Why eliminating the r-word is not enough

I wrote a piece about this in MercatorNet. Read it and let me know what you think.
Leticia

Why eliminating the term "retarded" is not enough

It has been bothering me for years, and I finally wrote down my thoughts in an opinion piece at Renew America 
The effort to ban the "r word" won't fundamentally change how our kids are treated until we do something about the 90% abortion rate.

Eileen at the taping of "Faith and Culture"

On October 28, we met Colleen Carroll Campbell, presidential speechwriter, EWTN show host, and mother of one-year-old twins. We taped our show then met her babysitter, her mom and the EWTN crew. It was great fellowship among Catholics who are committed to spreading the Gospel of Life through the media.

Look for details on this blog about when the show airs next spring.

Why are there so few children with Down syndrome in my town?

A reader from the Courier Journal asks this question and offers two new resources for women carrying a child with Down syndrome:Down Syndrome Pregnancy.org and the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network
.Read more here;

On October 1,www.downsyndromepregnancy.org launched. This website provides a free downloadable book and an interactive blog for expectant mothers who have received a test result for Down syndrome and decided to continue their pregnancy. It shares information the authors have found helpful from their years of providing support to expectant mothers.

Also on October 1, the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network launched. This is a resource that maintains a list of more than 250 families from across the nation who are waiting to adopt a child with Down syndrome. Too often, this option is not known or offered to an expectant mother.

Spread these links around, so that they become the first sites to come up on Google when you do a Down syndrome search When a woman is facing a prenatal diagnosis, we want the good news to get out there!
Read the entire letter here. 

I'll be on the Drew Mariani Show today

At 6PM EST, the Drew Mariani Show, as part of their Marian Retreat In Mary's Hands, will be playing my story of  "The Prayers of  a Little Saint" from Mary's Touch Program on Catholic Radio International. Afterwards, Drew and I will discuss the story, and may even take calls. I look forward to telling you how much  my daughter Christina with Down syndrome has taught me though her simple trust in Our Lady.

You can listen to the show live by clicking on this link.

KIDS in the Alhambra website

I wrote an article on KIDS for the Alhambran newspaper, and here is their post online. The Alhambrans are a Catholic organization which serve the disabled, and several members attended our KIDS gathering before the March for Life.

What if someone stares at my sibling with Down syndrome?

Eileen's article for Down syndrome Awareness Month

Is over at National Right to Life News and Views.

Support Down syndrome research

A message from Cathy McMorris Rogers on the 20th anniversary of the ADA

Dear Friends,

Today, I join you in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA was a landmark bill - one of the most important civil rights achievements in U.S. history - because it gave more than 50 million Americans the opportunity to live the American Dream.
One of those Americans is my son, Cole, who happened to be born with Down Syndrome.

When Cole was born 3 years ago, the disability community welcomed me and my family with open arms. With their friendship and support, I've found a new focus and passion for being a Member a Congress: To make sure that Cole – and all disabled Americans – have the best opportunities for education, employment, and independent living.

Today, I spoke on the House floor to recognize the ADA anniversary (click here to watch it). I also spoke at a press conference with some of the leaders of the original ADA law (including Sen. Tom Harkin, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, former Majority Whip Tony Coehlo, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, and Anthony Imparato, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities [AAPD]). At the press conference, we reaffirmed our commitment to fulfilling the promise of the ADA – not just expanding opportunities for people with disabilities, but also empowering them to lead independent, successful lives.

In related news, last week I had the privilege of addressing the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) National Convention. You can see my power point presentation – plus some of the highlights of my speech – at my new webpage, Down Syndrome Legislative Updates. Click here to view the page and let me know what you think.

Also, last Wednesday, I had the privilege of receiving the AAPD's "Justice for All Award." In my acceptance speech, I said that, "We've come a long way in 20 years, but we still have a long way to go. Let's use the ADA anniversary as inspiration for creating a 'more perfect union' for people with disabilities and all Americans."
I look forward to continuing to work with the disability community – a community I'm proud to be a part of - on the issues that are important to us. Thank you for your support, leadership, and friendship.

Best Wishes,

Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Member of Congress

Congratulations Rep McMorris Rogers

McMorris Rodgers to Receive “Justice for All” Award by the Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
Congratulations Congresswoman, you are a credit to your office! KIDS salutes you!

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) will join business leaders and other Members of Congress to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on Wednesday. As a leading advocate for people with disabilities, Rep. McMorris Rodgers will be recognized by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) with the “Justice for All” award for her outstanding leadership on the issue.

She will join the authors of the ADA and several other award recipients to help celebrate the anniversary of this landmark legistlation.
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Awards Ceremony and 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Dave Andrusko covered the story about a new drug for prenatally testing Down syndrome that is on the horizon, and I was quoted in his post:   

http://www.nrlc.org/News_and_Views/July10/nv070810part4.html

A few additional comments about the new test:

Although the chances of conceiving a baby with Down syndrome are greater the older a mother becomes, it is estimated that about 80 percent of babies with Down syndrome are actually born to mothers under the age of 35. This is because younger mothers are the ones having most of the babies.

Up until recently, prenatal testing was offered primarily to mothers 35 and older because of this greater "risk." However, in 2007, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) came out with new guidelines, recommending that ALL pregnant mothers be offered screening and diagnostic testing. This is now standard practice.

What this means is that previously, most of the babies with Down syndrome were "undetected" because they were being born to mothers younger than 35 who had not been offered prenatal testing. However, now that ALL women are being offered testing, many more babies WILL be "detected."

Still, invasive tests, such as amniocentesis and corionic villus sampling (CVS), are currently the only methods of definitively diagnosing Down syndrome prenatally. Many women decline these diagnostic tests because they carry a slight risk of miscarriage, a chance they are not willing to take. So there are probably still babies with Down syndrome being born who have not been "detected."

However, when this new diagnostic test comes on the scene, most mothers will most likely agree to testing.  As a result, many more babies with Down syndrome will be "detected." And because Down syndrome will be definitively diagnosed much earlier in pregnancy, when abortion is less "complicated," many more mothers will also choose abortion.

The bottom line is that the large number of babies who would have been "undetected" and born will now become "detected" and aborted.

Of course, there is always the possibility that many mothers will decline this inexpensive, quick, accurate, non-invasive test; but that is unlikely. And it is also possible that once Down syndrome is diagnosed, many mothers will refuse an abortion. But the statistics tell us that the vast majority of mothers - currently about 90 percent - will choose abortion.

This new test is a death knell for babies with Down syndrome.

KIDS on "The Face of Pro-life"

Leticia discusses plans to gather our KIDS families in Washington DC for the March for Life 2010 on "The Face of Pro-life TV Show".

KIDS featured in "The Alhambran"

Thanks to members of The Order of Alhambra who attended the KIDS gathering before the March for Life, I was offrered an opportunity by editor Mike Carpenter,  to write a feature article on the front page of their newsletter. They are a fraternal order of Catholic laymen who do charitable work for the developmentally disabled.
You can see a PDF version:
 http://www.orderalhambra.org/The_Alhambran2010-03-04.pdf
Thank you for supporting the outreach of KIDS, and for all you do for our children.

Nice article about Down syndrome mentions KIDS

Cari Jean wrote an article on HUB called "Aborting Down Syndrome Babies" in which she goes into detail about how pre-natal testing for Ds takes place and how the mothers are at the  mercy of the negativity of the medical community when a baby with Trisomy 21 is discovered. Cari does offer hope however, quoting from National Right to Life News:

"There are also groups being formed, such as KIDS - Keep Infants with Down Syndrome, whose objective is to challenge the misinformation that often leads a mother to abort her child diagnosed to have Down Syndrome. KIDS was founded by Eileen Haupt and Leticia Velasquez, who both have daughters with Down syndrome. As Haupt said, "The one thing that prenatal testing cannot tell you is the unspeakable joy that your child with Down syndrome will give you."

Thank you for a well written article which explains the facts about Down syndrome fairly while descibing the plight of many expectant mothers at the hands of a medical community who do not understand the gift our children are to society.
Read the entire article here.

The Impact of KIDS

Thanks to Dave Andrusko for covering our KIDS event, along with the AP article on genetic testing, in his NRLC News and Views column last week: The Impact of "KIDS"      From the AP article:

"If a society is so willing to screen aggressively to find these genes and then to potentially have to abort the fetuses....what does that say about the value of the lives of those people living with the diseases?"  

Indeed.

March for Life 2010 was a success!

Thank you for those who attended our reception with Rep Cathy McMorris Rogers at the National Right to Life Committee headquarters on January 22nd.  Cathy brought along her son Cole and spent about a half-hour visiting with our families.  She spoke to us about legislation and issues affecting individuals with Down syndrome.  We are grateful to Cathy for being our special guest at the KIDS event! 

After the reception, we took  to the streets with our banner, signs, and blue and yellow scarves and made an impression on the participants.  It was a thrill be among the sea of pro-lifers in the March for Life.  We were all proud to represent individuals with Down syndrome, raising awareness about the high abortion rate of these precious babies and sharing the joy our children bring to our lives.

We are very appreciateive of NRLC for inviting us to hold our event at their offices and for providing sandwiches and refreshments!

More photos later....

Time Change for KIDS Event - 10:30 a.m. !

Because of Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers' schedule, it is necessary to move the KIDS event on January 22nd to 10:30 a.m.  Cathy will be with us from 10:30 to 11:00.

Hope to see you there!

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers to Speak at KIDS Event

We are thrilled to announce that Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers will join us at the KIDS event on January 22, prior to the March for Life!  She will be with us from 11:00 to 11:30 at the offices of the National Right to Life Committee.

Rep. McMorris Rodgers represents the State of Washington's 5th district.  She and her husband Brian have an almost-3-year-old son named Cole who has Down syndrome.  She is a champion for individuals with Down syndrome and other special needs in Congress.  She is founder and co-chair of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus.

Cathy warmly welcomed a group of KIDS families to her office after last year's March for Life.  We are blessed to have her advocating for our children in Congress.  We are looking forward to seeing her again on January 22!