Beauty and the Beast

In the movie, "The Music Within" the true story of disability rights activist Richard Pimentel, a handicapped man is chased from a diner in the 1980's because his condition, cerebral palsy violates the 'ugly' laws. His appearance offended some customers and he was summarily booted from the restaurant. Some have said that about my daughter with Down syndrome. A nurse in the hospital when she was born advised me there was plastic surgery which could 'fix her face'. I was devastated to hear I had a daughter whose face was considered too ugly to be left alone. And she had only just been born.
But in the eleven years of raising her, I have come to love those almond eyes and now we think that our children with Down syndrome have a special winsomeness which makes them particularly lovely.
There is a sweet faced beauty in an aqua t-shirt in this photo, a young woman with a smile and the look of Down syndrome, she's holding what appears to be her mother's hand. Look at the kindness in her face. I would love to know her someday, have her as my daughters' friend.

Now look at the angry, shaven, pierced, mocking woman next to her, in the black sleeveless t-shirt,  holding the offensive sign which reads, "Free abortion on demand without apology". Her face which would normally be considered attractive, is ugly. Beastly even. Because of the offensive sign she carries, her deliverate attempt to dress as a man, her mouth is contorted by hateful speech and I would guess by a lifetime of abuse and sin. She has taken God's gift of  normal chromosomes and good looks and thrown them away in favor of a 'look' which offends God and her fellow demonstrators. Her pain and anger have distorted God's image in her.

Who is beauty and who is the beast?

 Let's pray for both of them, that the lovely woman with Down syndrome can teach the sad demonstrator what love is.