Extreme Abortion Rate for Disabled Leads to DC Conference

Jeanne Monahan, director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council

An upcoming conference in the nation’s capital will address the staggering 90 percent abortion rate of babies with disabilities, while emphasizing the often unknown joys of caring for the disabled.

Many people have a “complete misunderstanding of the gift of a disabled baby,” said organizer Jeanne Monahan, director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C.

At the Jan. 21 “Council on Poor Prenatal Diagnoses and Therapeutic Intervention,” speakers will raise awareness about the dignity of all human life, including those with serious disabilities.

“It is hard, but it’s a gift,” she told CNA on Jan. 18, noting that many Americans are unaware of the joys that come along with having a disabled family member.

A study published last October in the American Journal of Medical Genetics revealed that 99 percent of adults with Down syndrome reported being happy with their lives.

The majority of parents and guardians surveyed also said they had a more positive outlook on life, and most siblings said they believed they were better people because of their family member with Down syndrome.

Yet babies who undergo “poor prenatal diagnoses” are among the most targeted groups for abortion, amounting to what Monahan described as “essentially genocide.”

Current estimates indicate that between 85 and 90 percent of Down syndrome babies are aborted, which shows the dramatic need for pro-life genetic counseling programs across the country, she said.

Her concerns over the issue increased in October of 2011 when researchers launched a new blood test that could detect Down syndrome even earlier during pregnancy. [More]

SOURCE

CNA