Is is ethical to seek treatments for Down syndrome?

I write in response to this piece in Life News. by Effie Calderola.

As the mother of a nine year old girl with Down syndrome, and an advocate for the right to life of these lovely people, I would like to address Mrs Calderola's point; is it ethical to develop drugs to improve the intelligence of those with Down syndrome?

As Dr Gerard Nadal points out in his response to your post on Life News, it is the job of parents to improve their children's minds. From birth, we are our children's first teachers, first teaching language, social and self help skills like toileting and dressing. Hopefully, we teach them about the love of God for each of us regardless of our IQ or physical disabilities.  Then, we entrust our precious children to teachers, therapists and physicians who continue to help them prepare to participate in society. If we do our job well, our children will grow into responsible and productive members of society, fulfilling the particular vocation God has in mind for them. 

I am the first to assert that even a disabled person who is so helpless that she cannot even speak, but allows others to discover their own compassion through caring for her, is fulfilling a vital God-given mission in our world. This is a point of view often misunderstood by society but aptly illustrated in the life of saints like Blessed Mother Teresa. Tragically, because society misunderstands God's plan for the least able among us, they are marginalized, abused, neglected, and if the disability is discovered before they are born, aborted at a shocking rate of 92%. We as Catholics are duty bound to protect them, and that's where Dr Costa's research comes in. 

In 1958, Dr Jerome Lejeune, a French geneticist, discovered that Down syndrome is not caused by the mother's case of syphilis, as once commonly believed, but by a randomly assigned extra copy of the 21st chromosome. He hoped that this would improve their lives, because, until that time they were abandoned to waste away in institutions apart from the love of their families. Soon, people with Down syndrome were mainstreamed into society, and rights to their education were inscribed into law, however they were never truly accepted. Instead DrLejeune's discovery was used by the March of Dimes to develop pre-natal diagnoses using amniocentesis in the early 1960's. Today, when a pre-natal diagnosis of trisomy 21 or Down syndrome is given, there is a 92% abortion rate. Our laws of inclusion ring hollow in the face of this new eugenics, a voluntary purifying of the race from so called 'inferior' humans. I discuss this in this piece. 

In order to counteract this horrifying trend of rejecting these wonderful gifts of God, increasing numbers of advocates of people with trisomy 21 write,  as Mrs Calderola has so eloquently done, about the joys which individuals with Down syndrome have brought to them. I do this on my blog Cause of Our Joy. We emphasize the intrinsic gifts of love, joy and humor so often found in this unique population. We hope to encourage mothers to carry their children with trisomy 21 to term. 

But we must be honest, there has only been a slight dip in the number of abortions due to this outreach which intensified in 2007 when the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that all pregnant women, even those under 35,  be tested for Down syndrome. Soon a new blood test called Materni21 will be available, making this diagnosis possible as early as 8 weeks in pregnancy, without any risk of miscarriage. We in the Down syndrome community expect that a devastating increase in the number of abortions of babies with trisomy 21 will follow, causing such lovely faces to disappear forever from our world. It is a little known fact that although the percentage of pregnant women who bear children with Down syndrome increases with maternal age, most babies with trisomy 21 are born to younger women, due to the fact that young women have more children. There are nations like Denmark,  and New Zealand which are already recommending universal pre-natal testing be offered with the intention of saving their overburdened national health care systems the higher cost of caring for such infants. Countless women have testified that their doctors assumed that they would choose abortion when their child was diagnosed with trisomy 21 and often responded negatively when the mothers chose life for their child instead. They were left without support to carry their child to term, because of society's negative image of life with Down syndrome. 

Dr Lejeune, a close personal friend of Blessed Pope John Paul II, and a candidate for canonization himself, for his courageous defense of human life, knew this. He dedicated his entire life to finding a cure for trisomy 21, out of pure love for those he affectionately called his "little ones" who loved him and were heartbroken when cancer took him in 1994. He regretted not finding a cure before his death, for he knew the forces which were conspiring to eliminate them from this earth. He said, "I see only one way left to save them--and that is to cure them. The task is immense, but so is hope."

Dr Alberto Costa is one of 94 scientists in the USA who receive grants from the Jerome Lejeune Foundation, which continues the work of Dr Lejeune by funding research to cure Down syndrome around the world. I write about such research here. His concern for his daughter is to increase her intelligence, but also, like Dr Lejeune, to make sure that she sees other faces like hers in society. We would all be poorer if we no longer had people like Ethan. 

ZENIT - Pope's Address to Youth With Illnesses and Disabilities

ZENIT - Pope's Address to Youth With Illnesses and Disabilities

Roving Reorter #121: World Youth Day Madrid - Welcoming Celebration Plaz...

Dr Alberto Costa offers hope to people with Down syndrome

Dr Jerome Lejeune and his patients

"It would take less effort to find a cure for Down syndrome than to send a man to the moon" wrote Dr Jerome Lejeune, the geneticist who in 1959 discovered Trisomy 21 the cause of Down syndrome. But sadly, in the decades which followed, his discovery was used to create 'search-and-destroy' pre-natal diagnosis methods like amniocentesis to abort the child with Down syndrome rather than heal them. Only Dr Lejeune, who dedicated the rest of his life to finding a cure for the disorder, seemed dedicated enough to those with Down syndrom
e to use science in the service of life. Most researchers were discouraged by the 500 extra genes present in Trisomy 21 and considered the ‘problem’ of Down syndrome solved. If expectant parents chose to give life to their child, after a diagnosis of Down syndrome there were few medical remedies offered.

Recently, there have been scientific advances which offer hope to those of us who love a child with Down syndrome. According to the article; "A Father’s Search for a drug for Down Syndrome" in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine.

 "This was a disorder for which it was believed there was no hope, no treatment, and people thought, Why waste your time?" says Craig C. Garner, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and co-director of the Center for Research and Treatment of Down Syndrome at Stanford University. "The last 10 years have seen a revolution in neuroscience, so that we now realize that the brain is amazingly plastic, very flexible, and systems can be repaired."

In her lab in Bar Harbor Maine during the 1980’s, Dr Margot Davisson, developed a mouse with enough genetic similarities to Down syndrome to make research possible.  When his daughter Tyche (pronounced “Tishy”), was born with the disorder sixteen years ago, Dr Alberto Costa, a neurosurgeon, convinced Dr Davisson to make this mouse available. Since then, Dr Costa and others have changed the landscape of Down syndrome research by experiments testing the effectiveness of drugs like Prozac used for depression and memantine, used for Alzheimers to vastly improve the functioning of neurons in the brain of mice with Trisomy 21. Peggy Hinkle, the mother of Christina, age 26, one of the young adults in the clinical trials of memantine by Dr Costa describes how her daughter was affected by the drug;

“When Christina was on the pills, she told me one morning about a dream she had. She gave me five full, complete sentences. Which is a very big deal. Not only that, she left the room and came back later and told me another sentence about the dream. And she started to do Jumble word puzzles in the newspaper. I don't know if she was on the drug or on placebo, but after five weeks there was a change. Boom. That's why we participated: to expand her horizons."

Many parents of children with Down syndrome are reluctant to use such drugs, saying they love their children as they are, and do not wish to change them. They fear that with an increase in intelligence, may come an unwelcome change in personality. I understand their fears, but do not share them.

Christina Velasquez

I have a nine year old daughter Christina with Down syndrome, whom I love as the unique person she is. As a mother who is also a teacher, I am constantly working to improve the minds of my three children: I leave educational games around the house, monitor the media, and encourage reading. Christina loves books and has learned to write several sentences. What she has not learned, despite years of speech therapy, however, is to speak a complete sentence. She uses her 50 word vocabulary sparingly and though she understands most of what we say to her, she cannot answer us in sentences, just isolated words, and this is extremely frustrating for her and us. The other day, she was playing in front of our home and a schoolmate came by to say hello. Though she was clearly pleased by the attention, Christina was unable to participate in a conversation, and tried to involve him in an activity, pitching stones at the wall in our yard. The boy misunderstood her intent, and was driven away, thinking that the stones were aimed at him. My daughter was frustrated by her failed attempt to engage a friend in interaction, and my heart broke for her.

If there were a drug which could help her brain function, unlocking her ability to speak, as it did with 26 year old Christina, and turn such a misunderstanding around, I would be as thrilled as my daughter! She would be able to express her warm, sociable personality more fully, more successfully with her peers. We understand her in our family, but someday we may not be here for her, and it is my heart’s desire she be appreciated by those she meets for the vivacious young lady she is. That is what today’s new cognitive research promises. Not to change our children, but to help them achieve their potential, just as we do when we have them undergo surgery or speech therapy.  

Another point to consider is pre-natal diagnosis. One of the first disorders to be diagnosable in the womb, Down syndrome was used as the hard case which swayed public approval to accept some abortions, opening the door for the legalization of abortion in the 1960's.Using pre-natal testing and abortion for Down syndrome lowered the abortion rate for 'normal' babies, since, at that time, abortions were done simply because of the higher probability of a woman over 35 to bear a baby with Down syndrome.  Saving the lives of 'normal' babies was seen as sufficient reason to abort those who weren't. To understand why life with Down syndrome was considered more of a curse than a blessing, this, we must consider the fate of individuals with Down syndrome at that time.

 In the sixties, doctors convinced parents of newborns with Down syndrome to institutionalize them 'for their own good' and often death certificates were issued to the family so that they could forget they even had a child. Such institutions were poorly run, overcrowded warehouses for the disabled and mentally ill, and exposes such as Gerardo Rivera's famous documentary "Willowbrook:The Last Great Disgrace" in New York City helped to shut them down and usher in the era of home based care, with a variety of educational opportunities for these children to develop their potential from birth. Today individuals with Down syndrome are completing high school, going to college, holding down jobs, acting on TV, getting married; things which were never considered possible a mere twenty years ago.

Yet, the cruel irony is that new, non-invasive pre-natal testing may eclipse these lifestyle gains, as well as the enormous potential of research advances. They may make this the last generation of babies born with Down syndrome. Since most babies with Down syndrome are born to younger mothers, once they are offered the new non-invasive blood test early in pregnancy, they may extend the 90% abortion rate to all babies with Down syndrome, virtually wiping out the next generation of babies with Down syndrome.

Fewer births mean less investment in promising research to treat Down syndrome.

There has never been a better time in history to be born with Down syndrome. Education and blossoming research promise such individuals long, fulfilling lives, if only we can spread this good news to women who will soon face with earlier pre-natal diagnosis I time to give them hope for their children's future.

CRISTIADA - Film on the Brutal Liberal-Masonic Persecution Against the F...

Petition protesting slur against Down syndrome delivered to GQ editors

CONTACTJamie Lesley Burcjlesleyburch@yahoo.com 

*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

July 25, 2011

GQ: Issue Apology for Down Syndrome Discrimination

Over 600 Supporters Sign Growing Petition Asking GQ Magazine to Apologize for Publishing Diversity Intolerance About Individuals with Down Syndrome

A letter and petition was delivered to GQ editors and staff, in regards to a slur about people with Down syndrome, published in their magazine on July 15, 2011. Ten days has passed since GQ Magazine’s offensive and demeaning prejudicial view was available for the world to read, and marks the tenth day, GQ has not apologized for approving this major social injustice.

Discriminatory views, disapproving attitudes, and uninformed misconceptions, about Down syndrome, like the one GQ’s author wrote, is the type of prejudice advocates are fighting against, through the petition, GQ: Issue Apology for Down Syndrome Discrimination. This effort is in place to help rid our culture of derogatory remarks about people with Down syndrome through public recognition from GQ about their mistake. Disability rights and oppression must be addressed, in order to accept the 400,000 people in our nation, with the naturally occurring genetic anomaly diagnosed as Down syndrome. 

What Obama won't tell you about the budget

There's a lot of fat which could be cut from the Federal Budget to be sure. Both sides of this contentious debate have pet projects which they want to stay in the budget,  but some of President Obama's reveal a lot of disturbing facts about his sense of priorities.
When a family is in financial crisis, they cut expenditures down to the bare essentials. Those things which are really necessary, and it often is very instructive to see what a particular family considers necessary.
The fact that the Pew Research Center said that the wealth of minorities has hit a 25 year low, thanks to the Great Recession (is that one step up from a Minor Depression?) the Obama Administration's spending continues to focus on obtaining abortions for the poor, not helping them maintain their families or keep their homes, oftentimes, their only source of investment.
From the first days of the Obama Administration, abortion has been the President's number one priority as revealed in this Life Site News article. 

President Obama struck down the Mexico City policy by Executive Order three days after his inauguration in January 2009. His administration also restored $50 million in annual aid to the UNFPA with no comment about the China allegations, and has ignored further investigations by the Population Research Institute (PRI) confirming the UNFPA’s continued complicity in the gross maltreatment of Chinese citizens.
Earlier in the month, the U.S. Catholics bishops’ committee dealing with social justice issues and Catholic Relief Services urged U.S. House lawmakers to reinstate the ban on UNFPA funding and the Mexico City Policy.

Despite USCCB's offer to work out a budget which respects the poor and human dignity, the President and his allies stubbornly refuse to defund the UNPFA or Planned Parenthood which received in taxpayer funds this year according to this article from the Pro-life Alliance, and operates 80% of its killing centers in minority neighborhoods.

Abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood continue to receive hundreds of millions of tax dollars every year under Title X, which subsidizes their overhead for promoting abortion as they divert more and more resources towards the killing of the unborn.   In 2010, Planned Parenthood revealed a total income of $1.1 billion. Taxpayers shelled out $363 million to pad the abortion provider's bottom line through federal and state grants and contracts (or 33% of its entire income).

This stunning expenditure for a for-profit agency which focuses on killing children reveals that Obama is using the budget debate to demonize Republicans as immoveable while protecting his supporter's interests. According to the Faith and Freedom Foundation, Planned Parenthood Director Cecile Richards has bragged on Twitter about her unprecedented access to the White House and attended an expensive fundraiser with the President last May for Texas abortionists. You are known by the company you keep, Mr Obama!

The Good News about Catholics; they like orthodoxy

In fact. some leave the Church in search of it, according to this news release from the Catholic League. Its not that the Church isn't orthodox enough on matters of faith and morals, its probably that they don't see it in their local parish.

CATHOLIC CHURCH IS BOOMING

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on new survey data profiling Catholicism:

All we ever hear from the wild-eyed critics of the Catholic Church, including the dissidents within, is that the Church had better "get with it" and change its teachings on abortion, homosexuality and women's ordination. Yet it is precisely those religious institutions that are the most liberal on these issues—the mainline Protestant denominations—that are collapsing. Not so the Catholic Church. Indeed, its numbers are going north while the mainline denominations are going south.

The latest findings by the "Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership" project, a collaborative effort with Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, are illuminating. In the last 40 years, the Catholic population has increased by 75 percent; it has grown by 50 percent since 1990. More important, Catholic attendance at Mass is up 15 percent since 2000. And in the last five years, contributions have increased by 14 percent. It is also important to note that there has been a 40 percent increase in Latinos in the Church over the past five years.

Shedding more light on the statistics is a study released a few months ago by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion. Its "Landscape Survey" found that of those Catholics who have left the Church, roughly half became unaffiliated while the other half became Protestant. Regarding the latter half, only 23 percent did so because of the Church's teachings on abortion and homosexuality; only 16 percent left because of the way women are treated. Importantly, two-thirds of these Catholics elected to join a Protestant evangelical church.

In other words, disaffected Catholics who left for another religion opted to join a more conservative church. That they did not run down the block in search of a mainline denomination—one that entertains the liberal agenda on issues governing sexuality and women—is telling.

It's time some people took a hard look at the data and made some hard choices. This is great news for the Catholic Church.

Contact our director of communications about Donohue’s remarks:
Jeff Field
Phone: 212-371-3191
E-mail: cl@catholicleague.org

Useless Eaters

I was doing some research today for my interview on The SonRise Morning Show with Brian Patrick and came across this website called "Useless Eaters". Written by Dr Mark Mostert of Regent University it is a somber but crucial reminder of how an entire segment of German society was marked for elimination and how those who love people with special needs can look for these warning signs in society;
role of science
power of ideas
complicity of the medical profession
and more eerily, the role of propaganda
Over 70,000 people with disabilities and mental illnesses were exterminated by the Nazis. They were the first to die in the gas chambers because no one cared about them. Once the Nazis saw they got away with murder of these innocent people, then the death camps were opened for the rest of society. 
We don't stand up for those who are small and invisible (the unborn babies) we seldom stand up for those who are elderly and frail, will we stand up for the disabled before Kathleen Sibelius and the 15 appointed members of the death panels, now called Independent Patient Advisory Boards IPAB, make medical decisions in Washington for our families?
She testified before Congress last week and was questioned by Joe Pitts, Paul Ryan and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council who said,
 “This Board, made up of 15 unelected members of the President’s choosing, will be the sole authority over what kind of care–if any–we receive,” he explained. “Starting in 2015, IPAB will be tasked with bringing down medical costs–and unless Congress can find a super-majority to oppose them, IPAB’s recommendations will carry the force of law.”

“The Board could deny payment for certain care or medications, change the service options doctors have, and drive expensive, life-saving treatments out. Instead of discussing the options with your doctor, IPAB will be sitting at the controls in Washington making health decisions for you,” Perkins explained.

“What should control health care isn’t IPAB. It isn’t even Congress. What should control health care is the relationship between doctors and patients. Injecting more government into the equation only punishes patients and squeezes out the cutting-edge science that could treat them. This is just one more reason to contact your congressmen and tell them to not rest until ObamaCare is laid to rest,” Perkins said.

This is the beginning of eugenics for the rest of America. We sat relatively quietly while 50 million of  our unborn babies were killed by abortion and countless frail elderly and sick were starved by having their food and water cut off. Now its our turn, soon we'll be fighting the bureaucracy for our lives, and there will be no one left to defend us.
We deserve it if we allow Obamacare survive this next election. 

GQ controversy: Down Syndrome comment

GQ controversy: Down Syndrome comment

Dr Brian Skotko from Children's Hospital in Boston takes umbrage at GQ magazine's comment that Bostonians have "style Down syndrome".
He said, wearing tacky preppy whale pants, "make fun of my pants, NOT my sister!"

500 orphans no longer, thanks to Reece's Rainbow!

Thousands of babies with Down syndrome aborted in UK

I knew this. Not the numbers, but the percentage. If over 90% of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted in all western nations, of course it adds up to thousands. Of course they are being aborted way after viability which is 22 weeks.

Shocking new statistics have been produced in England after a pro-life organization won its bid to make some abortion numbers public that the government had failed to disclose concerning abortions on disabled babies.The numbers reveal, thousands of babies victimized by abortion merely because they were mentally or physically disabled — including 500 abortions done on unborn children who have Down syndrome. In total, 2,290 abortions were done on disabled babies with 147 done after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

  The saddest part if how few knew this despite my efforts for the last five years to make this known. God bless the Pro-life Alliance  in the UK who fought for five years to have these tragic stats see the light of day.

“The ProLife Alliance is opposed to all abortion at any stage in pregnancy, but terminating the lives of babies at gestational ages when they could survive is always particularly horrifying,” Millington told the newspaper. “We have always argued that if these abortions are permitted under law, there should be no attempt whatsoever to hide details of the numbers or justifications.”

Do what you can to spread  society's knowledge of this evil, its the beginning of reform. Just as William Wilberforce had to hammer away at the British public for two decades about the evils of slavery, so pro-lifers have to tell the tales of horror endlessly until they awaken the consciences of their countrymen.
All life is sacred or no life is safe.

Read the article here. 

Sister Teresita, 103 years old, world's longest serving recluse

Sexual perversion sold to New Jersey teachers by Planned Parenthood

If you want to know what is coming for your school age child in public school sex indoctrination, you need to read this article in "Celebrate Life" magazine. 
Among the most disturbing aspects of the conference held in Somerset, NJ, was the attention given to educating younger children, and the disabled child. My daughter does NOT need teachers giving her sex advice. She may never have the capacity to make such moral decisions, and I want her innocence to be respected not violated. Children like Christina are at increased risk for sexual exploitation, and need to be protected, not desensitized to sex talk as this conference recommends. 


Another disturbing trend is the promotion of sexual exploitation of minors by adults. Yes, you read that right, and it makes me wonder if the adults who want access to our children are not designing this program in order to ease the grooming of innocent children for sexual assault.
 Read this excerpt from a recent article from Celebrate Life. 

A resources ad includes the cover image for Unequal Partners: Teaching about Power and Consent in Adult-Teen and Other Relationships, which portrays a muscular man delivering a fist to the ribs of a scrawny child embracing him. PP of Greater Northern New Jersey’s web site says, “This breakthrough manual helps young people make healthy decisions about relationships, especially those involving the power imbalances that can occur when there are significant age differences. 29 interactive lessons to help young people ages 10–17 . . . [e]xamine legal issues, including ‘age of consent,’ in their own state; [k]now the particular risks and issues regarding adult-teen relationships.”

If your child lives in New Jersey, I think Governor Christie would be most responsive to complaints about this conference, he's already the subject of a smear campaign by the teacher's unions on another front,  a sick conference like this, which provided sex education teachers Continuing Education Credits, is one more reason that such unions need to be reigned in. They are corrupting our children, destroying their innocence and urging them to trust Planned Parenthood who makes money off exploiting their sexual promiscuity,  rather than their own parents,  using our tax dollars.  This insanity has gone on long enough, this is one more argument for de-funding this evil organization. 
Enough is enough!

Like I said, BOYCOTT Home Depot, they support the Gay Agenda

Like I said in my most popular post ever, Home Depot is on the side of the homosexualists who want to destroy the fabric of the family and must not receive our patronage. Read what the AFA has to say about how same sex marriage passed in New York State. 


From the American Family Association:

The nation's largest pro-homosexual activist group, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), credited Home Depot for helping it pass gay marriage in New York State last week.

Calling it the "most aggressive state legislative advocacy campaign ever," HRC it pumped more than $1 million into the effort. Just after the gay marriage bill passed, HRC issued an email asking "What was the secret weapon behind this incredible achievement?" It went on to say that "a group of dedicated HRC Partners who fueled the fight for marriage equality by providing the resources."

Home Depot is one of those HRC "partners." HRC's secret weapon in passing gay marriage was Home Depot! Home Depot's own website says it "is honored to say we support" HRC and other pro-gay marriage groups.

Over one-half million people have signed a pledge to boycott The Home Depot until it agrees to remain neutral in the culture and political war over homosexual marriage.

NEW! To help promote the boycott, AFA has produced the AFA Pass Along Sheet. Please print copies of this sheet and share them with your neighbors, friends and co-workers. Encourage them to join the boycott of The Home Depot.

TAKE ACTION

1. Pray for Home Depot Chairman Frank Blake to make wise decisions regarding his company's direction.
2. If you have not done so, sign the Boycott Pledge at BoycottTheHomeDepot.com.
3. Call your local Home Depot store and ask to speak to the manager. You can find the number to your local store here (click "Store Finder" at top of page) or in your local phone book.
4. Print the paper petition and distribute it at Sunday school and church.

I'll be Relevant on my birthday!

I just got an email from The Drew Mariani Show's scheduler and I'll be on his radio show at 3:30 EST to discuss my work with Keep Infants with Down Syndrome.

 Tune in if you get the chance.

Lift the City - a Catholic Eucharistic flash mob

Calling Back Black Sheep Dog HOME

New Yorkers show overwhelming support for traditional marriage

AP video on new Down syndrome tests

Erin Witkowski is worried that the new non-invasive pre-natal tests will mean that there are no babies left like her son. See her comments in the AP Video here. 

Down syndrome parents to take screening complaint to the International Criminal Court.

 Following TV3's 60 Minutes(on New Zealand television) documentary on June 12 “Down but not out'', parents of children with Down syndrome announced they will lodge a complaint with the International Criminal Court against the Governments screening programme for Down syndrome.

The basis of the parents' complaint is that the Government's antenatal screening programme specifically targets foetuses with Down syndrome and other rare genetic conditions, through the prevention of their births.

 The 60 Minutes documentary was introduced with the statement “people with Down syndrome may soon disappear from the face of the earth.'' 60 Minutes revealed the new screening programme was introduced without public consultation and the Ministry of Health “did not bother'' asking the opinion of anyone who has Down syndrome, about the programme.

Mike Sullivan, father of three-year-old Rebecca Sullivan who has Down syndrome, featured in the 60 Minutes documentary. He said people with Down syndrome and other disabilities are human beings who live full and rewarding lives. “They must be treated on an equal basis with other members of our society, without any form of discrimination.''

De-Anne Jensen, mother of three with her oldest son having Down syndrome also featured on 60 Minutes. “Government documents say it costs less not to have children with Down syndrome around, so it looks like they are working to do away with Down syndrome. It's cheaper; you don't have to pay for the special needs things. The Government and medical experts are putting a monetary value on our baby's lives,'' Mrs Jensen said.

 The parents' complaint references Government Cabinet papers obtained under the Official Information Act stating the outcomes of the programme will be a reduction in the number of births of
people with Down syndrome, with around 90% of unborn children diagnosed with the condition being terminated. The persecution of an identifiable group of the civilian population through the prevention of births is specifically prohibited under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which New Zealand is signatory.

The group is supported by parents with other disabilities that are being similarly targeted and other organisations who support their concerns.

The groups position statement is that genetic screening must not be used to prevent the birth of unborn children with Down syndrome, or cause harm to any unborn child.

The group recognises genetic testing may help some parents prepare for the birth of a child with Down syndrome. Any testing must respect the life and integrity of the unborn child, cause no harm, be only directed towards safeguarding or healing the unborn child and be presented in a way that does not discriminate against people with Down syndrome or any disability. Any testing must be developed in full engagement with those with Down syndrome.
See Mike Sullivan interviewed in the 60 Minutes video, "Down not Out". 

For further
information contact:

Mike Sullivan, 09
436 1498 0r 021 406 266 mike.b.sullivan@xtra.co.nz

The tragedy of Fr Corapi

I don't intend to give a history here of the tragedy of Fr Corapi, when Fr Jenkins has already done a fair, and detailed job on his blog.

The best of priests fall short. If he were sincere then he should fight for his priesthood, no matter how much time it might take to be restored to ministry or good standing. However, such must be done within the system and among the fraternity of his brother priests. He should hold his tongue about how he feels about the process and treat the bishop, his superiors and the Church with trusting respect. A priest who caricaturizes the Church as the enemy is burning his bridges. These latest remarks have ignited a fiery inferno. Fame and fortune should mean nothing to a good and humble priest.

I merely want to chime in as a loyal supporter of Fr Corapi who watched him regularly on EWTN and quoted him often on my blogs. I was in his corner when I heard his speech about being a 'black sheep dog', after all I know the sordid history of many Church saints who have been suppressed by a corrupt hierarchy. I wrongly assumed this was the case, UNTIL I read this news from the National Catholic Register. It totally changed my opinion of Fr Corapi, and I began to see a familiar trajectory in his career.
Then I realized that his case resembles that of Thomas Merton, another famous Catholic convert whose tragic death by electrocution while exploring Eastern Mysticism in India was preceded by and equally tragic fall from grace. Why? Fame ruined him, making his pride swell and his superiors allowed him many privileges not given to other, less famous members of his order. Dr Alice Von Hildebrand's excellent talk on tape, "The Tragedy of Thomas Merton" details how his ego over his worldwide fame ultimately led to heresy and death. I think the same fate is being suffered by my former favorite preacher.
Fr Corapi is living on a ranch in Montana, NOT in  community within his order SOLT. He was ordained when members of the order were allowed to live separately, but when he was later asked to join them he refused. When we see a religious who doesn't want to submit to his own order, its highly probable we are looking at an out of control ego.
We have to remember Fr Corapi has a seriously dysfunctional past. and now  he is showing classic signs of an addictive personality, what we called in my training in Alcohol Rehab social work, "grandiosity" .Its when an addict thinks that rehab is fine for the other slobs, but he can cure himself, thank you, he just doesn't want to stop drinking just yet. He's fooling himself, and ruining his life by thinking he's too good for the humility necessary to submit to the 12 Steps. They require an examination of conscience and confession of wrongdoing, very much like confession in the Church.
 Just my paraphrase, but a grandiose Fr Corapi's internal monologue would go this way,  ":Those other lowly members of my order can live in community, but I'm special, I have a multi-million dollar enterprise and my own ranch,  I don't have to submit to their rules. Bishop, Mulvey, who does he think he is, I'm  world famous Fr Corapi, I'll show him by rallying my fans under a new ministry name, they love me, they'll stand by me, who needs SOLT or the bishop anyway?" That sounds a lot like Martin Luther. Or Henry VIII. It isn't the inner workings of the mind of say, St Faustina and St Pio, whose apparitions were suppressed and who were criticized as frauds, or other saints who were mistreated by the Church and quietly offered their sufferings for the good of the souls of their persecutors. That is the mark of true humility. Those saints knew God would sort it all out for the good of souls in the end, and that their own 'ministry' is of no consequence. God operated in the world before them and His Kingdom would exist without them.

I once heard Fr Corapi say "don't be surprised if you hear one day I died face down in a crack house, don't think it couldn't  happen". I think this is what we are seeing in this complex and upsetting turn of events, a man whose past patterns of behavior overcame the enormous gifts and grace he received, and for the moment at least, the devil has him in his hands. Whenever you are being used mightily for the salvation of souls, the enemy has you in his sights, and he enters by your weak spot. A man with a past like Fr Corapi has many vulnerable points, former experience with women, drug addiction being the first to come to mind but they all boil down to ego. I am in control.  Non servium. That's how the brightest angel in Heaven, Lucifer, became the Prince of Darkness.
I am not pointing fingers at Fr Corapi, just posing a possible scenario based on my experience in the psychology of addiction. I have to remain humble, it may happen to me as my book gets published, if its successful,  I will come under  attack. Spiritual attack to induce me to take full credit and allow my ego to become bloated, forgetting it was God's project in the beginning and has to remain His, even if that means never writing another word to save my soul.  I have to remain humble because pride is the way the enemy gets most of us to fall. The hallmark of a holy person is humility. The Lord can only work within humble souls. Thank God I have a pastor who helps me focus on that virtue and loves to recite the
Litany of Humility. 
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart,Hear me.
Fromthe desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
Fromthe fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I,provided that I may become as holy as I should
Read more here
No matter what you feel about Fr Corapi's situation, does this litany sound like it would come from the same man who spoke in the pompous language we heard in his speech? If not, we are talking about a sick soul of a priest, and one who desperately needs our prayers.
That is what our energies should do now, not protest injustice, but  pray him out of whatever mess he is in, whether it be by his own design or that of those trying to silence him, pray for his salvation and for his return to his vocation of the priesthood which he so eloquently defended. May Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity on this Feast of the Holy Trinity, pray for him and for all of us.

AP takes up debate over new Down syndrome screening test

The best part about the bad news that a non-invasive maternal blood test which can predict with nearly 100% accuracy whether a baby has Down syndrome, is the discussion it is generating in the media.
Dr Brian Skotko was interviewed in a two part article in the Associated Press on whether this was a good thing.
He says,

 "the vast majority of people with Down syndrome and families affirm that their contributions to their communities are significant, and their lives are very valuable."

Also featured in this powerful article is Erin Witkowski of Port Jervis, NY who says,

 "When they first gave him to me," Witkowski said, "I saw tiny little hands, and he had the most beautiful eyes... He didn't have `Down syndrome' stamped on his forehead. He cried and he peed and he pooped. He was a baby."

So, like the partial-birth abortion ban debate, which changed American public opinion against abortion forever, public awareness is being raised on this issue which has been sidelined for far too long. And those of us who stand with the right of those with Down syndrome to be born, are happy to engage in the discussion.
Its about time, since national health care programs in nations such as France and New Zealand are considering instituting universal pre-natal screening for Down syndrome, regardless of age.
Mike Sullivan a member of the International Down Syndrome Coaltion for Life is featured in this short documentary about pre-natal testing for New Zealand television. entitled,
Down but Not Out. 
Lets make enough noise to awaken the consciences of the good people out there who have no idea of the 90% abortion rate, so that the cry of "eugenics" can reach the ears of the powerful.

Sarah Palin's letter from God

When the news outlets rushed up to Alaska like sharks smelling blood in the water, they were disappointed in the lack of raw meat in Sarah Palin's newly-released emails.  Instead of corruption and vitriol they saw the correspondence of  a powerful,  hard-working, God-fearing woman. Those of us who appreciate her, were vindicated. And more than a little pleased.
I hope Sarah doesn't mind my sharing this beautiful letter she wrote just before the birth of her son Trig. She wrote it as a letter from God, explaining His gift of a son with Down syndrome. Oddly enough, I wrote a very similar letter myself for Catholic Mom.  This 'coincidence' (though those of us who have loved Our Lord for any length of time know there are no coincidences in His Kingdom) proves that God works mightily in the hearts of those whom He chooses to parent a special needs child.  You can hear His voice in both of these letters.
He makes  special parents understand, right at the outset, that raising this child is a gift from His Hand, and that it will profoundly deepen our perspective, and make us more the people He wants us to be, because, as Sarah and I both say, "I only want the very best for you". 

Sarah, now, more than ever, you are my soul sister in Christ. May the good God strengthen you in whatever path you serve Him. Your very family life is a witness to the eternal destiny of each of us, and the central importance of the family in society. Your love for your special needs son is an affront to the Culture of Death:  that's why they revile you and persecute you so intensely. You are carrying their guilt as surely as Christ did when He carried His cross, and you do it with love and hope, refusing to surrender to bitterness! You are victorious in conquering the power of hatred against you by your love of Our Lord! This is an awe-inspiring feat!

Sometimes you spit in the eye of the Culture of Death, just to let it know that you aren't cowed by its dark hold on our nation. You know you serve a mighty God whose justice may tarry but will come, it will surely come for each of us. You are doing His will, and do not fear the consequences of defying the Culture of Death. May our other political, and religious leaders find similar courage, and take up their crosses and follow Christ. 

Here is Palin's entire letter:

To the Sisters, Brother, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Friends of Trig Paxson Van Palin (or whatever you end up naming him!):

I am blessing you with this surprise baby because I only want the best for you. I've heard your prayers that this baby will be happy and healthy, and I've answered them because I only want the best for you!

I heard your heart when you hinted that another boy would fit best in the Palin family, to round it out and complete that starting five line-up.

Though another girl would be so nice, you didn't think you could ask for what you REALLY wanted, but I knew, so I gave you a boy because I only want the best for you!

Then, I put the idea in your hearts that his name should be 'Trig', because it's so fitting, with two Norse meanings: "True" and "Brave Victory". You also have a Bristol Bay relative with that name, so I knew it would be best for you!

Then, I let Trig's mom have an exceptionally comfortable pregnancy so she could enjoy every minute of it, and I even seemed to rush it along so she could wait until near the end to surprise you with the news - that way Piper wouldn't have so long to wait and count down so many days - just like Christmastime when you have to wait, impatiently, for that special day to finally open your gift? (Or the way the Palmas look forward to birthday celebrations that go on for three, four days_ you all really like cake.) I know you, I knew you'd be better off with just a short time to wait!

Then, finally, I let Trig's mom and dad find out before he was born that this little boy will truly be a GIFT. They were told in early tests that Trig may provide more challenges, and more joy, than what they ever may have imagined or ever asked for.

At first the news seemed unreal and sad and confusing. But I gave Trig's mom and dad lots of time to think about it because they needed lots of time to understand that everything will be OK, in fact, everything will be great, because I only want the best for you!

I've given Trig's mom and dad peace and joy as they wait to meet their new son. I gave them a happy anticipation because they asked me for that.

I'll give all of you the same happy anticipation and strength to deal with Trig's challenges, but I won't impose on you... I just need to know you want to receive my offer to be with all of you and help you everyday to make Trig's life a great one.

This new person in your life can help everyone put things in perspective and bind us together and get everyone focused on what really matters.

The baby will expand your world and let you see and feel things you haven't experienced yet. He'll show you what "true, brave victory" really means as those who love him will think less about self and focus less on what the world tells you is "normal" or "perfect°.

You will grow and be blessed with greater understanding that will he born along with Trig.Trig will be his dad's little buddy and he'll wear Carhartts while he learns to tinker in the garage. He'll love to be read to, he'll want to play goalie, and he'll steal his mom's heart just like Track, Bristol, Willow and Piper did.

And Trig will be the cuddly, innocent, mischievous, dependent little brother that his siblings have been waiting for_in fact Trig will - in some diagnostic ways - always be a mischievous, dependent little brother, because I created him a bit different than a lot of babies born into this world today.

Every child is created special, with awesome purpose and amazing potential. Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed up world you live in down there on earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome. Doctors call it "Down's Syndrome", and Downs kids have challenges, but can bring you much delight and more love than you can ever imagine! Just wait and see, let me prove this, because I only want the best for you!

Some of the rest of the world may not want him, but take comfort in that because the world will not compete for him. Take care of him and he will always be yours!

Trig's mom and dad don't want people to focus on the baby's extra chromosome. They're human, so they haven't known how to explain this to people who are so caring and are interested in this new little Alaskan. Sarah and Todd want people to share in the joy of this gift I'm giving to the Palin family, and the greater Alaska family.

Many people won't understand_ and I understand that. Some will think Trig should not be allowed to be born because they fear a Downs child won't be considered "perfect" in your world. (But tell me, what do you earthlings consider "perfect" or even "normal" anyway? Have you peeked down any grocery store isle, or school hallway, or into your office lunchroom lately? Or considered the odd celebrities you celebrate as "perfect" on t.v.? Have you noticed I make 'em all shapes and sizes? Believe me, there is no "perfect"!)

Many people will express sympathy, but you don't want or need that, because Trig will be a joy. You will have to trust me on this.

I know it will take time to grasp this and come to accept that I only want the best for you, and I only give my best. Remember though: "My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts- for as the heavens are higher than the earth, my ways are higher than yours!"

I wrote that all down for you in the Good Book! Look it up! You claim that you believe me - now it's time to live out that belief!

Please look to me as this new challenge and chapter of life unfolds in front of you. I promise to equip you. I won't give you anything you can't handle. I am answering your prayers. Trig can't wait to meet you. I'm giving you ONLY THE BEST!

Love,
Trig's Creator, Your Heavenly Father