Lawmaker Suggests Sending ‘Retarded’ To Siberia
A 91-year-old New Hampshire state legislator is unapologetic after suggesting to a constituent that the state ship people with disabilities to Siberia.
The comments came when Sharon Omand, the manager of a mental health program in New Hamsphire, called her state representative, Martin Harty, to raise concerns about funding cuts to mental health services.
Omand said that Harty told her “the world is too populated” with “too many defective people.” Harty went on to explain that he was referring to, “you know the mentally ill, the retarded, people with physical disabilities and drug addictions — the defective people society would be better off without.”
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
“I wish we had a Siberia so we could ship them all off to freeze to death and die and clean up the population,” Harty said, according to Omand’s account.
After the comments were publicized during a state House committee meeting this week, Harty told the Concord Monitor that he did make the comments, but said he was “just kidding.” To read more click here.
Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop's free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.