Pennsylvania Action Alert! Down Syndrome Protection Act Achieves Astounding Victory

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation 

Children with Down syndrome and their families achieved an astounding victory last 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,” Turzai said.

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.

Use this link to find your State Senator and their contact information.  

   

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is a grassroots right-to-life organization with members statewide. As the state affiliate of National Right to Life, PPLF is committed to promoting the dignity and value of human life from conception to natural death and to restoring legal protection for preborn children.  For more information on the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, please use this link. 

Protecting Children with Down Syndrome in Pennsylvania

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation 

Children with Down syndrome would experience new protection, under bills being introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate.

The measures would ban the abortion of babies who have been diagnosed with Down syndrome in the womb. Currently, babies in the Keystone State can be aborted up to 24 weeks gestation, except in cases of sex selection abortion, which are banned. (Pennsylvania has been at the forefront of protecting baby girls from abortion solely on the basis of their sex.)

The Speaker of the Pennsylvania House, Representative Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny County) and Representative Judy Ward, a nurse, (R-Blair County) are the prime sponsors of House Bill 2050.

“We’re raising the concern in Pennsylvania because of some tragic trends in European countries," Speaker Turzai said. "In Iceland, they’ve become notorious for the claim that Down syndrome has been nearly eliminated. What they fail to mention is that Iceland has a 100 percent abortion of pre-born children with this diagnosis. 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.”

Parents report often being pressured by doctors and others to abort babies diagnosed with Down syndrome. This is often based on the misconception that the children will suffer and will be a burden to their parents.

But in point of fact, those born with Down syndrome now experience a much greater life expectancy and a myriad of opportunities.

“The future has never been brighter for babies born with Down syndrome,” Rep. 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.”

Pennsylvania is already home to Chloe's Law--a measure named after high school student Chloe Kondrich, who has Down syndrome. The law provides resources and support to parents who learn that their unborn children may have Down syndrome. Chloe has accomplished a great deal in her young life, including writing a book and meeting with nationally-known public officials, sports stars, and entertainment figures. She recently attended the White House Rose Garden ceremony commemorating the tragic anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide.

“Although Chloe's Law (Act 130 of 2014) has been a valuable tool in educating parents about the quality of life of a person with Down syndrome, the abortion rate for children is still too high,” said Speaker Turzai. “It’s time to protect children with Down syndrome at every stage of life—especially at their most vulnerable.”

 

Please contact your state Representative and state Senator and encourage them to co-sponsor these bills to protect preborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome.  Use this link to find your Senator and Representative.


 

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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 Action Alert! Protecting Down Syndrome Children

 

from Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

Bills are being introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Senate to ban the abortion of preborn babies who have been diagnosed with Down syndrome. House Speaker Mike Turzai is sponsoring the House bill, while Senator Scott Martin is sponsoring the Senate version (The bills are identical in language; neither has a bill number yet).

Please contact your state Representative and state Senator and encourage them to co-sponsor these bills to protect preborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome.

If you don’t know who your state lawmakers are, or you need contact information, please consult Legislative Director Maria Gallagher at gallagher@paprolife.org or at 717-541-0034. Thank you for making these critical calls and sending these important emails!

To see Representative Turzai's press release about the bill, click here.

Pennsylvania Action Alert: Please Urge Your Representative to Co-sponsor Down Syndrome Resolution

Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation urges you to contact your state representative and urge him or her to co-sponsor State Representative Anita Kulik’s resolution celebrating the lives of people with Down syndrome and condemning the selective abortions of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero.

You will find the co-sponsorship memo here:

If you don’t know who your state representative is, or you need contact information, please use this link. 

Thank you for all your efforts to protect the most vulnerable among us.

   

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, Inc., is committed to promoting the dignity and value of human life from conception to natural death and to restoring legal protection for preborn children. Through legislation, political action, education and other legal means, we proclaim the truth about abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia.  For more information or to find out how you can become involved, please use this link.