From Roll Call, Politico.com:

Roll Call and Politico profile the three members of Congress who have children with Down syndrome: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington), Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.)

With Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), all are members of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus.

An excerpt from Roll Call:

The work-life debate has received heightened attention in the weeks since Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was named the Republican vice presidential nominee. The mother of five has an infant son with Down syndrome, and as some wonder whether Palin can effectively govern while caring for her family, a handful of Members do just that every day.

McMorris Rodgers says she and her husband didn’t receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome until three days after son Cole’s birth, and she criticized the way she and her husband were briefed on “all the negative aspects” of the condition.

As a legislator, she has pushed legislation that would provide families with more comprehensive information on the risks and possibilities for those with special needs.

“As you start to get to know your baby, you realize that so much of the information is negative. You fail to get a balanced view of your child’s future,” she said.

Earlier posts here and here and here.

(Photo provided by the office of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers)

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 9:50 am and is filed under Down syndrome, families, parents, personal stories, politics. 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.