The British Commonwealth has something quite unsporting in common

Calling Mark Steyn! Parts of the Anglosphere have something else in common. Autism discrimination.

Back in March of this year, I wrote about the outrageous story of an American autism researcher who has been denied citizenship by Canada because he has a child with autism. At the time, I thought that this was a rare occurrence, that Canada somehow has a particularly pernicious, heartless immigration bureaucracy where autism is concerned. I was wrong.

Move over Canada. Make room for Australia!

The Threlfall Family

A policeman from the United Kingdom, Peter Threlfall, has accepted a position with a police force in South Australia. This is a tremendous opportunity for him and his family but the Australian immigration officials have put the kibosh on the immigration plans. Mr. Threfall’s family has been denied an immigration visa by Australian officials due to their child’s autism diagnosis. Here’s what the Australian bureaucracy has to say to justify their discriminatory ruling that rejects the family’s application:

“His daughter had not met the legislated health requirement, which was partly to restrict public expenditure on healthcare and community services.”

I notice a theme. Polities with government owned, socialized medicine seem to harbor systematic immigration discrimination against autism. I hope the trend of parliamentary democracies discriminating against high quality immigrants that happen to have a child afflicted with autism is not a bureaucratically contagious disorder. In the cause of proper stewardship of the public purse, we’re in fact witness to the height of immorality.

Tags: discrimination, immigration