Rita Panahi: Morrison’s blessed remark seized upon by twisted hypocrites

Shaming parents, like Scott Morrison, for wanting and feeling blessed to have healthy children does nothing to improve the life of disabled Australians.

The pathological desire to be outraged is making the Left extra loopy.

There is no statement, no matter how benign, rational and well intentioned, that they cannot twist into a grievance.

Take Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s comment about being blessed with two healthy children during Wednesday night’s first leaders’ debate. Fielding a question about the NDIS from a mother with an autistic child the PM began his answer by saying: “Jenny and I have been blessed. We’ve got two children who haven’t had to go through that.”

Cue the outrage merchants! Apparently, feeling blessed to have healthy children is some sort of a terrible slight against the disabled community. It wasn’t long before the media and activist class were sent into fits of unbridled fury. Guardian journalist Caitlin Cassidy tweeted: “Did I hear that correctly? It appears the prime minister just said he and Jenny were “blessed” to have two children without disabilities, in response to a woman’s question about receiving NDIS funding for her four-year-old son with autism.”

Scott Morrison came under fire from the Left for say is “blessed” with two healthy children. Picture: Toby Zerna

Former Australian of the Year and Leftist activist Grace Tame and her fiance took the opportunity to again attack ScoMo. “Autism blesses those of us who have it with the ability to spot fakes from a mile off,” Tame posted along a photo of herself giving the PM the side eye. Current Australian of the Year and former wheelchair tennis player, Dylan Alcott tweeted: “Woke up this morning feeling very blessed to be disabled – I reckon my parents are pretty happy about it too. Feeling sorry for us and our families doesn’t help. Treating us equally, and giving us the choice and control over our own lives does.” Incredibly and absurdly, the PM called and apologised to Alcott for a comment that required absolutely no apology.

Musicians Jimmy and Jane Barnes also joined the pile-on along with author Tara Moss who wrote: “It hurts my heart, and fills me with no small measure of rage, to see so many amazing disabled people and their parents work so hard to advocate and educate, only to have a PM with privilege and a huge public platform publicly say he’s ‘blessed’ to have kids without disabilities.”

Labor MP Kate Thwaites was livid, posting: “Still thinking about Scott Morrison saying he’s been ‘blessed’ not having a child with disability. Every child is a blessing, and deserves to be a valued and supported member of our community.”

Grace Tame joined in on the outrage. Picture: Brenton Edwards

The PM called and apologised to former wheelchair tennis player, Dylan Alcott for his comment.

Meanwhile, Labor “mean girl” and cashless welfare card fibber Kristina Keneally posted: “Unbelievably, Scott Morrison just said he was “blessed” not to have a child with a disability. Parents of children with a disability are blessed too.” Well, duh! The PM and Jenny Morrison, who had tried for 14 years to have children, feeling blessed to have two healthy daughters doesn’t mean that every child isn’t a blessing. And, only the most depraved interpretation of the PM’s comment would come to that conclusion.

Every single parent hopes and prays for a healthy child and feels blessed, lucky, grateful or whatever superlative you want to use to describe the joy of having a healthy child. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t love a disabled child just as fiercely and feel just as blessed, it’s just a statement of fact that is neither offensive nor controversial. Anyone who has lived with a disabled child could tell you about the enormous challenges they face and the heartbreak that can come with conditions that have no cure, no treatment and impact living standards and life expectancy. I’ve seen it, and lived it, and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Shaming parents for wanting and feeling blessed to have healthy children does nothing to improve the lot of disabled Australians. Indeed, these partisan games and performative acts of outrage can only be counter-productive.

Incidentally, one could safely conclude that the Venn diagram of people outraged about parents feeling blessed to have healthy children and those who support late term abortion for birth defects is a perfect circle. But that is a column for another day.