ABSTRACT
Paternalism seeks to protect and promote the good of the individual whose freedom is restricted. Paternalism, becomes a matter of strict obligations, - we owe it to the mildly retarded to enforce it. The mentally retarded are already marked out from the rest of the community in terms of their condition. The stigma brings with it undesirable consequences in the form of humiliation, segregation and unjustified discrimination. The paternalistic control exercised over them by emphasizing their difference from the rest of the community may be expected to make their treatment in this regard considerably worse. The severely mentally retarded need such protection and care, but the general practice is to extend paternalistic control to all cases of specifically mental retardation. Paternalism regarding the mildly retarded seeks to promote their good. One of the things that is most undesirable about their lives is the segregation and tutelage they suffer from.
