Pennsylvania Bill Would Ban Killing Babies With Down Syndrome in Abortions

Kurt Kondrich is a true champion for life.

By Maria Gallagher

Life News

A former police officer, Kondrich quit his job in law enforcement to work full-time advocating for children with special needs. The cause is personal for him. His daughter, Chloe, has Down syndrome. But that diagnosis has not stopped her from accomplishing feats well beyond her years. The high school student has met the President, Vice-President, numerous lawmakers, sports figures, musicians, and many other celebrities. She has even had her photo displayed for all the world to see in New York’s Times Square.

Kondrich and his daughter have been lobbying in their home state of Pennsylvania for a bill that would ban abortions in the case of a Down syndrome diagnosis. The bill, known as House Bill 2050, passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by an overwhelming, bipartisan, veto-proof majority this past spring.

The Pennsylvania Senate adjourned for campaigning without passing the bill, which had already been reported out of committee. While there is an outside chance the bill could be voted on before the end of the year, it is more likely the legislation will be re-introduced next year.

Kondrich offers a cogent rationale for House Bill 2050, also known as the Down Syndrome Protection Act:

Children diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome are being identified, targeted and terminated with the instrument of abortion at an alarming rate, and this represents the ultimate, extreme form of eugenics, prejudice, bigotry, profiling, bullying, discrimination and hate.  

This prenatal death sentence given to a group of innocent, amazing people who have no malice or evil is a global genocide that must be stopped, and we will restore a culture of LIFE where people ‘Embrace don’t erase’ Down syndrome.

It has been estimated that the vast majority of babies who receive a Down syndrome diagnosis in utero are aborted. At a time when disability rights are in the news, the case for protecting preborn babies with Down syndrome is all the more compelling.

Unfortunately, while portraying himself as an advocate for disability rights, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has threatened to veto the life-saving legislation. Wolf is on record opposing any restrictions on abortion.

He once volunteered as a clinic escort for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion operation. Planned Parenthood, by its own count, commits more than 300,000 abortions each year—about a third of the total number of abortions in the country.

As part of the advocacy effort for House Bill 2050, a coalition of groups, including the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, the Pennsylvania Family Institute, and the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, established a popular website https://protectatdiagnosis.com/. The website’s motto is “Disability rights start at diagnosis.” The site includes stories of 21 individuals who are not simply surviving, but are thriving, with Down syndrome.

Continue reading here

ACTION ALERT! Last Chance to Contact Your Pennsylvania Legislators on the Down Syndrome Protection Act

from David G. Walsh

Next week PA Legislators will be in Harrisburg every day, Monday through Friday.

This will be your last chance to tell KEY VOTE PA Senate Legislators how you feel about the importance of saving Down Syndrome unborn babies from abortion.  

Below find a beautiful piece of writing by Napro physician and our Pro Life friend, Dr. Monique Ruberu.

Read Dr. Ruberu's short but very much to the point letter, and then "extract the part you personally feel connected with" and write one short email to the list of 18 Senators right now, followed by a call to their Harrisburg office (Directory link below) with message to PLEASE VOTE YES TO HOUSE BILL 2050.


From Dr. Monique Ruberu:

Our world is filled with sadness, grief, stress, - have you ever met a Down syndrome affected person who doesn’t bring a smile to your face? All they want to do is smile at others, hug, high five and bring joy to the world. They are little lights in this world. I have never met a family that doesn’t treasure their Down syndrome kids... even in the extended family these children are beloved. Why not protect a group of people who bring so much love and joy. People who contribute to society in such a meaningful way.
As a physician I hear the devastation in my patients voices when they speak of the choice they made to abort their Down syndrome child... they suffer with anxiety, depression and grief. They chose that path because when they were given the diagnosis it was wrapped up in fear and was presented with the option of relieving the “problem” with abortion. Things presented by a physician carry more influence in difficult moments. Yet they were never given information about support groups for downs families. They were never advised to speak with parents of downs children to see how their life had been impacted... instead they were rushed from their 18 week appointment for ultrasound to a 20 week abortion appointment to terminate before it was illegal...

When I meet people considering abortion for genetic anomalies I remind them that none of us are perfect. We may appear perfect on the outside but inside we have anxiety, depression, cancer, a multitude of autoimmune diseases, learning disabilities, heart and lung disease, diabetes, ... the list goes on... these children wear their disorder on their sleeves while we hide ours beneath our perfect appearances... but they are actually much more perfect in so many ways especially in the areas of love and kindness... I advise that they don’t end the life of this blessing because of a difference in appearance... we are all different. 

Dr Monique Ruberu

List of 18 KEY VOTE Senators we want to VOTE YES TO HB2050.

lbaker@pasen.gov (Sen Lisa Baker -R)

jblake@pasenate.com ( Sen John Blake -D)

lboscola@pasenate.com (Sen Lisa Boscola -D)

costa@pasenate.com (Sen Jay Costa -D)

andydinniman@pasenate.com (Sen Andy Dinniman -D)

lfarnese@pasenate.com (Sen Larry Farnese -D)

wfontana@pasenate.com (Sen Wayne Fontana -D)

ahaywood@pasenate.com (Sen Art Haywood -D)

hughes@pasenate.com (Sen Vincent Hughes -D)

leach@pasenate.com (Sen Daylin Leach -D)

dlaughlin@pasen.gov (Sen Dave Laughlin -R)

cmcilhinney@pasen.gov (Sen Charles McIlhinney -R) 

jsabatina@pasenate.com (Sen John Sabatina -D)

senatorschwank@pasenate.com (Sen Judy Schwank -D)

street@pasenate.com (Sen Sharif Street -D)

tartaglione@pasenate.com (Sen Christine Tartaglione -D)

williams@pasenate.com (Sen Anthony Williams -D)

yudichak@pasenate.com (Sen John Yudichak -D)


Senator contact listing: Click on link and then on name and look for Harrisburg and phones in left column: Members of the Senate

Pennsylvania House Overwhelmingly Passes Pill Protecting Babies with Down Syndrome Diagnoses

By Maria Gallagher
National Right to Life

Children with Down syndrome and their families achieved an astounding victory this week, as the Pennsylvania House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation designed to protect preborn babies who have been diagnosed with an extra chromosome.

House Bill 2050, the Down Syndrome Protection Act, achieved passage by an incredible vote of 139-56. The bill passed with a veto-proof majority—extremely important in a Commonwealth led by a pro-abortion Governor, Tom Wolf.

The disability rights bill has tremendous crossover appeal—it is being backed by both Republicans and Democrats, men and women. In fact, legislators who have voted pro-abortion in the past embraced the legislation because of its laser focus on children with disabilities.

The Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny County), was one of the prime sponsors of the bill. He eloquently stated the case for the legislation:

“I believe in the dignity of every human being. None of us are born perfect, and we all have something beautiful to contribute. Pennsylvania is a loving, compassionate community, and we want to extend welcome and support to Down syndrome families. They need to know they’re not alone.”

Another prime sponsor, Rep. Judy Ward (R-Blair), spoke of the tremendous potential of people with a Down syndrome diagnosis. “The future has never been brighter for babies born with Down syndrome,” Ward said. “Medical and social advances have changed what it means to live with this condition. Down syndrome means that opportunities exist in every area of school, community and even professional life. 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.”

During a well-received media event at the Capitol in Harrisburg, Karen Gaffney, who has Down syndrome, impressed the crowd with her impassioned remarks. Gaffney defied the odds by swimming the English Channel and receiving an honorary doctorate for her many accomplishments.

“Those of us with Down syndrome and our families face a very difficult future. We face a possibility of wiping out all of the tremendous progress we have made. Just as we are making so much progress, a whole industry has grown up focused on prenatal screening – screening that would end our lives before we take our first breath. Now that you can test for Down syndrome before birth, there are many experts in the medical community that say this extra chromosome we carry around is not compatible with life. Not compatible with life?” asked Gaffney.

“After everything we have done, I would say we are more than compatible. We are what life is all about. Our lives are worth living and our lives are worth learning about.”

The bill now moves onto the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration. Pennsylvania residents are urged to call their state Senators and encourage them to support House Bill 2050.

Website: National Right to Life