“The quality of a civilization can be measured by the respect it has for its weakest members. There is no other criterion”

Sadie Haupt

By Eileen Haupt
Live Action News

Editor’s note. Eileen, a many times contributor to NRL News over the years, is co-founder, Keep Infants with Down Syndrome (KIDS). The following is a portion of her January 23 testimony to the Vermont House Human Services Committee. Eileen was one of our witnesses to testy to H. 57, “An act relating to preserving the right to abortion.” Wesley Smith warned that “Vermont may soon enact a law that would have zero limitations on the abortion as to time, reason, fetal viability, or method.”

To Members of the Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to come before you and testify in opposition to H.57: An act relating to preserving the right to abortion.

I oppose the legalization of abortion in general, but I am sharing my perspective as a mother of a child with Down syndrome. I am the mother of two daughters; the younger, named Sadie, has Down syndrome and is now 20. She is a special young lady and the joy of our lives!

I know that those of you on this board care about Social Justice and care about vulnerable individuals, such as those with disabilities. I am sure it is why you serve—not only in the legislature, but also in other ways, with other organizations—to improve the lives of Vermonters.

I want to share with you today the devastating effect that legalized abortion—the very procedure that the House is aiming to “preserve” by this proposed legislation—is having on the population of Down syndrome.

A study by Dr. Brian Skotko of the Down Syndrome Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital, and others, estimates that about one-third of the population of individuals with Down syndrome in the U.S. has been lost to abortion.

In that study, they refer to an earlier study that estimates the rate of abortion of babies with Down syndrome to be approximately 67 percent in the United States. The rate varies among geographic areas and demographic groups. Geographically, the Northeast and Hawaii have the highest rates. I would expect Vermont would be included in that higher rateIn Europe, the rates are even higher. … In 2017, “CBSN: On Assignment” produced a show that investigated the eradication of babies with Down syndrome in Iceland. [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/down-syndrome-iceland This is an issue that has garnered international attention].

When abortion is allowed for any reason with no restrictions, it is also allowed for discriminatory reasons, such as to eradicate babies with Down syndrome.

Of course, in order to abort based on disability, the disability must be detected. This is why prenatal testing was developed. And if I am not mistaken, the primary reason for the development of amniocentesis was to detect Down syndrome specifically. Prenatal testing is routinely performed on pregnant mothers to detect whether their babies have Down syndrome, as well as other genetic conditions.

Continue reading article here

Facebook Post Leads to Improbable Adoption of Chinese Girl with Down Syndrome

By Tre Goins-Phillips
Faith Wire

Facebook might be a horrible place to get news, but for one couple, it was the perfect place to find a daughter.

In early 2018, Emily Thomes shared a post on Facebook, telling her friends and followers about Faith Ann, a little girl from China in desperate need of adoption.

Not long after she posted about the young child, who has Down syndrome, Thomes told Faithwire she received a message from Stephanie Lee and her husband, Dave, a couple who found Thomes’ post through mutual friends.

The Colorado couple, who already have two children, wanted to adopt Faith Ann.

“I was crying my eyes out when she told me,” Thomes said. “They [the couple] message me every few months and give me an update and it’s finally happening.”

Faith Ann’s adoption has been nearly a year in the making.

In February, Lee messaged Thomes, thanking her for sharing the post about Faith Ann and letting her know she and her husband were looking into adopting the little girl.

“It amazes me how God works,” Lee wrote to Thomes. “We knew were were called to adopt, but we couldn’t afford it since we don’t want to go into debt. Then you posted and Faith Ann’s face wouldn’t leave my mind. I asked my husband and he was so excited. We will see what God does.”

For a while, the Lee family struggled to jump through all the legal hoops, working overtime to make ends meet financially and to complete a “home study,” a screening of the adoptee’s potential house as well as the life of his or her prospective parents.

Continue reading article here

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, Pinterest, and on MeWe.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does? 

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.

In Southeast Penna:  Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.   

Donald Trump Condemns Down Syndrome-Selective Abortions

“Life is precious, and it is our moral duty to protect and defend it,” President Trump

By Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.

Breitbart News

President Donald Trump released a powerful pro-life statement Monday, calling on Americans to “respect and honor” the sanctity of the lives of those with Down syndrome, “at every stage.”

“Despite some persistent myths and stigmas, even within the medical community, our Nation strongly embraces the undeniable truth that a Down syndrome diagnosis is an opportunity to embrace God’s gifts,” Mr. Trump said in a presidential message on Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

Currently, studies suggest that some 67 percent of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in the United States are aborted, while in many other countries, the percentage is higher still, and the abortion industry has fought tooth and nail to continue allowing women to selectively abort children thought to have the condition.

In his statement Monday, President Trump recalled the American foundational belief that all people “are endowed by their Creator with dignity and the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

“I stand for life – in all of its beautiful manifestations – and I, and my Administration, will continue to condemn the prejudice and discrimination that Americans with Down syndrome too often endure,” Trump said.

“We will always support the dreams of those with Down syndrome, and respect and honor the sanctity of their lives, at every stage,” he said.

“Life is precious, and it is our moral duty to protect and defend it,” he said.

Planned Parenthood and other representatives of the abortion lobby have resisted efforts to pass legislation protecting unborn children with Down syndrome from selective abortions. Although Planned Parenthood chapters have occasionally stepped back from the radical eugenic ideas and actions of founder Margaret Sanger, they persist in defending the eugenic practices targeting children with disabilities for elimination.

Breitbart article continues here
Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

Employee With Down Syndrome Makes History at Boston Children’s Hospital

By Cassy Fiano Chesser
Live Action News

Nathan Simons was originally a patient in the Down syndrome program at Boston Children’s Hospital, but now, he’s an employee, working as a patient liaison. The hospital celebrated his six year anniversary as an employee this week, where he originally started working just eight hours a week. 

But as his supervisors noted his enthusiastic work ethic and the positive effect he had on patients, his hours increased until he became the first full-time employee with Down syndrome in the hospital’s history.

“I just love it! I love the people who come here and give good feedback,” Simons said of his job. “It’s amazing and my parents are like, ‘Yes, Nathan you finally got a full time job! Thank you, Lord!’” 

And while Simons and his family are thrilled about his job, his supervisors seem to be even more excited. 

“He comes to work each day with enthusiasm and provides inspiration and optimism for families with Down syndrome and they look at Nate and see what is possible,” said Dr. Nicole Baumer.

Simons helps new patients and their families, and also helps tackle administrative tasks and paperwork. Originally, the position was meant to be a temporary, two-year position. But hospital administrators were so impressed with Simons that they kept him on, and instead, created a new apprenticeship program for other adults with Down syndrome, and Simons trains and mentors them as they go through the two-year program.

His presence has also been inspirational to the families who come to the program for help. 

“They look up to me because I’m a good role model to them,” he said of children with Down syndrome. “They see me, being independent and living on my own.” 

Baumer agreed. “For families who don’t know a lot about what the future will bring for their children, he shows an example of what things can be like,” she said.

“I just feel proud, very proud, of my job,” he said. “I’m so happy to be here.” His next goal? Marriage to his girlfriend, Logan.

Live Action News continues here 

Meet Kayla McKeon, the First Lobbyist With Down Syndrome

She’s paving the way for future generations — even those yet to be born... 

By Kelli
Live Action News

Kayla McKeon has such confidence that when she meets someone, she always leaves quite an impression. Her mother, Patti, recently told the Washington Post, “She’s never nervous. When she gives a speech to a big crowd, I’m a wreck, and she’s calm as can be. She doesn’t care who she is speaking to, it’s like she’s talking to her best friend. That’s a real strength when you’re talking to members of Congress.”

Kayla, age 30, is the first registered lobbyist with Down syndrome, and she’s been lobbying Congress part-time for the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) since October 2017. According to the Washington Post, Kayla “is also taking classes toward her associate degree at Onondaga Community College in central New York.” She was recruited for her job as a lobbyist by Sara Hart Weir, the president and chief executive of NDSS, who knew when she met Kayla that she was something really special.

READ: Love children with Down syndrome ‘for who they are,’ says woman with condition

Weir told the Post, 

“I wanted to put somebody on staff like Kayla who would influence members of Congress. Kayla is one of the most impressive young, vibrant individuals with Down syndrome I have ever met. She’s spunky, she doesn’t take no for an answer, and she’s quite charming. She has all the characteristics of an exceptional lobbyist.”

Kayla’s job is to advocate for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the workplace. And obviously, she is a shining example of the fact that those with disabilities can excel at whatever they put their minds to, even in high pressure workplaces like Capitol Hill. The BBC video above notes that Kayla’s work “helped pass the Able to Work Act,” which allowed people with disabilities to keep both their savings and their free healthcare.

According to the Post:

McKeon’s mother said she thinks her daughter operates fluidly in the workplace in part because she always was in mainstream schools as a child. She had an aide with her to help her through the school day, but she insisted on being with non-disabled kids rather than in a different school.

“She’s always been a hard worker and also very stubborn, and I think that’s what’s gotten her to where she is today,” Patti McKeon said.

Kayla travels independently from Syracuse, New York, to Washington, D.C., for her job.

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She recently got her driver’s license, and she has competed in the World Games and Special Olympics, even giving speeches for the latter. On her blog, Kayla wrote earlier this year, 

“We can do whatever we set our minds to, we can drive a car, go to college and pursue meaningful careers. We are more alike than different, so lets go and show our awareness of Down Syndrome and celebrate our abilities not our disabilities.” Kayla told the Washington Post that she believes she’s “making a huge difference” for people with disabilities, and “making history.”

And, indeed, she is. But perhaps more importantly than making history, she’s paving the way for future generations — even those yet to be born — so long as they are allowed to be born in a world that has grown increasingly hostile to persons with disabilities.

Live Action News story continues here

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

Pennsylvania Senate Committee Passes Bill to Ban Abortions on Babies With Down Syndrome

By Micaiah Bilger
Life News

A Pennsylvania Senate committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would prohibit discriminatory abortions on unborn babies with Down syndrome.

The legislation, which received strong support in the state House in April, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 10-5 vote Wednesday, the AP reports.

Under current Pennsylvania law, a woman can have an abortion before 24 weeks of pregnancy for any reason except sex selection. State House Bill 2050 would expand that exception to include a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Four states have similar laws: Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio and North Dakota.

“The future has never been brighter for babies born with Down syndrome,” said state Rep. Judy Ward, one of the lead sponsors of the bill, previously. “We’ve learned too much to accept that Down syndrome citizens should be considered anything less than full members of the community. They deserve respect and the protection of our laws.”

The bill appears likely to pass the state Senate. However, pro-abortion Gov. Tom Wolf, who once volunteered for the abortion chain Planned Parenthood, said he will veto the bill. Whether there will be enough votes to override his veto is uncertain.

Earlier this spring, Wolf’s spokesman had the audacity to claim there is no evidence of discrimination against unborn babies with Down syndrome.

“There is no evidence that this practice is even occurring, yet this is another example of Harrisburg Republicans exploiting vulnerable families and trying to undermine the doctor-patient relationship to score political points,” spokesman J.J. Abbott told CNHI.

But pro-life and disability rights advocates said there is strong evidence that the law is very much needed.

Some of the biggest supporters of the legislation are people with Down syndrome and their families. Karen Gaffney, a long-distance swimmer with Down syndrome and disability rights advocate, spoke at a rally in March in the state Capitol about how every child with Down syndrome has a life worth living.

Lynne and Paul Conrad, of Pittsburgh, also want to see the legislation pass. One of their children, Chris, has Down syndrome.

“He’s a child. He’s one of my four children. Yes, he may have different abilities, but all my children have different abilities,” his mother told KDKA Pittsburgh.

A recent CBS News report shocked the nation with its exposure of the discriminatory abortion trend. According to the report, nearly 100 percent of unborn babies who test positive for Down syndrome are aborted in Iceland. The rate in France was 77 percent in 2015, 90 percent in the United Kingdom and 67 percent in the United States between 1995 and 2011, according to CBS.

Some put the rate as high as 90 percent in the United States, but it is difficult to determine the exact number because the U.S. government does not keep detailed statistics about abortion.

Life News article continues here

Woman With Down Syndrome Says Twitter Suspended Her Account for Tweets Opposing Abortion

By Micaiah Bilger
Life News

Disability rights advocate Charlotte “Charlie” Fien accused Twitter of suspending her account this week because of her vocal opposition to abortion.

Fien, who has Down syndrome, gained wide-spread attention last year when she delivered a powerful response to a United Nations abortion activist.

On Tuesday, Fien said Twitter temporarily blocked her account because of the pro-life messages that she posts, The Christian Post reports.

“Hi Followers, After more than 24 hours I’m allowed back into my Twitter account. Funny how Twitter allows willy pics and boobs. Funny how Twitter allows paedophiles and other scum. Funny how Twitter doesn’t like my Pro Life pics and blocks them,” she wrote Tuesday.

Fien is one of many pro-life advocates who has had content blocked by Twitter and other social media sites.

In September, Live Action, the youth-centered pro-life organization known for its undercover investigations, said Twitter has been censoring its ads. Live Action founder Lila Rose said the social media site blocked their ability to advertise and told them to change information on their websites if they want to start advertising again.

Twitter also refused to run an ad from the Susan B. Anthony List in the fall because it contained the phrase “killing babies.”

In October, Twitter rejected another ad from pro-life Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn because she mentioned Planned Parenthood’s sales of aborted baby body parts. Twitter later reversed its decision after LifeNews and other news outlets reported about the matter.

Fien’s Twitter page is back up, and she continued to advocate for babies with disabilities this week in a series of tweets. Specifically, she urged Irish voters to consider what could happen to babies with disabilities if abortion becomes legal there.

Charlie Fien@fien_charlie

Replying to @fien_charlie

So, the NHS says 92% of British women abort for DS up to birth. Not 90% my bad it’s actually 92%! Of course, now that the NIPT is FREE on the NHS it will go up to Denmark/Iceland termination rate. Which is exactly what pro aborters want in Ireland.

9:59 AM - Apr 18, 2018

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Back in December, Fien gained international attention when she gave a powerful speech about the value of unborn babies with disabilities.

Website: Life News

'God is Watching Over Me: This Successful Woman with Down Syndrome is Blazing a Trail Against Abortion

By Will Maule
Faith Wire

Karen Gaffney is an extraordinarily successful woman. She has swum the English channel, given a stunning TEDx talk and even received an honorary doctorate. She is also a fierce advocate for the unborn.

Oh, and she has Down syndrome. Because of her unique accomplishments and background, Gaffney has become a highly sought-after speaker at pro-life events.

“I want my voice to be heard,” Gaffney said during a recent speech at OneLife LA, a pro-life event in Los Angeles. “And I want my message to come through loud and clear.”

Karen Gaffney on stage speaking at OneLife LA.

Heather Adams

✔@HeatherAdams44

Karen Gaffney hopes her message will inspire others and stop abortions based on fetal abnormalities like Down syndrome. But does this narrative wrongfully pit disability rights against a woman’s right to an abortion?

Here’s more on this complex issue: https://www.religionnews.com/2018/03/07/new-light-of-the-anti-abortion-movement-an-accomplished-woman-with-down-syndrome/ …

12:52 PM - Mar 7, 2018 · Los Angeles, CA

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• See Heather Adams's other Tweets

Twitter Ads info and privacyDevelopments in prenatal testing have made it increasingly easy to identify those with Down syndrome in utero, and selective abortions have increased as a result. Shocking news broke out of Iceland last year, when it was revealed that the nation had an almost 100 percent abortion rate for babies with Down syndrome.

With these tragic realities in mind, Gaffney’s testimony and advocacy is more important than ever.

“I think the Iceland story was so shocking to so many people,” Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, told Religion News Service. “They just didn’t know that this is a situation.”

But Down syndrome has been thrust into the limelight for more positive reasons lately. As Faithwire previously reported, Lucas Warren, a 1-year-old from Dalton, Georgia, became the first child with Down syndrome ever to be named as the iconic “Gerber baby.”

“Every year, we choose the baby who best exemplifies Gerber’s longstanding heritage of recognizing that every baby is a Gerber baby,” Bill Partyka, CEO and president of Gerber, said. “This year, Lucas is the perfect fit.”

“We’re hoping this will impact everyone — that it will shed a little bit of light on the special needs community and help more individuals with special needs be accepted and not limited,” Lucas’s dad, Jason Warren, added. “They have the potential to change the world, just like everybody else.”

Gaffney couldn’t agree more.

“I want to inspire so many people with Down syndrome and really tell them that people like me can live,” she said.

But Gaffney is doing so much more in this world than merely existing. The Catholic high school graduate works as a research assistant at Portland’s Oregon Health and Science University. And if that’s not enough, this amazing woman also runs her own foundation!

“The Karen Gaffney Foundation is a non profit organization that is dedicated to championing the journey to full inclusion in families, schools, communities and the workplace for people with Down syndrome or other developmental disabilities,” details the organization’s website.

Faith Wire article continues here

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

Judge Blocks Ohio Law Banning Abortions on Babies With Down Syndrome

Unborn babies with Down syndrome are targeted for abortions at astronomical rates

By Micaiah Bilger
Life News

An Ohio judge with close ties to Planned Parenthood blocked a state law Wednesday that protects unborn babies with Down syndrome from discriminatory abortions.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black issued a preliminary injunction against the law, arguing federal law is “crystal clear” that states may not prohibit abortions before viability, WOSU Radio reports.

Black is a Barack Obama appointee and a former director and president of Planned Parenthood of Cincinnati, the radio station reported in 2014. At the time, Black recused himself from another lawsuit involving the abortion chain.

Last year, Ohio legislators passed a law to prohibit abortions when done specifically because an unborn baby has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. Later, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the state.

“It is a shame that an organization that claims to be the very biggest and best at defending victims of discrimination completely disregards the most vulnerable members of our society who are being discriminated against,” Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, said at the time.

In a statement to CNN this week, Gonidakis praised pro-life Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine for “fiercely” defending the non-discrimination law.

DeWine’s spokesman Dan Tierney said they are reviewing Black’s ruling, and promised the office “will continue to vigorously defend Ohio law.”

Here’s more from the local news:

Ohio would have been the third state with a Down syndrome abortion ban. But U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black writes that federal law is crystal clear that a state may not prohibit a woman from deciding to terminate a pregnancy before viability.

In a statement, pro-choice groups said they’re committed to stopping the law, which they say would interfere with the trust between women and doctors and open the door to further intrusion by politicians into personal health decisions.

Life News article continues here

Reporter Defends Aborting Babies With Down Syndrome: “You Can Call Me Selfish But I’m in Good Company”

By Wesley Smith
Life News

Ruth Marcus has boldly declared that if she were pregnant and discovered her baby had Down syndrome, that child would never see the light of day. From her column:

Down syndrome is life-altering for the entire family. I’m going to be blunt here: That was not the child I wanted. That was not the choice I would have made. You can call me selfish, or worse, but I am in good company. The evidence is clear that most women confronted with the same unhappy alternative would make the same decision.

No question. Ninety percent of Down babies are aborted, while Iceland brags it has a zero Down birthrate.

But this pogrom isn’t happening in a vacuum. Parents of gestating babies diagnosed with Down are pushed toward that decision by societal pressure, genetic counselors, and a disdain in our culture for limitations.

Marcus says she supports women who have the depth of love — my term — to bear a baby with Down. Bully for her. But many don’t. Remember the vituperation of Sarah Palin because she bore Trig? It was truly pernicious.

The ubiquitous aborting of Down babies brings up other eugenics issues. With genetic and other testing becoming increasingly sophisticated — and our understanding of how gene expression more precise — we are close the point where abortion may soon be deployed to eradicate babies that look to be autistic or experience some other “unwanted” characteristic.

This will certainly include aesthetics. Babies that are the “wrong” sex are already being aborted, and soon, perhaps abortion will be available to destroy children that will have a propensity for obesity, a likely skin color or other unwanted racial characteristic, perhaps even, if the later adult would be threatened with early onset cancer or Alzheimer’s.

Marcus sees the eugenics danger with which we are presented — and doesn’t care:

Technological advances in prenatal testing pose difficult moral choices about what, if any, genetic anomaly or defect justifies an abortion. Nearsightedness? Being short? There are creepy, eugenic aspects of the new technology that call for vigorous public debate. But in the end, the Constitution mandates — and a proper understanding of the rights of the individual against those of the state underscores — that these excruciating choices be left to individual women, not to government officials who believe they know best.

Life News article continues here

Testing for Down Syndrome, When Woman Sees Ultrasound, She Realizes She’s Pregnant With “a Little Person”

By Sarah Terzo
National Right to Life

From a woman who was being tested to see if her baby had Down syndrome or another handicap; she had been considering abortion if the baby was discovered to be disabled. She’s describing what she saw on the ultrasound:

“I was on this incredible high, like I saw the head and the little shoulders and then I came home and I suddenly crashed because I thought, there was this little person, I mean, it looked like a little person. And I was more upset than I’d ever been because what would I do? You know, would I have an abortion? Because here I’ve seen it, and it looks like a little person.”

Rayna Rapp, “Testing Women, Testing the Fetus: the Social Impact of Amniocentesis in America” (New York: Routledge, 1999) p. 129

Editor’s note. This appeared at Clinic Quotes and is reposted with permission.

Website: National Right to Life

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.

In Southeast Penna:  Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

ACLU Sues to Stop Ohio’s Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act from Taking Effect March 22nd

By Dave Andrusko
National Right to Life

Just because it was utterly predictable doesn’t make the sting any the less painful. Suing on behalf of Preterm Cleveland, Planned Parenthood of Ohio Southwest Region, Women’s Med Center of Dayton, Dr. Roslyn Kade, and Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, the ACLU today sued for a temporary restraining order to prevent an Ohio law that prohibits abortion for the sole reason of a Down syndrome diagnosis from going into effect March 22.

The measure overwhelmingly passed both houses of the legislature: 20-12 in the Senate, 63-30 in the House.

Under SB 164 it would be illegal for abortionists to commit or attempt to commit an abortion based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome. Currently Indiana and North Dakota also ban abortions based on genetic anomalies.

According to Bennett Leckrone of the Columbus Dispatch, Freda Levenson said the ACLU filed the lawsuit asking for the TRO so a judge could consider the constitutionality of the bill.

“The bill masquerades as an anti-discrimination measure to protect people with Down syndrome,” said Chrisse France, the executive director of Preterm. “It’s just the most recent piece in a large, strategic campaign to restrict and ultimately eliminate abortion access in Ohio.”

Ohio Right to Life, which made passage of the Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act its highest priority, said the law protect babies prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome from discriminatory abortion.

Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, responded to the lawsuit:

The ACLU of Ohio claims on their website that they “seek to preserve civil liberties for each new generation.” Their blatant and continuous attacks on the dignity and sanctity of human life make it clear that they do not care for the youngest of each new generations: the unborn.

Today, they have come out against the Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act which would protect unborn babies from discriminatory abortions. It is a shame that an organization that claims to be the very biggest and best at defending victims of discrimination completely disregards the most vulnerable members of our society who are being discriminated against. The ACLU is hurting Ohio by constantly suing to further an extremist agenda.

Ohio Right to Life will continue to fight to protect vulnerable Ohioans from discrimination and the violence of abortion.

National Right to Life article continues here