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!