Cochlear Implants in children…

This is such a debated topic in the Deaf Community. With that said, I know I have absolutely no rights or experience with which to base comments on this. My opinions are completely my own and I do not presume to judge anyone who does choose to implant their child. That said…

How on earth can people choose to cut open their child's head like that?

I do not profess to be a religious person, more of a spiritual person. I am of the belief that if _____ (insert your Deity of choice - God, Buddha, Mother Nature, etc.) wanted me to have a deaf child, then I am in no position to argue that destiny. I was blessed with two healthy children, now teenagers full of spunk and attitude. They are both hearing. Some say I should call myself lucky. I wonder sometimes, would I have done anything different of one of them had been born, or became, deaf?

No Way!

To me deafness is a character trait, like green eyes or left-handedness or homosexuality. It is part of who the person is meant to be. Does it make life harder - hell yes! I do not deny that at all. Even with the challenges deafness presents, I am still confident I would not cut open my child's head in an attempt to provide some artificial hearing. As a lesbian, my life is harder than many. I am discriminated against in many areas. But it is who I am and what my destiny is. My mother would not have put me through some unnecessary surgery to alter my hormones and make me desire men. Yes, being straight would make my life easier, but it is not me.

I have read the debates on both sides of the CI issue. I have watched "Sound & Fury" multiple times. I find it fascinating that the CI issue polarizes so many people in the Deaf community. I know the "optimum" time to implant a child is while they are young, but what if that is not what they would want? I know a few Deaf adults who were implanted as children. As soon as they could, they stopped using the CI. They told me that it was intrusive and painful. They resent their parents for destroying any residual hearing they may have had. As adults, they tell me they would have never chosen this for themselves.

Perhaps my opinion stems from the fact that I love ASL and the Deaf culture. I find it to be a robust and rich language and culture, full of life and color and history. I would be proud to have a child as part of this community. I do not see deafness as something to be fixed or cured or pitied. There is nothing WRONG with being deaf.

I wish more hearing parents would educate themselves on ASL and Deaf culture before they take the advice of medical professionals who claim a CI would make their deaf baby "normal" again. The CI does not make a deaf child hearing. The child will always be deaf. I think it does a disservice to these children to not expose them and their families to the richness that the Deaf community can provide. Not to mention, it will save them from having their skull cut open!