Posted on 11/23/2008 12:13:25 PM PST by magdalen
A special gathering of Down's syndrome children and their families for the March for Life in Washington DC in January. This year, in particular, with all sorts of anti-life legislation poised to be let loose on us, as many people as possible should consider going to March. A million people cannot be ignored, can they? What sort of shenanigans can be expected for the inaugeral? Publicity will be theirs for sure. What about for those who wish to defend the most innocent and defenseless of Americans? ------ http://cause-of-our-joy.blogspot.com/2008/11/invitation-to-join-us-for-march-for.html
An Invitation to join us for the March for Life 2009
Last year I casually mentioned to an email correspondant that I wanted to get mothers of children with Down syndrome together to march together in the March for Life. I felt that since our children are the most threatened by abortion, with a rate of 90%, that we ought to represent ourselves as a group. Eileen, who is more of a mover and shaker, loved the idea and then we let it simmer awhile. . .
Then, some things happened.
The New York Times noticed that parents of chidren with Down syndrome were organizing in response to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynocologists recommendation that all pregant women, regardless of age be tested for Trisomy 21. They were right.
A new non-invasive test arrived on the scene promising to eliminate our children with greater accuracy.
Trig Palin hit the scene, and everyone was talking about Down syndrome. My Google Down sydnrome alerts quadrupled overnight, and we had lots of interest in the Buddy Walks this fall.
The Prenatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act was passed and signed Oct 8, 2008 which will give expectant parents proper medical information and referral to support groups and adoption agencies. I credit Trig Palin in part for helping to pass this bill in this article in the National Catholic Register.
SO, since this seems to be the year that we parents of children with Down syndrome are in the spotlight, and as you know, we LOST our advocate, Sarah Palin, in the tragic results of the election. We must take to the streets of Washington, and tell our new president that we will be watching him.
Help us organize and garner media attention, which will be hard on the heels of the Inauguration. Email me at marysjoys@yahoo.com to volunteer to organize your friends and meet us in DC.
We'll be posting the details of when and where we meet, and any symbols, signs, etc, we will be carrying. We are pro-life mothers (and fathers) of children with Down syndrome, and we are here to tell the world our children have the right to life.
Let's invite Trig Palin and his family to join us.
NOVEMBER 16 UPDATE: Many interested moms are asking where we should stay on the night of the 21st. I suggest the Phoenix Park Hotel since the Hyatt Capitol Hill is already booked. Don't forget to ask for your March for Life discount. Gabbi and I met Congressman Chris Smith and his lovely wife Marie at the Philipino Family Fund Cocktail Hour there last year. We also ran into David Bereit of 40 Days for Life. They have a lovely Irish pub where prolifers gather to form their battle plans on Jan 21st. It's there I met Fra Augustine of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.
There will likely come a time in the next two or three years where there will be forced abortion of all babies with Down Syndrome. Possibly even of those who have already been born. There may even be forced abortion or forced removal of children away from parents known to be critical of the new government so that they can be taken to be “re-educated”. You will have all you can do to defend your own children. Only the smartest and the hardiest will be able to defend their babies from the new institutions that want them exterminated like they’re nothing.
It will be absolutely impossible to save the unborn children of countless 10s of millions of murderous parents across the country. We can petition to Washington day and night but ultimately those children are doomed. Maybe you will still be able to save your own but that is not so certain.
What more dramatic confirmation could we have of the real issue than the Baby Doe case in Bloomington, Indiana? The death of that tiny infant tore at the hearts of all Americans because the child was undeniably a live human being one lying helpless before the eyes of the doctors and the eyes of the nation. The real issue for the courts was not whether Baby Doe was a human being. The real issue was whether to protect the life of a human being who had Down's Syndrome, who would probably be mentally handicapped, but who needed a routine surgical procedure to unblock his esophagus and allow him to eat. A doctor testified to the presiding judge that, even with his physical problem corrected, Baby Doe would have a "non-existent" possibility for "a minimally adequate quality of life" in other words, that retardation was the equivalent of a crime deserving the death penalty. The judge let Baby Doe starve and die, and the Indiana Supreme Court sanctioned his decision.
From "Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation" by Ronald Reagan
Why do they do marches like this in January? No wonder people don’t go.
No kidding - that is probably the worst month of the year in the mid-Atlantic region. Icy rain, bitter wind...forget it! May, people! May is really nice here!!
You may well be correct about what will happen.
My guess, though, is that it will be far more subtle than you suggest.
First, a National Health Care Plan will be enacted by Congress and signed by the President. Congress, the Media, and the President will all say that they are doing the compassionate thing, and making sure that every American will have decent, affordable, quality health care.
Second, a bureaucracy will be set up to administred the National Health Care System. It will have, as one of its primary goals, ensuring the the taxpayer dollars used for National Health Care are spent wisely. Again, Congress, the President, and the Media will all say that it is important that the taxpayers' interests in ensuring that money is spent wisely is met.
Finally, the bureaucrats will decide -- in the interests of saving money -- that some procedures are just not worht the expense. For instance, operating on an infant born with Down Syndrome to repair a defective heart will be judged to be a "waste of precious resources" that "could be better spent on someone with a better chance at a truly quality life."
Everyone will speak of compassion. But the bureaucrats will get to decide who is and who is not "worthy" of life.
I’m glad someone sees the lack of logic here. I live in Northeast Ohio and just the idea of driving down to DC is enough to give me the willies (ice storms, etc.).
January 22, 1973 -- The Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade.
Despite the cold and sometimes nasty weather, thousands of people DO show up every year.
God Bless Them.
Pro-life marches are done on January 22, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. And I can name any number of busloads of kids that go every year from these parts every January. They all come back sick. Last year, the network with the best coverage was EWTN and there was one heck of a sea of humanity on Constitution Avenue.
Yeah - thousands (whoopee). If you want to make a statement, you need millions and they would come too if a better date was chosen. And not only that, but my commitment to being pro-life also extends to my own and I’ll be darned if I’d take a long car ride to DC during one of the months when we have the most snowfall.
No thanks! Of course, I’m with all of the pro-lifers in spirit.
I’ll just be a broken record again. Millions. When millions come, people will notice. I sometimes think a march where the Declaration was signed would be far more symbolic than a march where the traitors (i.e. Congress) work.
When Jan. 22 falls on a weekend, there have been millions.
I just read some of the stuff on your profile. Very interesting. I’ll have to come back when I have time. I don’t practice what you have written but the older I get the more I think we’ve been doing it all wrong.
I’m sure you mean well, but I’m skeptical of that figure. And my heart is there, believe me. I want to see millions of people I just don’t think millions have come.
I didn’t actually write that, but took it from a website called Fish Eaters, a site for those of us trying to learn our Faith after decades of ridiculously poor teaching. Due to my “job” in the parish, I’ve adjusted my practices, but still believe it’s the correct posture for women. Humility is a great Christian virtue.
Again, it's the anniversary. To move it would dilute the focus.
Having gone on many of the Marches,I would say we had a bout 200,000 last year.It is one of the greatest experiences of my life.Just seeing the number of young people is very uplifting.The March is here for as long as is necessary.Dress warm and the great spirit of the Marchers will warm your heart.
Our society is already becoming hyper-utilitarian.
We value pleasure in all its forms. We value it highly. However, we regard a human life as inherently worthless. What was it that my grandparents fought for in WWII? Did they fight for justice, freedom, or merely the right to pleasure? Some how I don’t think it was the last one. Was it all in vain? Makes me wonder if there is any point in fighting for a better future if the future generations continually squander everything.
I don’t think it would dilute the focus at all. It’s pro-life we stand for and there is much more to pro-life than Roe v. Wade, but I don’t want to argue with someone who is on the same side as myself.
Blessings.
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