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February 10, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Spanish Down syndrome association “Down Spain” (Down España) is petitioning the government to eliminate provisions in the current abortion law allowing children to be killed in the womb up til birth because of “serious abnormalities in the fetus.” Currently Spain’s abortion law allows women to abort their unborn babies up until 14 weeks on demand, but provides the sweeping exception for babies who suffer from an “extremely grave and incurable illness.” Noting that Spain is a party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which it ratified in 2008, Down Spain...

An 80 percent abortion rate of those with disabilities shows the need to restore a fundamental respect for human dignity in America, said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia. He underscored that the plight of disabled babies highlights “a struggle within the American soul” that will shape the future of the nation. “These children with disabilities are not a burden; they’re a priceless gift to all of us,” the archbishop said. “They’re a doorway to the real meaning of our humanity.” Archbishop Chaput delivered the keynote address at the 13th annual Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life on Jan. 22. The...

December 16, 2011 (HLIAmerica.org) - As word spread of a new non-invasive, highly accurate prenatal test for Down syndrome, MaterniT21, the headlines could hardly have been more sensationalistic: The End of Down Syndrome! Will We Cull Those with Down Syndrome? Are Kids with Down Syndrome on the Road to Extinction? This mainstream response seems to suggest a terrible acknowledgment of what happens to babies diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome. We have been “ending Down syndrome” for years, targeting atypical unborn children as we journey down a road that ensures a decreasing Down syndrome birth rate. Just last week, a Time...

An article was released by the New York Post last week revealing the discovery of “a new, simple way to detect Down syndrome in a fetus.” The test surpasses currently used methods of testing in safety and convenience, making it more likely that pregnant women will commonly be able to know before birth whether the child will have Down syndrome.The article goes on to report that “92% of women who get a definitive diagnosis of Down choose to abort, surveys show.”In effect, the new test will enable more pregnant women to find whether her child will have Down syndrome and...

November 7, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Even though Marie Ideson already had six children when she found out that she was expecting her seventh at the age of 40, she and her husband enthusiastically welcomed the news. “Both Allan and I wanted a big family, so we were thrilled when we discovered I was expecting again,” Marie told the Daily Mail in a recent article. Even after she got back the results of a blood test, and then amniocentesis, showing that her child had Down syndrome, Marie says abortion never even entered her mind as an option, even though she was...

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, October 31, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pregnant with a 30-week old baby with Down syndrome, and want it killed at taxpayer expense? No problem, according to one late-term abortion facility in New Mexico. As Down Syndrome Awareness month concludes, the pro-life organization Operation Rescue has released shocking video containing excerpts from an undercover call. In the call a representative at Southwestern Women’s Options, a late-term abortion clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, assures a caller pretending to be a woman who is 30 weeks pregnant with a baby with Down syndrome that Medicaid will cover the $10-16,000 eugenic, late-term...

A new photo of a young boy holding a sign talking about how he survived abortion as one of the 10 percent of Down syndrome children not victimized by abortion before birth has gone viral on Facebook today. The photo has received thousands of shares and likes and is inspiring pro-life people across the world, including Josh Mercer of CatholicVote.“This powerful message is making its way around Facebook,” he said after viewing the photo. “When I speak with friends who have a child with Down Syndrome, unfailingly they all say how much joy their child brings into their life. It...

Translated by Matthew Cullinan Hoffman October 21, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - One month ago a precious girl was born in my hospital with Down Syndrome - a rarity these days, since 90% of these children diagnosed before being born end up in a container of biological waste, something that some people regard as a scientific advance, boasting of their determination and perseverance in filtering people based on their risk of suffering some chromosomal defect. Hope - let us call her that - is the the child of a young couple.  Her mother is no more than twenty years old.  Her parents...

99% of people with Down syndrome say that they are happy, but over 90% of Down's children in many Western countries are aborted. October 12, 2011 (thePublicDisourse.com) - October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Fittingly, the American Journal of Medical Genetics recently published groundbreaking research that challenges conventional wisdom about raising a child with Down syndrome (DS). Responding to these studies, noted bioethicist Art Caplan predicted that, nevertheless, they will not “make a bit of difference to parents deciding to end pregnancies once [DS] is discovered in the fetus.” Actual experience contradicts Caplan’s pessimism. The new research reports the...

Na Kyung-won, the ruling Grand National Party’s candidate for Seoul mayor, has a few things in common with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who ran with John McCain for the Republican Party in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Both are prominent female politicians in their countries and are raising a child with Down`s syndrome. Na met Palin Tuesday on the sidelines of the World Knowledge Forum at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul`s Gwangjin district. Their dialogue began with welfare policies, a major issue in the Oct. 26 by-election in Seoul. Na said, “I believe in `honest welfare` in...

The worst statistic that is floating around these days is the one that upwards of 90% or more of Down Syndrome children are aborted after prenatal testing.  I am convinced that this is because parents are pressured into abortion by their health care providers. In a totally backwards world, parents are told that they are selfish and evil if they DO NOT kill their special needs child.  And with a new, early, non-invasive genetic test on the horizon, the pressure on parents to “get rid of” their Down Syndrome child will only increase.  I refer to this quote more often...

The attorney for a man with Down Syndrome who was badly injured after a confrontation with Miami-Dade Police Saturday night says his family is shocked over what they say was an unnecessary attack. "The family is very upset and really shocked, to be honest," attorney Philip Gold said Wednesday. "They can't believe that this could have happened, let alone to their their son who is an innocent, sweet individual with Down syndrome." Gilberto Powell, 22, was stopped by officers in the area of Southwest 111th Place and Southwest 138th Street around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a Miami-Dade Police report....

Note: Jewels Green is a former abortion clinic worker who also had an abortion herself. She recently spoke out about her experiences as an abortion clinic worker for the first time. September 20, 2011 (LiveAction.org) - After supporting abortion my entire life and working in an abortion clinic for years, my Ah-HA moment seemed to come from an unlikely place. I did not have a profound, sudden shift in my worldview. After years of ignoring the little voice inside me questioning the death around me—the nightmares and the regret—the truth snuck up on me. I was involved in an online...

Prenatal testing for Down syndrome should not be considered preventive medicine. Such tests cannot prevent the presence of Down syndrome in a child; but they can decrease the likelihood of a child with Down syndrome surviving beyond the womb. Expectant parents need accurate information, including the many positive outcomes, about life raising a child with Down syndrome. Last month, my daughter Juliet began second grade, where her mother and I expect her to maintain her B+ average on spelling tests and straight A’s in Chinese. In addition to being a loving daughter and big sister, Juliet also is endowed...

I cannot imagine life without my autistic grandson, Max. However, the chilling truth is, there are plenty of people who can. Autism Spectrum Disorder, which runs the gamut from profoundly disabled to high-functioning individuals capable of living fairly normal lives, affects millions of families: 1 out of every 1,000 births today are autistic kids. As I have told you over the past two days, the families of these children, like my grandson Max, don’t see these children as burdens but, instead, as blessings. Not because the parents are in “denial,” but because they love their children, and that love has...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, July 5, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A group of advocates for individuals with Down syndrome has complained to an international human rights court that New Zealand’s prenatal screening program effectively targets disabled children for systematic eradication through abortion. Right to Life New Zealand (RTLNZ) revealed that they have joined their name to the complaint in a press release Tuesday. The complaint is being lodged at the International Criminal Court in The Hague by a group of thirty-seven parents or siblings who have a family member with Down syndrome. The complaint names the Minister of Health in the New...

Finally, Sarah Palin and I agree. We both want people to accept and celebrate every child, even those who appear different… and we want them to act right with regard to those children. When she was told by doctors during her pregnancy that her unborn child had Down syndrome, she wrote a letter to her family and friends from God’s perspective. She seems to have seen quite clearly that her son was not broken, he was made this way intentionally, and she clearly expresses the expectation that he will be celebrated for being exactly who he is. I think this...

Shock: Thousands of UK Abortions on Disabled, Down Syndrome Babies London, England -- Shocking new statistics have been produced in England after a pro-life organization won its bid to make some abortion numbers public that the government had failed to disclose concerning abortions on disabled babies. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/07/04/shock-thousands-of-uk-abortions-on-disabled-down-syndrome-babies/

Palin Emails: A Down Syndrome Baby Will "Expand Your World" Wasilla, AK -- The media has bee intently focused on the personal and private emails former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sent out during her time leading the state and, while they haven’t turned up anything embarrassing, one email about her son Trig is quite touching. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/13/palin-emails-a-down-syndrome-baby-will-expand-your-world

In the days after her son Trig was born, Sarah Palin received an outpouring of support and well wishes, many from other parents of children with Down syndrome. Most notable among these was Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), whose son Cole was born with Down syndrome. "The hardest part is hearing the news and getting your arms around a new reality," she wrote in an intimate email. "However, you quickly develop new hopes and dreams for your son." McMorris Rodgers invited Palin to call her if she ever wanted to talk. "I can testify to the 'unspeakable joy' of raising...

Girl with Down syndrome named prom queen at Missouri school - had 90%+ chance of being aborted by John Jalsevac Thu Jun 02 12:15 PM EST Here’s a feel-good story for you. Students at a high school in Missouri have voted to crown a 19-year-old classmate who has Down syndrome as this year’s prom queen. The Daily Mail reports: Maisie has been at the school since kindergarten, and is extremely popular among the students in her year, many of whom who have known her since she was five. Mrs O’Dell (Maisie’s teacher and mentor) said: ‘‘They all know her...

Larry Flynt, with bodyguard Frank Torres, in his gold wheelchair SAN FRANCISCO, May 30, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pornographer Larry Flynt, 69, is wheel-chair bound and speaking with difficulty but remains unrepentant.  In a recent interview, Flynt admired the Obama family while showing great disdain for Sarah Palin, especially in that she did not abort her Down’s Syndrome child. “Sarah Palin is the dumbest thing,” Flynt told Johann Hari of London’s Independent newspaper.  “She did a disservice to every woman in America. She knew from the first month of pregnancy that kid was going to be Down’s Syndrome. It’s brain dead....

PDS strikes again.... LifeNews......In a new interview with the London Independent newspaper, Flynt rambled from topic to topic until he settled on Palin, who is considering whether to run for the Republican nomination for president this year. “Sarah Palin is the dumbest thing. But I made a fortune off of her. [He made a porn film called Nailin' Palin, based on her],” he said. Then, he went after Trig, saying, “She did a disservice to every woman in America. She knew from the first month of pregnancy that kid was going to be Down’s Syndrome. It’s brain dead. A virtual...

Each year, March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD). The date 3/21 was chosen as a representation of the genetic cause of the condition, a triplicate of the 21st chromosome. WDSD seeks to raise awareness of a genetic condition that may very well diminish to the point of disappearing. This is due to the prenatal testing sham. Since the beginning of the year, headlines have touted advancements in prenatal testing. Laboratories are promising a prenatal diagnostic test for Down syndrome based solely on a blood sample from the expectant mother. This would be an improvement over current diagnostic testing,...

Wouldn’t it be nice if the purpose of pushing prenatal testing for Down syndrome was to assure that fetuses testing positive would be later welcomed into the world in full preparation for the medical challenges that sometimes arise in babies with the condition? Of course, the real point is to make sure that as many as possible are not allowed to be born.  And now France is thinking very seriously about requiring that all pregnant women be tested regardless of risk factors–that is, legally requiring–not just recommending–a medical procedure so that no babies with Down slip through undetected.  ...

Wonkette is going through and deleting all of the comments related to the posting after several advertisers began to recieve complaints on Twitter & elswhere. I will not link to them but feel free to visit their site and use tool like ScreenGrab for Firefox to save the proof.

There is an ugly statistic made well known by none other than The New York Times from a 2007 article; 90 percent of all pregnancies where the unborn child is given a diagnosis of Down Syndrome end in abortion. Can you wrap your head around that? 9 in 10; 90 in 100 – that is a lot of life snuffed out because of the possibility of one pesky extra chromosome.Have you ever met a child with Down Syndrome or with other special needs? I have met plenty of them. If fact, one of my own children has special needs. We...

Sam will tell on Joy in a heartbeat. It’s his job — and often it’s potentially life-saving. Sam, a 3-year-old Labrador/spaniel, likes to romp with the kids, but when his vest and balance harness go on, he becomes 11-year-old Joy Cahill’s service dog and official lookout. No one is then allowed to touch him because Sam is busy, keeping alert and ready to warn someone should this Wilmington girl have a health emergency. “He’s gotten to know her norm,” said Denise Cahill, Joy’s mother. “So when something is not normal, he reacts. He also doesn’t let Joy do anything she’s...

This week’s cover of TIME is an exclusive interview with Sarah Palin by Jay Newton-Small. In the story, Palin says of President Obama: “Two words: Jimmy Carter.” Palin also notes, “In battleground states, he’s polling at 40% or below. The country is rejecting his agenda. My vision of America is diametrically opposed to his. He sees America as the problem. I see America as the solution.” An excerpt: That a politician of Palin’s stature often wrestles with her schedule is a reflection, aides say, of her being a mother of five without a nanny. The Friday before the elections, for...

Zach Neff is all high-fives as he walks through his college campus in western Missouri. The 27-year-old with Down syndrome hugs most everybody, repeatedly. He tells teachers he loves them. "I told Zach we are putting him on a hug diet - one to say hello and one to say goodbye," said Joyce Downing, who helped start a new program at the University of Central Missouri that serves students with disabilities. The hope is that polishing up on social skills, like cutting back on the hugs, living in residence halls and going to classes with non-disabled classmates will help students...

Ike Ditzenberger is like a lot of other 17-year-old American football players. He dreams of playing college football. He attends daily practices. Most of the time he toils away in offensive drills. Then, on rare occasions, Ditzenberger runs into the limelight with aplomb. The description could fit thousands of American teenagers, except for one crucial detail: Ike Ditzenberger has Down Syndrome. Ditzenberger, a junior at Snohomish (Wash.) High School, achieved a major milestone on Friday in a game against Lake Stevens, running 51 yards for a touchdown with 10 seconds remaining. The "Ike Special" provided the only points in Snohomish's...

It seems indisputable to me that the medical elites and many in bioethics wish to wipe people with Down syndrome off the face of the earth using the killing tool of eugenic abortion–or if that doesn’t work, infanticide or medical neglect.  This has led to a counter movement to value our brothers and sisters with Down into the human community. For example, as I reported here, the late Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Sam Brownback passed a law through Congress, signed by President Bush, requiring that genetic counseling for mothers whose fetuses have tested positive for Down, dwarfism, and...

MALMO, Sweden, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A Swedish man who is blind and has Down syndrome and some autistic traits was bound by the arms for much of the last 25 years, officials said. The man, who also is unable to speak and was considered to be at risk for self-destruction, resides in an assisted living facility in Malmo, Swedish news agency TT/The Local reported Thursday. "I have never heard of anything like it. Our investigators and inspectors are very experienced, but all have been deeply shocked. This treatment is illegal," said Christer Neleryd of the National Board of Health...

This is the legend of Ranger Ryan. All heroes have a secret identity. Ranger Ryan was born Ryan Cloninger 35 years ago. He has Down syndrome, but that did not keep him from going to school and getting a job and living on his own. That is a heroic life, in and of itself. But four years ago, Ryan came to a turning point. He started to understand that, because of Down syndrome, he might not get to do everything other people do. He became depressed. He got mad at his parents and God and himself. His family didn't know...

Nothing is off-limits for Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Fox's "Family Guy" series, well almost anything. That's the message he wanted to convey in an appearance on CNN's April 22 "Larry King Live." MacFarlane was asked about an episode, originally aired on Feb. 14, which showed one of the characters, Chris Griffith, out on a date with a female with Down Syndrome, which she said her dad was an accountant, and "my mom is the former governor of Alaska." Some said he stepped over the line, others thought it wasn't a big deal. However, Palin reacted on the Feb. 16...

French Religious Community Welcomes Girls with Down Syndrome Monday March 29, 2010   By Thaddeus M. BaklinskiLE BLANC, France, March 29, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb are a contemplative religious community in France that enables girls with Down syndrome to respond to a religious vocation.The tiny community, founded in 1985 and based in Le Blanc, in the diocese of Bourges, is made up of seven sisters, five of whom have Down syndrome.In a world where up to 90 percent of Down syndrome children are aborted, the Prioress of the Little Sisters Disciples of the...

In this day and age, we know that Democrats hate Sarah Palin with a virulence that makes one scratch one's head, but, now, empirical evidence has surfaced that actually verifies that Democrats hate Palin's Down Syndrome baby, Trig, too! After eight years where the Democrat Party suffered from veritable BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) and consequently called him all the vilest names in the book, we know that hatred for conservatives and Republicans is a constant trend among Democrats. However, this latest episode of virulent hatred takes the cake and, dare I say, is beyond the pale even for Democrats! The...

I decided to write this after arguing with people who not only thought what was said on Family Guy's was acceptable, but also humorous. I have never watched the show, but I know about the subjects the writers choose to attract viewers. The latest stunt the writers pulled was directed at Sarah Palin, but it struck a chord with all parents of Downs Syndrome Children, but unfortunately not with all mothers. When I searched Google and Gather for more info on what the episode was about, I found the first ten websites at Google, blasting Sarah Palin for speaking out...

My name is Andrea Fay Friedman. I was born with Down syndrome. I played the role of Ellen on the "Extra Large Medium" episode of Family Guy that was broadcast on Valentine's day. Although they gave me red hair on the show, I am really a blonde. I also wore a red wig for my role in " Smudge" but I was a blonde in "Life Goes On". I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line "I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska" was very funny. I think the...

I can’t believe I agree with Sarah Palin. But she’s right. Kids of public figures should be off limits to media scrutiny, mockery and savaging. Especially if a child lives with a disability. That in-your-face “Family Guy” bit (which doesn’t deserve repeating) was disgusting and a$$hole-y, as Palin might say. Remember the nasty remarks said about Amy Carter and Chelsea during their awkward adolescence? And how outraged we were? Raise your hand if you think you looked your best in junior high. Didn’t think so. Imagine how you’d feel if your child was born with Down syndrome. And comedians thought...

True love, hope and family surmount disability By Theresa Harrington Contra Costa Times Posted: 02/11/2010 01:38:09 PM PST WALNUT CREEK — Little girls dream of finding true love, marrying and living happily ever after. Christi Hockel was no exception. The youngest of six, she watched her older siblings find mates. She caught bouquets at their weddings and yearned for the day when she would have her own magnificent ceremony. "I kept saying, 'Boy, I wish I had a husband who loves me,'" said Christi, 31. Her family and friends were not so sure her dreams would come true because Christi...

Former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Monday called for President Obama to fire his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, because of an offensive comment he reportedly made. At an August strategy session of liberal groups and White House aides, the Wall Street Journal recently reported, Emanuel told liberals they were "F-ing retarded" for planning to air attack ads against conservative Democrats opposed to health care reform. Palin, whose youngest child has Down Syndrome, said in a Facebook note that "our president is doing himself a disservice by seeming to condone Rahm's recent sick and offensive tactic." "I would...

Sarah Palin and I have little in common politically. I disagree with her on foreign policy, economic policy and Roe v. Wade—I am a pro-choice Democrat. But one thing Mrs. Palin and I share is that we're both parents of beautiful children who happen to have intellectual disabilities. And much as I disagree with Mrs. Palin on various political issues, I was struck when she talked about the cruel attacks on her son Trig in a TV interview last week. What separates me from many other pro-choicers I encounter is that I strongly believe we need to make abortion rare....

Sarah Palin and I have little in common politically. I disagree with her on foreign policy, economic policy and Roe v. Wade—I am a pro-choice Democrat. But one thing Mrs. Palin and I share is that we're both parents of beautiful children who happen to have intellectual disabilities. And much as I disagree with Mrs. Palin on various political issues, I was struck when she talked about the cruel attacks on her son Trig in a TV interview last week. [...] I had a personal taste of this at a conference I recently attended for children with disabilities. An obstetrician...

LifeNews.com Note: The following is an excerpt from Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue: An American Life. © Sarah Palin 2009. The book is published by HarperCollins and available at online booksellers and most retail outlets.A couple of years ago I began to notice some peculiar yet familiar physical symptoms, like the smell of cigarettes making me feel more nauseated than usual. For a few weeks, I brushed these aside. Then I began to suspect something. There was no way I could buy a home pregnancy test in Alaska. I was the state governor. The supermarket cashiers would know, the...

Boosting the level of a brain chemical reverses learning impairments in a mouse model of Down syndrome, researchers report. The work adds to emerging evidence that cognition-enhancing drugs may one day help humans with Down syndrome lead more independent lives. Down syndrome is the most common cause of mental retardation, affecting approximately one in 800 babies at birth. People with the disorder have an extra copy of chromosome 21, giving them additional copies of hundreds of genes. This somehow alters brain development and causes mild to severe learning disabilities. To investigate what goes wrong in the brain of someone who...

A couple of years ago I began to notice some peculiar yet familiar physical symptoms, like the smell of cigarettes making me feel more nauseated than usual. For a few weeks, I brushed these aside. Then I began to suspect something. There was no way I could buy a home pregnancy test in Alaska. I was the state governor. The supermarket cashiers would know, the people in the queue would know, and the next thing I’d see would be a headline. There were still a few things that I thought were not for public consumption, at least not at first.

Three Babies Aborted Every Day Due To Down's Syndrome Three babies are being aborted every day due to Down's syndrome, according to a study which shows the number of terminations has more than trebled in the last 20 years. By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor and Chris Irvine 26 Oct 2009 An increasing number of pregnant women are being told their babies have the condition because of a growing number of women putting off having children until their 30s and 40s and improvements in screening, doctors say. And around nine in ten women who are told they are going to have...

Down Syndrome Boy's 60-Yard Touchdown Run an Internet Hit By Thaddeus M. Baklinski ST. JOSEPH, Missouri, September 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A heart-warming story of true sportsmanship last week turned what might have been a dismal defeat into an extraordinary victory for both teams and everyone who witnessed Matt Ziesel's touchdown run. Matt, who has Down syndrome, is a freshman at Benton High School in St. Joseph, Mo. Despite his disability he suits up for every football game and cheers on his teammates from the sidelines. Last Monday night the Benton Cardinals football team was losing its game against the...

ST. JOSEPH, Missouri, September 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A heart-warming story of true sportsmanship last week turned what might have been a dismal defeat into an extraordinary victory for both teams and everyone who witnessed Matt Ziesel's touchdown run.Matt, who has Down syndrome, is a freshman at Benton High School in St. Joseph, Mo. Despite his disability he suits up for every football game and cheers on his teammates from the sidelines.Last Monday night the Benton Cardinals football team was losing its game against the Maryville Spoofhounds 46-0 when, with about ten seconds left in the game, Benton coach...