Peter Singer – meet Brad Hennefer

The name of Peter Singer is probably familiar to many of the readers of this blog and website. Peter Singer is a bioethicist and tenured professor who teaches bioethics at Princeton University.

Singer (who should not be confused with the Peter Singer at the University of Toronto) made his reputation in Australia before moving here. His books have championed animal rights and made him a popular figure among some in the animal rights movement. Singer is equally renowned for his advocacy of public policies that would allow the killing of disabled infants as well as the killing of cognitively disabled adults.

One of his more notorious passages from his many books deals with his description of why he feels it’s OK to kill an infant with Down syndrome even though it’s not OK to kill a nondisabled infant:

To have a child with Down syndrome is to have a very different experience from having a normal child. It can still be a warm and loving experience, but we must have lowered expectations of our child’s abilities. We cannot expect a child with Down syndrome to play the guitar, to develop an appreciation of science fiction, to learn a foreign language, to chat with us about the latest Woody Allen movie, or to be a respectable athlete, basketballer or tennis player. (emphasis added)

This passage is from Singer’s book Rethinking Life and Death, and the relevant chapter was reprinted in 2000 in Writings on an Ethical Life. Both books are used in colleges and even high schools in ethics courses.

All of which brings me to the topic du jour. Even though I can’t find anything on the site, I’m told that today’s “Good Morning America” had a short piece on high school varsity basketball player Brad Hennefer.

No matter. There’s still an active link to the story from WPVI in New Jersey:

CHERRY HILL, N.J. — A remarkable young athlete has developed a big following.

At first glance, it was just your run of the mill three-pointer in a high school hoops game.

“He comes down with three seconds to go and makes the final shot. It was an amazing shot,” said his dad, Bob Hennefer.

And then you notice, the coach on the opposing team came over to shake the Brad Hennefer’s hand.

“It was unbelievable. He got a standing ovation,” said John Valore, Cherry Hill East coach.

This shot was different. This shot was Brad Hennefer’s first-ever Varsity basket. This shot was something that was never supposed to be in the cards.

“I’m a very good shooter, good behind the black lines,” said Brad.

Life has been tough from the beginning for Brad. Born with Down Syndrome, nothing comes easy or guaranteed.

(Note – Link also gives you access to the video version of the story which includes interviews with both Brad and his father.)

Note – if you investigate this story further, you’ll find that Brad Hennefer is also a Varsity golfer, and considers it his better sport.

I don’t usually cover “inspirational” stories, since the media concentration on the “extraordinary” members of the disability community tends to render the quiet and mundane lives of the rest of us all but invisible. But given the widely-disseminated libel against people with Down syndrome in Singer’s books, giving Brad Hennefer’s story some attention and discussion seemed appropriate.

I can only guess that Brad’s parents and their friends haven’t been exposed to Peter Singer’s evaluations of people with Down syndrome. I’m guessing his books aren’t on the curriculum at Cherry Hill East High School, where Brad excels at sports.

That’s why no one “knew” he would never be able to excel at sports or anything else in life.

Maybe some of Singer’s students should take a field trip to Brad’s high school for an alternative view of the universe and all its possibilities. It would probably be preferable to leave the professor back in the classroom.

For more information on Brad Heffener, you can read this column in the Gloucester County Times. You can also visit the Heffener’s Golf for Life website. –Stephen Drake