ZENIT - Doctor Who Found Cause of Down Syndrome Moves Closer to Canonization

ZENIT - Doctor Who Found Cause of Down Syndrome Moves Closer to Canonization

Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus Wants to hear from you!

BIG NEWS! The Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus is launching its "Featured Person of the Week" series. We want to share stories of individuals with disabilities to highlight the incredible things they're doing. Please send your submissions (with a photo and a brief biography) to DSCaucus@gmail.com. A new person will be featured every Friday. Share with your friends and spread the word!

Leticia's column in Anchorage Alaska paper

A few months ago I wrote a response to a mother in Alaska who feared that research to help improve the lives of those with Down syndrome implied rejection of her precious child. I reassured her in this column that the opposite is true, we support research because we love our children and want the best for them.

KIDS West!

KIDS has branched out to the West Coast! California mom Heather Graves proudly carried our banner at a candlelight prayer vigil in San Diego.

Heather reports:

It is with great pride that my sister and I held the "Keep Infants with Down Syndrome" Banner at our Pro-Life Candlelight Prayer Vigil along Harbor Dr. in downtown San Diego. There were about 180 people lining the street holding signs, candles and praying together. We got a lot of support and encouragement by those who passed by.

The birth of my son John Carroll 3 years ago filled my life with joy. It also opened my eyes to the horrific reality of the over 90% abortion rate of the innocent unborn diagnosed with Down Syndrome. I have always been an active member of the pro-life movement. I was ashamed that I was not aware of this grim reality. I am so grateful for the opportunity to defend the life of the unborn.

We are thrilled to have KIDS represented on the West Coast!

Incidentally, the banner Heather carried was donated by Melissa Souza. Melissa does not have a child with Down syndrome, but she has a heart for them.  She contacted me last year wanting to contribute something to KIDS.  I suggested signs or a banner, and she quickly located a pro-life printer who made a banner from our logo.  Melissa has a business called Baby’s Own Space, making beautiful personalized name plaques for children. Please check out her website and support this pro-life mom’s business.

Thank you Heather and Melissa for supporting KIDS and helping us defend and celebrate the lives of children with Down syndrome!

Leticia Velasquez - A Special Mother is Born

Fourth Annual KIDS Event at the 2012 March for Life in DC

KIDS held its fourth annual event at the March for Life in Washington, D.C.  We had approximately 75 attendees at our event, which was held at the headquarters of the National Right to Life Committee.  NRLC generously invites us each year to use their offices and provides sandwiches and refreshments before joining the other several hundred thousand participants in the March for Life.

As in previous years, we were honored to be joined by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers from Washington state, who is the proud mother of 4-year-old Cole who has Down syndrome.  She started the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus and is a champion for individuals with special needs in Congress.  She was joined by Dr. Karen Summar, a Kennedy fellow and developmental pediatrician, who is working with Cathy for the year and is assigned to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, focusing on disability issues.

Cathy spoke about the work they are doing in Congress.  They are pursuing funding the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, and have introduced two bills, the Centers of Excellence in Down Syndrome Translational Research Act and the Down Syndrome Research Resources Act.  She spoke about how she is connecting with the Alzheimer's research community and how important it was to coordinate research for both Down syndrome and Alzheimer's (because of their close relationship genetically).  She also spoke of the status of the ABLE Act.  We will go into more detail about the issues Cathy talked about in a future post.

We presented Cathy with a beautiful, patriotic hook rug wall hanging with the message "God Bless America," which was made by one of our members, 18-year-old Anna Sheppard who has Down syndrome (will update with photo later). 

After the event, most of our group continued on to join the march.

Out of the thousands of schools, parishes, faith communities, and other pro-life groups represented by the several hundred thousand participants at the March for Life, KIDS may have been the only group that represented a group of babies who are literally sought out and targeted for abortion through prenatal testing.

KIDS was formed so families and friends of individuals with Down syndrome could walk in solidarity in the March for Life and to bring attention to the tragically high abortion rate of babies prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Thank you Rep. McMorris Rodgers and Dr. Summar for being our special guests, and thank you to NRLC for hosting our KIDS event!  And thank you to the family and friends who attended, making the event a success!

KIDS conference is pen for free in person or online registration

Council on Poor Prenatal Diagnoses

& Therapeutic Intervention

Founding Partners:

Medical Students for Life, Family Research Council,

Keep Infants with Down Syndrome & Jérôme Lejeune Foundation USA

First Annual

Conference on Medical Advances in Prenatal Diagnoses

Saturday, January 21, 8:30 am – 5 pm

Family Research Council, 801 G Street, NW , Washington DC

Register at http://www.frc.org/events or watch webcast @www.frc.org

 Presenters include:

Alberto Costa, MD, Ph.D.

Byron Calhoun, MD

John Bruchalski, MD

David Prentice, Ph.D.

Gerard Nadal, Ph.D.

The Conference will bring together professionals from many different specialty areas, including genetic researchers, ob/gyn physicians, developmental pediatricians, hospital nursing staff, medical genetic counselors and medical students.  Other invited participants and guests include peer ministry providers, social service support professionals, advocates for persons with disabilities and public policy specialists. 

The goals of the Conference are:

·       affirm the life and dignity of all persons, especially those diagnosed prenatally with a disability or lethal condition

·       review how information about prenatal diagnoses of disability or lethal condition is currently delivered

·       consider how this information might be delivered more comprehensively

·       consider the impact of a new blood test for Down syndrome in obstetric care

·       explain the work of the Council and its year-long engagement on prenatal diagnosis issues

·       review best practices for postnatal care of infants with disabilities in perinatal hospice and in hospital, home and medical daycare settings

An agenda for the day will be available soon. Our host for the day, the Family Research Council (FRC), has limited space, so this first Conference is by invitation only.  However, FRC will be webcasting all general sessions that day, which can be viewed viawww.frc.org.  For more information, contact Jeanne Monahan at Family Research Council, jfm@frc.org ( 202- 225-4008) or Peg Kolm, at mkolm@adw.org (240-994-0603).  We welcome your interest and expertise in this effort, and hope you can join us on January 21.