MY Teves?

50 Argyle Road
Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583
Oct. 24, 1975

Dear Josh,

Thank you for your good letter of the 13th.

Your remarks are, of course, unexceptional, and your
instinct that something was missing was extremely perceptive.

For space and other reasons that piece had removed from
it some material indicating that some people with genetic diseases
are taking an aggressively belligerent policy of declaring that they
will brook no interference with their right to procreate - apparently
because they are confident that by the time their children grow up
and have the full effects of their genetic diseases apparent medical
science will know how to solve all their problems.

The deeper problem, of course, is that medicine is learning
all the time how to keep people alive even with very unsatisfactory
quality of life, while the increasing socialization of medicine puts
the bill on society. The Karen Quinlan case in which medicaid has
already been billed for over $100,000 while some attorneys trumpet
that this poor comatose creature has a "right to life" that cannot
be interfered with until all the resources of medicine have been
absolutely exhausted illustrates that aspect. Meanwhile of course
we don't have enough resources to help people who could really enjoy
life and contribute to society if their present debilitating pxroblems
were alleviated. I suppose kw what I'm really arguing for is sensible
priorities in the use of limited resources.

Again many thanks for your note. It was good to hear from
you. a

Rorflially

 

i Ae \
Harry Schwartz