Washington Times- Trig Palin effect and ME

[Guest guest]

Hi all, this was posted today in the Times, and I hope you enjoy it.

I did this interview a few weeks ago and it finally came out.

Ann on

Sunday, October 12, 2008

ALLOTT: The Trig Palin effect

Allott

COMMENTARY:

Palin is not the only one. Right now 400,000 mothers are going

through the same experiences every day - the simple joys, the

profound challenges, the unexpected blessings. Ann on is one

of them. Like Mrs. Palin, Mrs. on recently gave birth to a

child with Down syndrome.

When Mrs. on heard Mrs. Palin was selected as the Republican

Party's nominee for vice president, her emotions jumped quickly,

from surprise, to joy, to tears. " Whether or not people are going to

vote for her, we [mothers of children with DS] all were excited, "

she said.

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness month. But nothing has

done as much recently to raise the public's awareness of Down

syndrome as events a month earlier. Alaska Gov. Palin's

political rise has placed the glaring spotlight of the media on the

entire Palin family, and not least on its youngest member, 6-month-

old Trig, who was born with Down syndrome.

Mrs. Palin's emergence has also cast a soft, revealing light on a

hitherto neglected issue: Down syndrome abortions. America's

epidemic of Down syndrome abortions disregards not only the sanctity

of human life but also the profound contributions that persons with

Down syndrome offer to the lives of those they touch.

Increasingly sophisticated prenatal genetic screening (involving

sonograms and blood tests) can detect Down syndrome as early as the

first trimester of pregnancy. These tests - what F. Will has

called " search and destroy mission* " - have helped produce an up to

90 percent abortion rate for children with Down syndrome.

This horrendously high abortion rate is due in part to a medical

establishment with a decidedly pro-abortion prejudice against babies

with disabilities. Parents informed their child will be born with a

disability are often shown pitiful videos of the challenges of

rearing disabled children after they hear the " bad news " from

doctors.

When I sat down with Ms. on, she told me her experiences with

the medical community were " mixed. " Eschewing invasive pre-natal

tests for Down syndrome, Ann first learned her daughter, Bonnie, had

the condition immediately after giving birth in a Fairfax County,

Va., hospital. The first words of a member of the delivering staff

were, " Did you get a blood test? "

Mrs. on said her nurses were very supportive. Many told her

what a blessing Bonnie was, and some even visited her on their free

time to offer encouragement. But the neonatal pediatrician and

genetic counselor gave her the feeling that it was, in Ann's

words, " all my fault. The attitude was, 'you didn't deal with it

when you could have, so you have to deal with it now.' "

Such negativity is hardly unique. Numerous academic studies have

shown physicians are overwhelmingly negative in communicating

prenatal and post-natal diagnoses of Down syndrome. As Skotko,

a physician at Children's hospital Boston, Boston Medical, wrote in

a study published in Pediatrics, " Doctors have gotten better over

time, but it's been a very slow change, and they've really gone from

terrible to just bad. "

When she heard about Bonnie's condition, Ann felt " pretty scared at

first. " But her fears were rooted in not knowing what to expect. " I

couldn't tell you the last time I had seen a child with Down

syndrome before Bonnie was born, " Mrs. on recalled. " The

sadness came from the unknown. "

Fear of the unknown is precisely what legislators are attempting to

alleviate with a new federal law. The Prenatally and Postnatally

Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act would require that families who

receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or other genetic condition be

provided with up-to-date information about the nature of the

condition - including the positive aspects of raising a child with a

disability and connection with support services and networks that

could offer help.

Co-sponsored by Sens. Sam Brownback, Kansas Republican, and

Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, the legislation would also create

of a national registry of families willing to adopt children with

genetic conditions. In late September, Congress passed the

Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act. It

now heads to the president's desk to become law.

In Ann's case, after a few weeks of trepidation following Bonnie's

birth, she decided in a single moment " That's it! No more tears, no

more grieving. " Reassured by a pro-life doctor, who told her that " a

child is a child no matter what condition they come out in, " her

supportive husband, , and her Catholic faith, Ann chose to

accept Bonnie unconditionally, to love her the way she is and to

embrace the challenges.

Many women choose to abort unborn children with developmental

disabilities. But for Ann, the only choice was whether she would

accept and love the child she had been given by God. " Life was

already chosen, " Ann told me. " My choice was love and acceptance. I

wasted time grieving for the child I didn't have instead of

accepting the child God gave me. "

Ann and have been transformed since Bonnie came into their

lives. " We don't take anything for granted. Every little thing

becomes great and joyful. " They have learned not to focus on the

world's idea of accomplishment. " What's important, " said Ann, " is

that this is a child with dignity whose every single accomplishment,

from the small things to the large things, is celebrated because we

know what it took for our child to do it. "

Bonnie has helped Ann understand " what human dignity is all about "

and taught her that " being vulnerable is not a bad thing. That being

dependent is not a bad thing. " In a world that hates dependency and

shuns vulnerability, people with Down syndrome, Ann believes, are " a

wake-up call to our consciences. "

As our conversation returned to the Palins, Mrs. on

recalled, " When [ Palin] mentioned special needs families in

her [Republican Convention] speech, I knew she was looking at me,

and was talking to us personally. It was like a sigh of relief mixed

with gratitude that finally someone recognizes we exist. "

Allott is senior writer at American Values, a Washington,

D.C., area public policy organization. He is a former community

support provider for persons with developmental disabilities.

[Guest guest]

This is excellent! Great job.

KathyR

From:

DownSyndromeInfoExchange

[mailto:DownSyndromeInfoExchange ] On Behalf Of ann45don

Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 9:29 AM

To: DownSyndromeInfoExchange

Subject: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] Washington Times- Trig Palin effect

and ME

Hi all, this was posted today in the Times, and

I hope you enjoy it.

I did this interview a few weeks ago and it finally came out.

Ann on

Sunday, October 12, 2008

ALLOTT: The Trig Palin effect

Allott

COMMENTARY:

Palin is not the only one. Right now 400,000 mothers are going

through the same experiences every day - the simple joys, the

profound challenges, the unexpected blessings. Ann on is one

of them. Like Mrs. Palin, Mrs. on recently gave birth to a

child with Down syndrome.

When Mrs. on heard Mrs. Palin was selected as the Republican

Party's nominee for vice president, her emotions jumped quickly,

from surprise, to joy, to tears. " Whether or not people are going to

vote for her, we [mothers of children with DS] all were excited, "

she said.

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness month. But nothing has

done as much recently to raise the public's awareness of Down

syndrome as events a month earlier. Alaska Gov. Palin's

political rise has placed the glaring spotlight of the media on the

entire Palin family, and not least on its youngest member, 6-month-

old Trig, who was born with Down syndrome.

Mrs. Palin's emergence has also cast a soft, revealing light on a

hitherto neglected issue: Down syndrome abortions. America's

epidemic of Down syndrome abortions disregards not only the sanctity

of human life but also the profound contributions that persons with

Down syndrome offer to the lives of those they touch.

Increasingly sophisticated prenatal genetic screening (involving

sonograms and blood tests) can detect Down syndrome as early as the

first trimester of pregnancy. These tests - what F. Will has

called " search and destroy mission* " - have helped produce an up to

90 percent abortion rate for children with Down syndrome.

This horrendously high abortion rate is due in part to a medical

establishment with a decidedly pro-abortion prejudice against babies

with disabilities. Parents informed their child will be born with a

disability are often shown pitiful videos of the challenges of

rearing disabled children after they hear the " bad news " from

doctors.

When I sat down with Ms. on, she told me her experiences with

the medical community were " mixed. " Eschewing invasive pre-natal

tests for Down syndrome, Ann first learned her daughter, Bonnie, had

the condition immediately after giving birth in a Fairfax County,

Va., hospital. The first words of a member of the delivering staff

were, " Did you get a blood test? "

Mrs. on said her nurses were very supportive. Many told her

what a blessing Bonnie was, and some even visited her on their free

time to offer encouragement. But the neonatal pediatrician and

genetic counselor gave her the feeling that it was, in Ann's

words, " all my fault. The attitude was, 'you didn't deal with it

when you could have, so you have to deal with it now.' "

Such negativity is hardly unique. Numerous academic studies have

shown physicians are overwhelmingly negative in communicating

prenatal and post-natal diagnoses of Down syndrome. As Skotko,

a physician at Children's hospital Boston, Boston Medical, wrote in

a study published in Pediatrics, " Doctors have gotten better over

time, but it's been a very slow change, and they've really gone from

terrible to just bad. "

When she heard about Bonnie's condition, Ann felt " pretty scared at

first. " But her fears were rooted in not knowing what to expect. " I

couldn't tell you the last time I had seen a child with Down

syndrome before Bonnie was born, " Mrs. on recalled. " The

sadness came from the unknown. "

Fear of the unknown is precisely what legislators are attempting to

alleviate with a new federal law. The Prenatally and Postnatally

Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act would require that families who

receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or other genetic condition be

provided with up-to-date information about the nature of the

condition - including the positive aspects of raising a child with a

disability and connection with support services and networks that

could offer help.

Co-sponsored by Sens. Sam Brownback, Kansas Republican, and

Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, the legislation would also create

of a national registry of families willing to adopt children with

genetic conditions. In late September, Congress passed the

Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act. It

now heads to the president's desk to become law.

In Ann's case, after a few weeks of trepidation following Bonnie's

birth, she decided in a single moment " That's it! No more tears, no

more grieving. " Reassured by a pro-life doctor, who told her that " a

child is a child no matter what condition they come out in, " her

supportive husband, , and her Catholic faith, Ann chose to

accept Bonnie unconditionally, to love her the way she is and to

embrace the challenges.

Many women choose to abort unborn children with developmental

disabilities. But for Ann, the only choice was whether she would

accept and love the child she had been given by God. " Life was

already chosen, " Ann told me. " My choice was love and acceptance. I

wasted time grieving for the child I didn't have instead of

accepting the child God gave me. "

Ann and have been transformed since Bonnie came into their

lives. " We don't take anything for granted. Every little thing

becomes great and joyful. " They have learned not to focus on the

world's idea of accomplishment. " What's important, " said Ann,

" is

that this is a child with dignity whose every single accomplishment,

from the small things to the large things, is celebrated because we

know what it took for our child to do it. "

Bonnie has helped Ann understand " what human dignity is all about "

and taught her that " being vulnerable is not a bad thing. That being

dependent is not a bad thing. " In a world that hates dependency and

shuns vulnerability, people with Down syndrome, Ann believes, are " a

wake-up call to our consciences. "

As our conversation returned to the Palins, Mrs. on

recalled, " When [ Palin] mentioned special needs families in

her [Republican Convention] speech, I knew she was looking at me,

and was talking to us personally. It was like a sigh of relief mixed

with gratitude that finally someone recognizes we exist. "

Allott is senior writer at American Values, a Washington,

D.C., area public policy organization. He is a former community

support provider for persons with developmental disabilities.