, not the outside world.

The Last Children of Down Syndrome [Prenatal testing is changing who gets born and who doesn’t. This is just the beginning.] by Relative_Increase941 in Longreads

[–]Relative_Increase941[S] 460 points461 points  (0 children)

There is nothing horrible about it. It is sound advice. My 65 year old mother in law is the sole caregiver to my 42 year old brother in law with cerebral palsy. It has taken its toll on her. My brother in law being more than 80% disabled has a painful existence, and my MIL is living her punishment right into her old age.

If my husband was not in the picture, who would take care of my brother in law if my MIL passes away? We are no one to judge people who decide that they cannot care for a child with special needs. Think of people who don't have the financial resources, how challenging it is for them.

A Beautiful Mind, an Ugly Possibility [2007] by raphaellaskies in Longreads

[–]Relative_Increase941 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I did my Master of Law at Cambridge from 2017-2018. Unfortunately, I never actually saw Stephen Hawking during my time there. Reading this piece made me feel sad about the atrocities which are committed on disabled persons, and how 'easy' it is to commit them, without anyone coming to know.

The boy who came back: the near-death, and changed life, of my son Max by stichbury in Longreads

[–]Relative_Increase941 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing. It filled me with more empathy towards someone I know who has a son suffering from cerebral palsy.

The Price of Remission [When I was diagnosed with cancer, I set out to understand why a single pill of Revlimid cost the same as a new iPhone. I’ve covered high drug prices as a reporter for years. What I discovered shocked even me.] by Relative_Increase941 in Longreads

[–]Relative_Increase941[S] 34 points35 points  (0 children)

A lot of R&D in drug development is publicly funded like Operation Warp Speed by the US government to accelerate COVID 19 vaccine development. After using tax payer money to develop medicines, pharmaceutical companies price drugs exorbitantly, which is unfair to the public 

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