Mary Sanchez, writing in the Kansas City Star, reflects on the recent Baghdad bombing in which two women with Down syndrome were apparently the unwitting carriers of the explosives.

As horrendous as this cowardly mission was, little room exists for righteous grandstanding. In the United States about 90 percent of babies with Down syndrome are aborted.

… Much more could be done to help women facing the birth of a disabled child, without stirring the swamp of the pro-/anti-abortion debate.

The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness Act would provide more support programs for parents, better information to expectant mothers and would create a national registry of families who want to adopt babies with Down syndrome and those with other conditions. The bill

is sponsored by U.S. Sens. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican and Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat.

… Groups with the most information about the extreme challenges and joys of such children — like the National Association for Down Syndrome — wisely steer clear of the abortion debate.

They know that families awaiting the birth of a Down syndrome child do not need preachy morality. They need solid information, resources and options. Especially the option of knowing the child could be adopted into a loving family and live in a nation that values their existence.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 at 10:26 am and is filed under Down syndrome, abortion, adoption, prenatal diagnosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post