Positive News for Babies with Down Syndrome

Long before Trig Palin entered the American consciousness, a bill authored by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) was making its way through the U.S. Senate. The goal: to reduce the number of abortions of babies detected in utero with Down syndrome. That bill has now cleared both houses of Congress and is on its way to being signed into law by President Bush.

The reason why this legislation is so desperately needed is that up to 90% of babies detected with Down syndrome are aborted. Senator Brownback’s bill requires that families who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or other anomalies receive full information on the condition and connections to support systems. So many times, abortions occur out of fear or ignorance. This measure is crafted to assist parents at a time when they are bewildered and in need of whatever assistance they can get.

The bill also sets up a national registry of families willing to adopt children with anomalies so that the adoption option is available for parents.

Kudos to Senator Brownback and Senator Ted Kennedy who co-authored the bill. Hopefully, the numbers will change as this measure takes effect.

Barbara Lyons