I found this sad statistic at Wikipedia’s article on Down syndrome:
“A 2002 literature review of elective abortion rates found that 91-93% of pregnancies with a diagnosis of Down syndrome were terminated.”
I am blessed to have a mother who has worked most of her life in the special education department of Oklahoma City Public schools. She loves handicapped kids and has helped me to grow up with a sincere love and compassion for people with disabilities.
When I was still in high school, I had the privilege to work as a nursing assistant at The Children’s Center in Bethany, Oklahoma. This specialized hospital is home to nearly 100 severely handicapped children. It was an amazing experience and blessing to be able to take care of and work with so many of these kids!
A young man named Travis, with whom I have sporadically attended church for years back in Oklahoma, is the person with Down syndrome who I am most familiar with in this world. Travis is not perfect, but he has a wonderful heart and he is a Christian who understands the Gospel and is passionate about Christ. He is one of the most faithful friends you could have.
What brought this whole subject of Down syndrome and abortion to my mind was the news yesterday that Sarah Palin (governor of Alaska) has been chosen by McCain as his vice-presidential nominee. I remember reading months ago about Sarah Palin and the fact that she had just given birth (April 18, 2008) to her son Trig, who has Down syndrome. Although she knew in advance of her son’s handicap, unlike so many others, she chose to keep him and to love him!
Here are a couple pictures of Sarah, her husband Todd, and their baby boy Trig:
