Don't let government forget those who are most vulnerable

State services for people with physical or developmental disabilities are being slowly and deliberately eliminated.

Public outcry last November led the legislative finance committee to determine that this population should not bear the brunt of the state’s fiscal woes but the cuts are still coming. These services are not something that any family expects to need.

Please pause for a moment in your day and imagine that your child did need help. Imagine you had a child who cannot speak or walk or understand how to interact with the stimulation of the world. Imagine that child growing into an adult and needing care that you are no longer physically strong enough or healthy enough to provide.

These are our most vulnerable members of society. Many people with disabilities can hold jobs and be active members of our community, but they need medical care and support services to do so.

We need to reflect on what we value in our Montana communities. I believe in helping those who cannot help themselves; not as a handout, but as a shared responsibility for living in a community that values all human life.

Our government is abandoning a generation of its citizens in a short-sighted, ideologically-driven maneuver that hits hardest to those who have the softest voices.

Eklund is a resident of Somers.