Excerpt from: Not Dead Yet (click for full article)
30 cases occurring in the US, in which a disabled person was killed by a family member, have been reported by the media in the last five years. The number of actual murders that occurred in that time is likely higher than the cases which received press coverage.
Little public attention is paid to the murders of people with disabilities. Media coverage and public discourse about such killings frequently justifies them as “understandable” and sometimes “merciful,” rather than appropriately condemning these crimes and those who commit them. The national Day of Mourning is a time for the disability community to commemorate the many lives cut short. By honoring disabled victims of murder and celebrating the lives that they lived, these vigils send a message that disability is not a justification for violence.
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