Gender.

What the argument that everybody is equal really means is that everybody should be treated equally. It is the role of our government to make laws and enforce them so that this goal is accomplished. This is why the history of our nation is a constant struggle for the passing and enforcing of laws based on reason and fairness to stop the discrimination of persons based on their gender, race, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, and incapacity.

We know the value of a person should not be judged by that person having any one or many of these characteristics, but by much more. That is why lumping together one or more people into one group, based on any of these characteristics without more, and then begin making assumptions about them, is ipso facto discriminatory.

With regard to age, mental and physical incapacity, the point, like with anything else, is to be reasonable. Nobody is asking employers to hire someone when independent neutral tests show he/she can't perform an essential function to the position. I believe most are in favor of laws that facilitate the movement of people with certain disabilities, like ramps for wheelchairs and trained dogs for the blind. These laws aim to put these important members of society in a more level playing field with the rest of us. Pursuing these laws should not be overly costly and should be partly or wholly subsidized by the state.

In regards to how people with disabilities like Down Syndrome contribute to society, these are case-by-case intangible contributions that are hard to quantify. For example, it is hard to quantify the positive effects a person with Down Syndrome can have on the rest of his/her family. Even if the opposite is the case and say, for example, due to the person being born with Down Syndrome the parents separated and abandoned him/her, shouldn't it be the role of the state, as the representative of the people, to be compassionate and take care of the person? I believe the answer is yes. This is another intangible positive effect that is hard to quantify, but we should pursue in order to be a more fair and just society. We can take the very practical and cold approach of...