World Down Syndrome Day: Celebrating Beautiful Lives
Today, March 21, is World Down Syndrome Day. I’m briefly interrupting our current series to share this important announcement and a few videos and articles that I believe you’ll find enlightening and helpful.
A strong supporter of life and pro-life causes, and a speaker at pro-life events, I feel it’s important that we pause on this special day to celebrate life, to honor those whom God so wonderfully created, to become informed, and to speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.
Considering that 92% of children with Down Syndrome are aborted without their voice being heard, we must fulfill Proverbs 31:8-9, which says:
“Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.” (NKJ)
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Verse nine in the NLT says: “Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.” ( Tweet)
Let’s speak up for the helpless and see that they get justice. Let’s speak on behalf of these beautiful children who are appointed to die!
If you’re on social media, share the videos and articles below. You never know how it will influence someone’s perspective on life . . . or maybe even change a mother’s decision to abort.
Videos
Tim’s Place
You GOTTA see this!! Tim is a phenomenal guy! Down syndrome doesn’t stop him! A special olympics athlete, he owns his own restaurant that specializes in breakfast, lunch, and hugs — the world’s friendliest restaurant. Want proof? Watch Tim at work: He’s talented, charismatic, intelligent … and he happy-dances to work:
The Love Chromosome
I saw this a year ago and Julie Tennant melted my heart. Julie talks about Down Syndrome and having the love chromosome. She is absolutely magnetic! Derrick, Julie’s brother, is also in the video. He suffered a brain injury that left him paralyzed on his left side. He is a stand up comic and motivational speaker.
Dear Future Mom
Given that over 90% of all babies believed to have Down Syndrome are aborted, this video is critical. It’s a beautiful message from fifteen people with Down Syndrome to a future mom.
Articles
A Mother’s Womb: The Most Dangerous Place In The World For A Baby With Down Syndrome by Rick Smith | Noahsdad.com ( Tweet this)
Most kids known to have Down syndrome in their mother’s womb don’t make it out alive. I’m thankful ours did….My friend Gabe Lyons notes, “people with Down syndrome have been targeted for extinction.” Our culture has become obsessed with making it easier and easier to detect if a child has Down syndrome in the womb so parents can
murder their childmake an informed decision.
14 Reasons Why People With Down Syndrome Are Awesome by Andrew Bair | LifeNews.com
( Tweet this)
Individuals with Down syndrome are precious gifts to our world. Here are just a few reasons why they are so awesome!
Did You Know? 90% of Babies With Down Syndrome are Aborted by Cassy Fiano | LifeNews.com ( Tweet this)
The appalling rate of babies with Down syndrome who are aborted is no secret. When parents receive a prenatal diagnosis, 9 times out of 10, they will choose to abort that child, simply because the baby has an extra chromosome. We blame things like misinformation and prenatal testing, but there’s a much more disturbing problem simmering beneath the surface: the lack of Down syndrome parents willing to speak out against it.
In Defense Of Down Syndrome Children… Like My Son by Gabe Lyons | HuffingtonPost.com
( Tweet this)
It’s no secret. People with Down syndrome have been targeted for extinction. In November, the New York Post heralded “The End of Down Syndrome” and profiled a new, safer test for pre-natal detection. Before this test was available, 92 percent of Down syndrome diagnoses (and many times false diagnoses) resulted in the mothers choosing to terminate their pregnancies. With these new tests, some experts foretell the end of Downs.
Why the rush to rid the world of people like Cade?Certainly, it isn’t because his disability physically threatens anyone. Rather, Down syndrome children pose a different kind of threat to society — the in-your-face reminder that our aspirations for “perfection” may be flawed. People like Cade disrupt normal. Whether it’s his insistence that everyone he says “hello” to on the busy streets of Manhattan respond in-kind or his unfiltered ability to hug a lonely, wheelchair-bound, homeless man without hesitation: people like Cade bring new dimension to what normal ought to be.
10 myths about Down syndrome debunked by Marilynn McLachlan | New Zealand Herald
( Tweet this)
In celebration of people with Down syndrome, we look at 10 common myths and the facts behind them.
More ad campaigns feature children with Down syndrome
Down syndrome, prenatal testing, and abortion—it’s complicated by Amy Julia Becker
3 Things Our 1 Year Old Wants You To Know About The Power Of Your Story by Rick Smith | Noahsdad.com
We Don’t Live in a Vacuum . . . and Neither Do They
My experience with illness and the loss of “quality” of life gave me firsthand experience with the fact that all life is valuable and worth living, no matter the presumed “quality” or lack thereof.
The Bible teaches that we are made in the image of God and therefore, every human life is sacred. ( Tweet this) According to Psalm 139, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God knit us together in our mother’s womb. Every life is precious and important to Him. Human beings, no matter how small, weak, dependent, how young, or how old possess inherent dignity and intrinsic worth. ( Tweet this)
If you watched the videos above, particularly Tim and Julie’s stories, then you were impacted by them. They added an indescribable blessing to your day. Tim and Julie no doubt put a smile on your face, lifted your spirits, inspired and challenged you!
They are living examples of Romans 14:7, which says:
“None of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.”
God created each of us to glorify Him and to accomplish a Kingdom purpose on this earth. We have a false ideal in our mind when it comes to the people who are fit for this mission—and sadly, it rarely includes people with disabilities.
But I’ll bet the people with disabilities like Down Syndrome impact those around them far more, and accomplish far more for the Kingdom, than those of us who think we’re the most fit candidates to do so.
None of us—those with so-called “quality” of life and those without—lives in a vacuum. Every life impacts another!
Lives that have tragically been aborted were created by God for a remarkable purpose on this earth. God didn’t intend that those lives be lived for themselves alone. When a life is aborted, we are the ones who suffer. We are the ones who would have been impacted by their presence on this earth—just like Julie and Tim are positively affecting thousands of people today, including you and me!
If we could see through God’s end-of-time perspective, we’d see that those whose lives seem less than perfect according to temporal standards are actually adding more value to this world than can possibly be measured—as much or more than the “perfect” people are adding. They have just as much of a right to live and are as much of a treasure to God and to us.
So let’s continue our prayers for the end of abortion — for the end of this genocide on our watch!
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Videos:
- You GOTTA see this!! Tim is a phenomenal guy! #DownSyndrome doesn’t stop him! He owns restaurant & dances to work: http://bit.ly/1evdR9y
- Inspiring! Julie Tennant talks about Down Syndrome & having the love chromosome. She’s magnetic!
- Watch this beautiful message from 15 people with #DownSyndrome to a future mom: Dear Future Mom…
Articles
- A Mother’s Womb: The Most Dangerous Place In The World For A Baby With Down Syndrome by @ricksmith
- 14 Reasons Why People With Down Syndrome Are Awesome by Andrew Bair
- Did You Know? 90% of Babies With #DownSyndrome are Aborted by Cassy Fiano
- In Defense Of Down Syndrome Children… Like My Son by Gabe Lyons
- 10 myths about Down syndrome debunked by Marilynn McLachlan
Commentary & Scripture
- “None of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.” ~ Romans 14:7
- We are made in the image of God and therefore, every human life is sacred.
- Human beings, no matter how small, weak, or dependent, possess inherent dignity & intrinsic worth.
- None of us—those with so-called “quality” of life and those without—lives in a vacuum. Every life impacts another!
- Lives that have tragically been aborted were created by God for a remarkable purpose on this earth.
- “Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die.” ~ Proverbs 31:8
- “Speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.” ~ Proverbs 31:9
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Questions:
- Which video impacted you the most, and why?
- Do you know someone with Down Syndrome? How has their life added value to yours?
RELATED POSTS:
- For the Little Ones
- This Kind Does Not Go Out by the Courts or Political System
- Matt Chandler: The Sanctity of Human Life
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