Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

MAN WITH DOWN SYNDROME TELLS CONGRESS "MY LIFE IS WORTH LIVING"

I know a young man with Down syndrome, who (much like the man testifying before Congress below), lives every day with verve, relish and love, and who is admired and loved by all who know him.  That the world should be deprived of such men and women is beyond despicable and quite horrific.   And yet it's happening... it's happening... 

It's true what one person commented:

"Eliminate the good, the evil grows stronger.

First the weak, then the helpless, then all who disagree.

Once a society engages in the murder of its own... its only a matter of time until our number is up."

HUNDREDS OF COUPLES PLEA FOR CHANCE TO ADOPT A DOWN SYNDROME BABY

Ed Morrissey writes:

Allahpundit mentioned this story in his post last night, but it’s worth a post of its own.  In a world where the dominant culture divides children into the wanted and undesired for the convenience of others, it’s worth noting when a news story demonstrates the power of hope, love, and life:

A Virginia church says it has received hundreds of calls from people around the world offering to adopt an unborn child with Down syndrome who otherwise would have been aborted.

After the unborn child came to the attention of Rev. Thomas Vander Woude of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville, Va., an urgent plea was posted Monday on the church’s Facebook page. …

An adoption agency has narrowed down the hundreds of families to three, Drennan said, and is working with the birth parents to determine the best home for the child.

“Our culture says some babies aren’t wanted and that is not true. This proves there are hundreds of families,” Drennan said. “It was so fast and from all over. It’s a beautiful use of social media that something like this could spread all over the US.”

The mother had less than a week before she would no longer have been able to have an abortion, but allowed the church time to find an adoptive couple if it could.   [Morrissey  continues...]

A commenter helpfully  provided two memorable quotes from Mother Teresa:

“Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants.”

“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

MARCH 21 - WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY

I have a 23 year old friend who has Down syndrome.  He's doing great, and I've learned never to underestimate the joy and blessing a person with Down syndrome can bring to a family, to the work place, or any gathering.  As I learned from visitng the World Down Syndrome Day website,

21 March 2013 marks the 8th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day, a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. Each year the voice of people with Down syndrome, and those who live and work with them, grows louder.

I've blogged about Down syndrome in the past (list of previous posts can be found at the end of this blog post).  Today Savannah Guthrie wrote an article, "What World Down's Syndrome Day meant to me."  She writes:

On March 21, we mark World Down Syndrome Day — an opportunity to draw much deserved attention to a group of wonderful people that are contributing to their communities in exciting ways. For me, this day is personal; it’s a chance to remember and reflect on an individual who has had a huge impact on my life, my Uncle Pierce.

Pierce Franklin Long, Jr. was born on July 5, 1933. He was my mother’s older brother, my grandparents’ first child, their only son. Because he was born so close to the Fourth of July, my grandmother used to call him, “my little firecracker.” And it’s true that Pierce always sparkled with life and personality, with humor and charm.

GEORGE WILL REFLECTS ON HIS SON, JON, WHO RECENTLY TURNED 40

Jon has Down Syndrome.  Story here.

RICK SANTORUM HONORS HIS SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD, BELLA

 

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Rick Santorum and his wife offer a wonderful window into the reality of God-breathed love and life.  Very moving and inspiring.

LOSS OF CONSCIENCE: ELIMINATING THE DISABLED PRE-BORN

Chuck Colson introduces Joni Eareckson Tada's new book, Life in the Balance, this way:

A young man named Doug made a startling announcement to a friend. “When I get married,” he said, “I hope that my wife and I will have a child with Down syndrome.”

The woman Doug told this to—Joni Eareckson Tada—chalked it up to youthful idealism. But as she writes in her new book, Life in the Balance, Doug meant every word. He’d spent a lot of time with children with Down Syndrome, and witnessed “an unusual joy and guilelessness” in them. And it was clear that these children were a blessing to their parents.

And yet, children with Down Syndrome are among the most “at-risk” when it comes to survival—not from their chromosomal abnormalities, but from doctors and scientists who are determined to wipe them out.

DOWN SYNDROME CHILDREN TARGETED FOR ELIMINATION

Charles Colson reminds us: 

The combination of genetic testing, abortion, and pressure by both physicians and insurance companies has resulted in an estimated 90 percent abortion rate for fetuses diagnosed with Down syndrome.

All of this has happened despite the fact that people with Down syndrome can, with the proper assistance, live lives that are “strikingly normal.”

He goes on:

So why are they increasingly not being permitted to live such lives? The answer lies in the failure of our moral imagination and a culture shaped by materialism, which

THE STORY OF SHAY

From an e-mail.  It brought a lump to my throat and moisture to my eyes:

       Two Choices

       What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway... My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

       At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a
speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

       'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything
nature does, is done with perfection.

       Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He
cannot understand things as other children do.. 

       Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

       The audience was stilled by the query.

       The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay,
who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an
opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

       Then he told the following story:

       Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew
that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team,
but as a father I also understood that if my son were

SARAH PALIN TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: BOYCOTT COPENHAGEN

- Her latest Facebook message is here.

- Update 12/4/09 - On a different subject, Ben Smith names Sarah Palin a "Pro-Life Star" (he calls her the "anti-abortion star").   It's an excellent article that needs to be read in full.  (HT: HotAir)  It begins: 

In the months since she returned to the public spotlight, Sarah Palin’s continually evolving political identity has undergone a subtle change as her public persona centers increasingly on her disabled son, Trig.

Palin began her political career as a reformer breaking up Alaska’s corrupt boys club and shifted seamlessly into last fall’s campaign trail culture warrior. But her decision to carry to term her Down syndrome child established a special relationship with anti-abortion activists, and now Palin has transformed herself from a politician who was anti-abortion into the leading figure of the anti-abortion movement. . .

More:

But the most striking evidence of her son’s impact has been Palin’s book tour promoting her memoir, “Going Rogue.” As she descends from her tour bus or private jet to meet her fans, 19-month-old Trig has been a conspicuous presence — and generated a huge response. “There’s a lot of people who come through the line to see Trig instead of to see her,” says Jason Recher, a campaign aide who remained close to Palin and is now accompanying her on her book tour.

And those people, says Greg Mueller, a veteran anti-abortion political operative and former spokesman for Pat Buchanan, are getting a powerful message. “She’s going out there as a pro-life woman to say that there’s great joy in special-needs kids — and that we shouldn’t be aborting them.”   [Read the whole thing. . .]

See also Gary Bauer - Trig Palin has divided America

PALIN WARNS OF OBAMA "DEATH PANEL"

Update 8/9/09 - Gingrich defends Palin on "death panels" remarks. So does Ann Althouse.  Michelle Malkin offers a major roundup of comments and articles, including British examples.  A MUST-READ.   Update 8/10/09 - FLASHBACK:  Death Drugs Cause Uproar in Oregon  (HT: Drudge)

(Original post) - Joseph Russo posts Palin's statement on the Conservatives4Palin website.  Her statement originally appeared on Palin's Facebook site:

As more Americans delve into the disturbing details of the nationalized health care plan that the current administration is rushing through Congress, our collective jaw is dropping, and we’re saying not just no, but hell no!

The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love

PALIN RIPS OBAMA FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS JOKE

I checked in over at the HotAir website and found the post I have headlined above.  What shocked me is that 1,216 people have logged comments (as of 9:30 PM)!  That's the most I've seen on any post at this website.  Must have hit a nerve...

VIDEO - PALIN'S SPECIAL BASE

 Click here to access the video.  Heartwarming!

GOV. SARAH PALIN ON "THE CULTURE OF LIFE"

What a terrific speech:

“In this same spirit, as defenders of the culture of life, John McCain and I believe in the goodness and potential of every innocent life. I believe the truest measure of any society is how it treats  those who are least able to defend and speak for themselves. And who is more vulnerable, or  more innocent, than a child?

When I learned that my son Trig would have special needs, I had to prepare my heart for the challenges to come. At first I was scared, and Todd and I had to ask for strength and understanding. But I can tell you a few things I’ve learned already.

Yes, every innocent life matters. Everyone belongs in the circle of protection. Every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them that chance. There are the world’s

HOW SHOULD SARAH PALIN'S CHILDREN FEEL ABOUT TRIG, THEIR LITTLE BROTHER WITH DOWN SYNDROME?

Michael G. Franc writes movingly about growing up with his brother who had Down Syndrome and the difference his brother made in his life and the life of his friends.  Franc frames his article as "unsolicited advice to Track, Bristol, Willow, and Piper."

Much will be required from you in the years ahead. But, if my experience is any guide, you will be immeasurably better off with Trig in your lives. And, unbeknownst to you, others will watch how you treat Trig and will quietly benefit from the good examples you undoubtedly will set.

I found myself quite stirred and benefited as I read this article.  I urge you to click through and read the article for yourself. 

WILL "TRIG," THE PALIN BABY, DO ANYTHING TO STOP EUGENIC ABORTIONS OF EXTRA CHROMOSOME BABIES?

Mike Gerson has published an important column today.  I hope readers will click through and read the whole thing.  Gerson suggests that Trig, the Palin's baby with Down syndrome, by his very appearance at the Republican National Convention, has produced a crack in the civil rights barrier for Down syndrome human beings.  He rightly notes:

"Unlike what is accorded African Americans and women, civil rights protections for people with Down syndrome have rapidly eroded over the past few decades.  Of the cases of Down syndrome diagnosed by prenatal testing each year about 90 percent are eliminated by abortion.

He accurately states:

But children born with Down syndrome -- who learn slowly but love deeply -- are generally not experienced by their parents as a curse but as a complex blessing.

Read on. . .

McCAIN & PALIN EMBRACE 5 YEAR OLD DOWN SYNDROME CHILD AND HER FAMILY

This is a beautiful story complete with touching photos.  Gotta see this!  Click here for the story and additional photos.  (HT: The Corner)

IS GOV. SARAH PALIN GOING TO BE PRESIDENT McCAIN'S VICE-PRESIDENT?

Update:  YES  YES  YES !!!   Palin will be Vice-President!  Wow!  I am excited! 

- I hope so.  She would bring a pro-life message to the nation that would stir up another round of national debate on abortion big time.  Palin is the mother of five children, the latest a Down Syndrome child.  Kathryn Jean Lopez says: