Parents of Baby with Down Syndrome Adopt Twins Born With Special Needs

Our biological son was born with Down syndrome and also has a heart condition that also fixed itself.

Life Defenders
Live Action News

(Life Defenders) My name is Den Alan. My wife and I married 10 years ago and started trying to add to our [family] almost immediately afterwards. Just when it seemed like getting pregnant naturally wasn’t in the cards for us, we were thrilled to find out we were pregnant after 5 long years of trying to conceive.

To our dismay, at 21 & 1/2 weeks along, we lost [our] baby girl who we named Mary Francis.

We decided to start the adoption process and shortly after initiating, we became pregnant again. Unfortunately, we lost that baby as well at 11 weeks. We named the baby William.

We picked up where we left off with the adoption process, approaching Catholic Charities. There’s a network of them in the States and the offices work together.

The adoption process was meticulous. There were required evaluations and training sessions to complete/attend; in-depth questions to answer; seemingly endless paperwork to fill out. Bolda and I had to assemble what is called a “Look Book” (a picture book with information about ourselves), and each office in the network of adoption agencies received a copy.

READ: President Trump: ‘Adoption affirms the inherent value of human life’

We were also asked if we would be willing to adopt multiples, children with diagnoses, etc., to which we answered, “Yes.” We entrusted God throughout this whole process and weren’t about to limit Him by saying the child that He had for us wasn’t good enough.

It took about a year to finish the process and we received that long-awaited call from the adoption office; the birth mom saw our “Look Book” and had chosen us out of three couples and was carrying twins.

TWINS! We had prayed so hard that God would bless us with twins; We had our share of heartaches and frustrations along the way, yet here we were!

So we made the 4 hour trek to Bismarck, North Dakota, to meet with the birth mom. During the visit we also met her parents. We were asked many questions which we eagerly answered. One of the things discussed was how [we] felt about having children who were Native American. We explained how we both would appreciate and embrace the diversity in our home.

The hardest part of the process for us was the worry of becoming emotionally invested and the birth mom ending up changing her mind. The loss of our children was difficult enough, but in faith we continued into the unknown, following the lamplight of God’s lead.

2 weeks after we were picked, we found out that we were pregnant again. The policy with our agency was that if you were pregnant, you couldn’t adopt. The social worker told the birth mom we were pregnant and asked if she still wanted us to adopt the twins since she had already picked us.

To our relief, she did! The twins were born in March 2016 and our other child was born in October.

We have an open adoption and a phenomenal relationship with the birth family. We are actually going to the Pow Wow festival together this weekend. The birth family treats our biological son like family. It’s like they adopted him.

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40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 30: TWINS

By Shawn Carney
40 Days for Life

There is something special about twins.

Most people think that when an abortion-bound mom finds out she’s pregnant with twins, it affirms her decision to have an abortion.

After all, two babies means double the feedings, double the diapers, and double the chaos. But the reality is that when an abortion-minded woman finds a second baby in her womb, she often finds double the love in her heart!

The presence of twins instantly conveys the humanity of the babies and leads their mothers to choose life.

“Lord, please help her…and help her baby,” pleaded a vigil participant in Walnut Creek, California. “She appeared to ignore my offer of help as she walked into the building without looking at me.”

But just 15 minutes later, the 18-year-old girl left Planned Parenthood and came to talk to the group of four volunteers on the sidewalk. One of those prayer warriors asked whether she knew how far along she was in her pregnancy.

“Yes,” she said, smiling. “They are 12 weeks old.”

They?

“Yes! I had an ultrasound, and they scheduled me today for an abortion,” she said. “I was going to get rid of them…but I just couldn’t do it!”

The young mom’s friend browsed a pamphlet she received from the 40 Days for Life volunteers and remarked, “Your babies have fingernails!”

The prayer warriors were ecstatic. “I will NEVER forget that moment, that line, and that realization they both had that these babies were growing inside her. It humanized her babies for her.”

Little Rock, Arkansas

Toni in Little Rock sent a desperate email pleading for prayer.

“A lady that is 17 weeks pregnant with twins came today for her ultrasound appointment,” Toni wrote. “She DOES NOT want the abortion, but she feels that she has no support. Please pray for her.”

Those prayers were answered as the mother chose life.

“She will be moving back in with her mom soon, and we are going to follow her to see that she has the things she needs,” Toni said. “We will also throw her a baby shower when her time for delivery draws near.”

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

September walked with Lisa on her way into Milwaukee’s abortion center, letting her know about the pregnancy help center across the street. “That’s your son or daughter, and we are here to help!”

When Lisa left the abortion facility, September resumed the conversation, asking how her baby was doing. 

“I asked my fiancé, and he wanted to keep them…I’m having TWINS!

The expectant mother’s face broke into a radiant smile as she hugged September–both women filled with joy. Just four days later, volunteers in Milwaukee helped save ANOTHER set of twins from abortion!

Scripture and Prayer

And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. —Luke 1:41-44

Jesus, open my eyes to your presence in the life of every child. Open my heart to joy in the birth of every child, a birth that reflects the joy of your own birth in Bethlehem. As you shared life in the womb of Mary, so now send your protection upon every child still in the womb, and grant to their mothers the strength and joy that comes from welcoming the gift of life

Written by
SHAWN CARNEY, PRESIDENT

In addition to co-founding and directing the 40 Days for Life campaign, Shawn is a popular speaker, and co-author of the #1 Top-Rated Amazon Christian book: 40 Days for Life: Discover What God Has Done ... Imagine What He Can Do

Website: 40 Days for Life

The “Best Reaction” Ever to an Ultrasound?

By Dave Andrusko
National Right to Life News

There are few sights more delightful than watching people’s faces as they respond to ultrasounds.

Barbara Diamond headlines her post (and the video) “She Has The BEST Reaction To Her Sister’s Ultrasound Surprise.” And it may be just that.

Writing at jillian.littlethings.com, Diamond tells us the delightful story of Jillian, a teacher who is due in September, and her twin sister, Kelly-Renee.

Jillian knew there would be one person who would be “ecstatic when” at her 20 week scan, Jillian found out that her third pregnancy was with twin boys. As you watch the video, you can readily see why Ms. Diamond said, “Jillian, however, never expected a reaction quite like this” from Kelly-Renee.

Just seconds after she learns it’s twins, Jillian brings her sister into the room. What made it special is that Jillian doesn’t tell her sister the big news.

Kelly-Renee, smiling broadly, looks the ultrasound, sees a “little baby with a heart… There’s the heart….it’s beating…Look at the baby.”

The doctor, in on the game, asks innocently, “Looks normal, right”

Kelly-Renee then asks, “Are those two”?

“Oh, my God,” she shrieks with joy, “Oh my God, Oh my God…. Can I have one, can I have a baby?”

“The moment Kelly-Renee realizes her sister is pregnant with not one but two beautiful babies (27 seconds in), her reaction is absolutely priceless,” Diamond writes. “Thank God the cameras were rolling.”

Indeed, Kelly-Renee’s “holy cow!” expression just warms your heart and your face lights up in a smile.

Take a minute and watch the video at littlethings.com.

Website: National Right to Life News

Birth of Twins Highlights Evil of Abortion

by Arland K. Nichols

In what has become an annual ritual on January 1, the mainstream media shared the unique story of twins born on different days and different years. This year, ABC News highlighted Lorraine and Brandon Begazo who were born in Washington, D.C., three minutes apart, but in different years. A rare occurrence and feel-good story, it will eventually become a neat bit of trivia that at the very least serves as an icebreaker in social settings.

But might the rare event of twins being born on different days provide more than just trivia?

Consider Maria Jones Elliot who, pregnant with twins in 2012, went into preterm labor and gave birth to her daughter, Amy, 23 weeks into pregnancy. Amy was a tiny 1 pound 3 ounces and was immediately whisked off to NICU in order to save her life. Unexpectedly, contractions stopped and Amy’s twin sister, Katie, decided she wasn’t ready to be born! While tiny Amy fought to survive, her twin sister was doing very well in Maria’s womb where she continued to mature and grow. Eighty-seven days later Katie was born with a clean bill of health! These beautiful twin sisters are recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as twins with the most days between births.

Putting aside the feel-good elements of the story, consider for a moment the status of these sisters under the law in America. While Amy was recognized as a human being whose life was protected and worth fighting for, in most states her twin sister would be considered a mere fetus with no rights—a potential victim of abortion.

Here we see plainly the ruthless arbitrariness of abortion: one twin could legally be killed but the other is protected by law. Is location so determinative? This common-sense example is indicative of how laws that leave any unborn child unprotected are discriminatory and assume a fanciful and contrived essential difference between living human beings.

The science, after all, could not be clearer; the union of two human gametes brings into existence a whole and unique member of the human species who is undergoing organized and self-directed development and growth. So the question then becomes, does this human being possess rights as do all other human beings? And what do we owe this human being? Is it even remotely sensible that one twin is protected by her mother, the law, and by the wider human community while the other twin is left unprotected?

continue reading at http://www.crisismagazine.com 

 Arland K. Nichols is the Director of Education and Evangelization at Human Life International. He is the executive editor of the Truth and Charity Forum.