The right to life

The Tonino's letter

In September 1981 a young man suffering from macrocephaly was killed by his uncle in Rome. The Italian press presented the murder as an “act of love” because the uncle “couldn’t bear to see him suffer any longer” according to the defence of the uncle. Tonino Adriani, a 28 year old friend of ours, suffering from oligophrenia brought on by cerebropathia, wrote about this episode in a letter to a daily paper. 

This story brought to light the positions of extreme difficulty in which many mentally disabled people and their families find themselves. The safeguarding of the right to life of these disabled people is an open problem which is the subject of heated discussion. The birth of a child who is disabled is an event that not all parents are able to accept. It is necessary to provide support, help and solidarity, a commitment which involves not only the families but many other people, social services, institutions and civil society as a whole.