Meet John Michael!!

Could there be a cuter model for the IDSC For Life onsies? Adorable!

The Adoption Option

There are hundreds of families who are waiting to adopt a child with Down syndrome.  If you, or some one you know, feels as though you are being called to give this gift to a family who is waiting, please contact Robin at: 888-796-5504 or 513-761-5400 or email her at rsteele@zoomtown.com

more about “The Adoption Option“, posted with vodpod

IDSC Button For Bloggers

Would you like to add the IDSC button to your blog?  You can do that by grabbing this code:

<a href=”http://idscforlife.wordpress.com/”><img src=” http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i62/storms_legacy/idscforlife-1.jpg”/></a>

Who Would Choose To Have A Child With Down Syndrome?

The debate over whether or not a woman should choose to terminate a pregnancy, in which the baby she  is carrying happens to have Down syndrome, is on going.  Those of us who have a child who happens to have Down syndrome, would not have it any other way. Our hearts go out to those who chose to end a pregnancy, and take the life of their child, simply because they have an extra chromosome. 

But there is another side to this story.  Currently, there are families, all over America, who have chosen life for their child with Down syndrome in another way.  They are traveling to countries where children who happen to have Down syndrome are in orphanages.  These amazing families are adopting these beautiful children, and bringing them home!! 

One family, who happen to be members of the IDSC For Life, the Bedfords, (seen above)  are an amazing example of what it means to have dignity and respect for all life.  They have adopted two darling little boys, and are working on adopting a third. All three of the boys happen to have Down syndrome.  Their story, and Reece’s Rainbow, have been picked up by Catholic News.  We hope you will take some time to read it and share it with others.

While 90-94% of woman whose children are diagnosed while they are pregnant, are choosing to abort their child because they are diagnosed with Down syndrome, heroic families are choosing to bring their children home.  So yes, there are those who actually choose this!  Not because they feel sorry for these children, instead, because these families have come to find out what all parents who happen to have a child with Down syndrome find out.  Our children are a gift from God.  They have their own unique gifts to offer our families and we are grateful to have them in our lives! 

Some  families  are randomly chosen, and we find out during pregnancy, or shortly after birth that our children have Down syndrome.  Others choose their child who happens to have Down syndrome.  Either way, all of our families know the unique gift, and we would not trade it for the world!

To get to know the Bedfords better, you can visit them at their blog! http://chroniclesofhousehold6.blogspot.com/

Robert George – Princeton University Jurisprudence Professor

The IDSC For Life would like to recommend a video for you to watch, in which Professor Robert George has a discussion with Professor Douglas Kmiec, when the Catholic University of America hosted a discussion on “The Obama Administration and the Sanctity of Human Life: Is there a common ground on life issues? What is the right response by ‘Pro-Life’ Citizens?”

The IDSC For Life commends both professors for being pro life.  However, in particular, we are grateful for the compassionate, thoughtful, and inspiring words of Professor Robert George during this discussion.  We hope that through conversations like this one, others will come to understand what it means to have dignity for ALL life, and they will join us as we advocate for ALL, from conception to natural death.

To view the video, you need to go to C-SPAN by clicking here!  We assure you, you will be glad you did!

IDSC For Life Responds to the Death of Dr. Tiller

The IDSC For Life believes that ALL life is precious, and that at no time should violence be used to take the life of any individual.  With that in mind, we are saddened to hear of the tragic death of Dr. George Tiller.  Nobody has the right to take the life of ANY person and ALL lives have a right to be protected.   The IDSC For Life believes in peaceful conversations, in which hearts are changed, and we help others to understand what the culture of death has brought us.  At no time do we condone the actions of an individual who would take a life, whether the person be born or unborn.  We promote the dignity and respect for ALL life!  Including the lives of those who don’t agree with us.  Our sincerest prayers go out to the Tiller family and all of those who are affected by this tragic loss.

The Great Debate

Many are aware of the recent event that took place at Notre Dame University.  The weeks leading up to it were filled with speculation and conversation.  Every person who has an opinion about abortion weighed in.  America started a conversation that is too important to stop. 

While the IDSC has concerns with many points in the speech, in which we clearly disagree with the President, there was one statement made by the President that we firmly agree with: 

“Now, understand — understand, Class of 2009, I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away. Because no matter how much we may want to fudge it — indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory — the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction.”

Indeed, the IDSC will continue to make our point with passion and conviction.  For you see, when we speak of killing innocent people, there is no common ground.  Killing a child in the womb, is simply that.  The president got this one part right though, we must not stop talking about this.  Children are dying a senseless death, every minute we debate this.

This conversation parallels another historical debate that took place in world history.  Abolition of slavery was debated for many years world wide.   In the many debates of the time, there were two points of view.  Those who wanted it abolished, and those  who wanted “the decline of slavery.” (Thomas Sowell, 2005) 

Had we actually continued to listen to those who were “pro slavery”, this archaic abuse of people would have continued for longer than it did.  Slavery is and was wrong.  There was no “common ground” to discuss about it.  Some issues are just that simple.

Today, we have the modern form of the slavery debate.  We have a president asking us to find “common ground” on this issue.  He has stated over and over again, he would like to “reduce abortions”.  Much like the decline of slavery, we simply can not say this is good enough.  If you were the slave that was not part of the reduction, you would not feel that is enough. 

Today’s culture has found every reason to continue with the termination of babies in the womb. Recently Sweeden came out with this ruling, “Swedish health authorities have ruled that it is not illegal to kill a healthy unborn child based simply on its gender”

Is this truly what they all meant when they wanted to give women the right to choose?  Many would say, “We are not talking about healthy babies.  That is sick they would do that to a healthy baby.”  Their arms thrown up in the air.  So, in that part of the debate, is this where you might say, “We are talking about the babies that are a burden on the parents.  Babies that would make the mother’s life much harder.”  So, in effect, our children, who are born with Down syndrome, are the acceptable “choice” since they are not as good as the “healthy babies”.  They are the “hard choices” that we all have to make. 

With all due respect to all of the pro choicers out there, our children are a gift. A gift that has been thrown away by parents at a rate of 94% in America and around the world.  We believe in the dignity of their lives, and the lives of ALL children.

The President of the United States did get one thing right, we need to continue to talk about this, with passion and conviction.  We need to look no further back in history than to the time of the abolitionists.  They were passionate and convicted, during a time, when the odds of them changing the hearts of those around them seemed impossible.  They continued to talk and teach others about the immorality of that institution.  Like them, we must persevere, and teach others the pain and the death that has resulted from the Roe Vs. Wade decision. 

With that we leave you with words from another great president in American history.  President Ronald Reagan’s words are nearly prophetic.  They remind us that we must indeed, keep talking with “passion and conviction.”

“The real question today is not when human life begins, but, what is the value of human life?

The abortionist who reassembles the arms and legs of a tiny baby to make sure all its parts have been torn from its mother’s body can hardly doubt whether it is a human being. The real question for him and for all of us is whether that tiny human life has a God-given right to be protected by the law — the same right we have.

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.

Federal law does not allow federally-assisted hospitals to decide that Down’s Syndrome infants are not worth treating, much less to decide to starve them to death. Accordingly, I have directed the Departments of Justice and HHS to apply civil rights regulations to protect handicapped newborns. All hospitals receiving federal funds must post notices which will clearly state that failure to feed handicapped babies is prohibited by federal law. The basic issue is whether to value and protect the lives of the handicapped, whether to recognize the sanctity of human life. This is the same basic issue that underlies the question of abortion.” President Ronald Reagan The Conscience of a Nation

IDSC For Life Interview!

The IDSC For Life will be interviewed on the John and Kathy Show  in Pittsburgh, PA.  You can catch us on Wednesday, May 6, at 4:15 PM  eastern time.  We are very excited about this opportunity to share about the IDSC For Life!  You can listen in on their website linked above.  We hope to be able to link an audio after the interview.  We hope you can join us!

Meet Tatiana and Cathy!

                         

                Introducing Our Empress Tatiana Michaela

     I have been asked to share my story in the hopes that African American families who have a child that has Down syndrome, families who have a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, or families who know of someone who needs support, will read this and be encouraged…. They will know that it is still all good!
     As an African American woman, who has given birth to a child with Down syndrome, I sometimes feel alone in this journey. This is due to the fact that I don’t see faces that look like mine. I know that you are out there. I also know that we have been conditioned to “keep our business to ourselves”… However, I say, “Don’t fall for it; it is a trick of the enemy.” Healing and support only comes from sharing our journey with like minded people, of all races, creeds and colors. This is not only for the African American reader, it is for everyone and anyone who wants to understand that having a child with Down syndrome is not all doom and gloom. Our daughter is just that…a daughter. She is a little girl who is filled with the joy of Jesus, is the light of our lives and just happens to have an extra chromosome or so.
     My story starts simply enough. My husband decided that he wanted us to try to have another baby. We have been married for five years and we have a four year old son. We also have 4 children from a previous relationship. He had recently acquired the new baby itch and he specifically wanted a daughter. I was unsure if I was feeling up for the challenge of a new baby. We had just moved into our first home together and I was finally adjusting to having a preschooler in the house. Also, I became a minister in our first few months of marriage, so this was an opportunity to focus on ministry outside of the home. Or so I thought. I agreed to try to get pregnant only to humor my husband. I was 44 years old. Who would have thought it would be just that easy? Not me. However, the joke was on me because I became pregnant almost immediately. I was not feeling too good, but I never attributed it to being pregnant. I thought I had a stomach bug or something viral. My husband asked my had I gotten my period yet.  Although I had not, it still didn’t dawn on me  until he said something, to take a pregnancy test. I purchased a twin pack of pregnancy tests at the pharmacy while at work, then snuck off to the ladies room to take the test. I couldn’t believe my eyes! That darn double line appeared! It showed up before the 3 minute time interval they suggest you wait to confirm results appeared…I was pregnant!
     The day couldn’t end fast enough for me. I picked up my son from the sitter and raced home so I could retest with my husband present. I kept thinking somehow I must have made a mistake. This time, I could take the test without rushing through the directions. However, nothing changed. Different location, same results…still pregnant. My husband was thrilled. Don’t get me wrong, so was I. However, I was just a little tired of diapers and poop. I was starting over… again. But ok, if this is God’s will, then so be it.
      My pregnancy was as normal as any pregnancy. I throw up constantly, if I see, hear, or smell food during my pregnancies. This was quite typical for me. I shared with the kids that a new baby was joining our family. I was met with very little enthusiasm. To them, mommy being pregnant was relegated to the, been there, seen that and all we got was another little one to babysit category. Life went on; I worked full time, preached when I had the opportunity and started preparations for the arrival of our baby. I had great prenatal care, took my vitamins and ate well. We even took a trip to Jamaica to visit my husband’s family; all 5 and ½ of us.
      Our first inclination that there was something to worry about, came around my 4th month of pregnancy, when my triple screen came back abnormally high. However we didn’t worry much because the same thing happened when my son  was born and everything turned out fine. We were offered an amniocentesis, but we declined. We had decided that regardless of the diagnosis, we would not terminate. So we just had the fetal anatomy (level II ultrasound) done to see if there were any “soft markers” for Down syndrome. After two ultrasounds we were assured that all was well and our daughter was developing normally. I was getting really anxious as the months turned into weeks. Then finally days before her birth, my c-section was scheduled for July 14, 2008. I had kicked into nesting mode, trying to have everything ready, not only for the baby, but also for normal household operations to go on while I was in the hospital.
      On the morning of July 14th, I woke up nervous but excited to meet my daughter. I dressed, showered, got my youngest son ready and we dropped him off at the sitter’s on our way to the hospital. I was an hour late for my pre-surgery prep and was afraid that I would be sent home for being so late. In no time, I was admitted, prepped and waiting for the anesthesiologist to administer my epidural. Then my OB arrived and this show was about to get on the road. I walked myself into the operating room, laid on the table, within minutes I was numb from the chest down. My husband was seated to my right. A screen was put up before me and we were underway. I felt the familiar pulling and tugging that was a sign that they were trying to free my daughter from the confines of my body. I soon felt light with the new ability to breathe….Our daughter was born. At 12:38 PM, Tatiana Michaela entered the world. Life would cease to exist as we previously knew it.
     It was abnormally quiet in the OR. I knew something was wrong, but had no clue as to what it was. I looked over at my husband for reassurance, his words were soothing but his face offered no such comfort. Something was indeed wrong, but he too was unsure of what it was. I kept asking if the baby was ok. I got no answer initially. But then as I asked again, I was told she was fine. Then I was presented with a small tightly wrapped bundle of sweetness. I was so groggy, as well as still strapped down, so I was unable to hold her. I reached up to kiss her as the nurse held her down to me to see her. I remarked that she was so tiny, but none the less grateful that she made it into the world safely. My husband and I previously agreed that he would accompany the baby to the nursery, while I was stitched up and sent to recovery. As I was being closed up, my doctor was trying to tell me in so many words what they suspected. But she wasn’t communicating effectively and I was having a hard time following her since I was all drugged up at the time. As I was wheeled to recovery my husband joined me. He still had that look on his face. I asked about the baby. How much did she weigh? You know all the good stuff that everyone wants to hear. He told me her weight and length. I said she is so small. This led him into him attempting to tell me what no parent wants to hear. Our precious baby has Down syndrome. He didn’t have the correct terminology, but I understood him enough to realize what he was saying to me.
      My head was swirling. I couldn’t focus. I kept wanting to sleep, but my mind kept repeating, “She has Down syndrome.” I was calm on the outside, but inside I was a wreck.  What would her life be like? Would I be able to care for her?  What was my husband feeling? And most importantly…WHY????? Why God did you allow this to happen? I was screaming in my heart, why?
     My mind was taken off of the situation for a while as we made phone calls announcing Tatiana’s birth, happily accepting well wishes and congratulations from friends and family. Our bubble was busted when the pediatrician came to the recovery area to talk to us about their suspicions. While she did not have a firm diagnosis, she was confident that Tatiana had Ds based upon all the physical evidence she displayed. I decided then and there that I would accept the diagnosis as fact, even though all the tests had not come in yet. It would make it easier to start dealing with it as it was, not as I would like it to be. I had an overwhelming need to hold my daughter. I could barely wait until I was sent to my room so she could be brought to me. The two hour wait was over, I was taken to my room and shortly after my baby arrived. I immediately leaned over, accepted her from the nurse, unwrapped her from all those blankets and held her close to me. She was brand new, tiny and beautiful. She needed me and I needed her. I promised God that I would love her, protect her and give her the life she deserved if He promised to give me the strength to deal with anything that came my way. On that day we entered into covenant.
     Tatiana wasn’t nursing well. She didn’t want to eat, she wanted to sleep. However, she had jaundice, so taking fluids was necessary to rid her body of the billirubin. The nurses wanted me to give her formula, but I refused. I asked for a few hours withher, to get her to nurse, and to allow my husband time to bring the boys to see her, and to bond with this child I carried for 9 months. By evening it is obvious that she needed to be placed under the phototherapylights, so I held her tightly to me before I gave her to the care of the nurse. That was the last time I held my daughter for two days. She was taken to the Special Care nursery as her white blood count had become elevated. I was scared. Was I going to lose my baby? I begged God to not take her home yet. I had been with her for such a short time. I reached into her isoletteto touch her. She was so fragile with tubes that snaked in and out of her little body. I prayed constantly for her. I told her that her mommy loved her so she needed to get better. Two days later she was out of the isolette, taking breast milk from a bottle and no tubes of any kind in her. God is truly a healer!!! She was unable to leave the hospital with me, but she came home to her waiting family four days later.
     Tatiana has been such a blessing to our family. I have come to realize that God didn’t do this to me but allowed it to happen for me. Tatiana has given me back something I didn’t realize I was missing….my joy. I fully understand that we are only beginning the journey on the Ds road, however, I am confident that every day that we spend withTatiana will be better than the last. Every milestone will be celebrated. Every challenge will be met with determination. We know, with love, she can accomplish anything. She may have not have enough of this or too much of that, but there is one thing that she has more than enough of and that is love…yeah she’s got plenty of that.

Cathy is a member of the IDSC.  She would like to be able to reach out to everyone, but in particular, she would like to be able to reach out to families in the African American Community.  Today, abortion is the leading cause of death in the African American community.  Cathy would like to lend her voice in making sure that others know that there are other options out there.  The IDSC is so pleased to have Cathy help us to teach others that ALL life is precious!  For more information concerning the termination rate of children in the African American community check out The National Black Pro Life Union  and Protecting Black Life . 

Meet Kurt…and His Beautiful Family!

You have already met Chloe. Now is your chance to meet her dad too. Kurt has worked tirelessly to promote the dignity and respect for ALL life. The IDSC is blessed to have him on our team, working hard to get the word out there about us. He did a beautiful tribute to his daughter, Chloe, that you just have to see. He also wrote a fantastic article that was picked up by the National Right to Life. Thank you Kurt, for all you do, to promote the dignity and respect for ALL life, and especially the lives of individuals who happen to have Down syndrome! The IDSC is SO grateful to have you working with us!

Are Our Children Suffering?

The IDSC has very humble beginnings.  A few parents, who have children who happen to have Down syndrome, got in a discussion concerning advocating for individuals who have Down syndrome.  We all made the connection early on, that if our children are targeted in the womb, it is only natural that the level of respect for individuals who are actually born, will be lower, due to this discrimination before they are even born.  It does not take a whole lot of connecting the dots to come to that conclusion. If there are people advocating for your death, based on a certain trait, this will carry over to those who live, with that certain trait.  As we have carefully pointed out in earlier posts, there are people advocating for the death of individuals who happen to have Down syndrome.  Because of this, the level of respect for individuals with Down syndrome is concerning.  That is why there are so many advocacy groups out there, talking about the lack of respect for these individuals.  The IDSC does not believe that this will be remedied until we all can discuss the root cause of this discrimination.  The termination rate is at 90-94% of all pregnancies.  That means that there are a lot of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,  friends, and physicians trying to justify why they have taken the life of a child.  After all, it is not natural for a parent to take the life of their unborn baby for absolutely no reason. In spite of the fact that it is legal, everyone involved will feel a need to justify this.  That is a large group of people advocating against the lives of those who have Down syndrome.  Here are some of their reasons that are given for taking their child’s life: 

“I did not want my child to suffer.” 

“I was giving her back to God, where she would be happy.”

“I could not do this to my other children.”

“He would have been teased.”

“I did not feel like having a child with a disability.”

These statements are not assumptions on our part.  We have actually seen these words in print, by parents who chose to terminate.  Many of us have actually had them said to us, by a physician, as they were trying to “help us” after we found out in utero that our children have Down syndrome.  This was part of their effort to “give us up to date and accurate information.”

After you have a child, who happens to have Down syndrome, you learn rather quickly, that none of these statements are true.  In fact, they are just the opposite.

~Our children are not suffering.  They are thriving.  At no time in history has it been better to have a child who happens to have Down syndrome.  Medical care for our children today is incredible.  What used to be a huge concern, is now very treatable.

~God does not expect our children to be given back to Him.  He has entrusted us with their care, for as long as He decides he wants them on this earth.  Our children are a gift from God.  “Returning them” is rejecting that gift.

~As for your other children their sibling is such an amazing gift to them.  Do not miss out on the opportunity to “do this to your other children”.  You will be amazed at their relationship, and the joy their sibling brings them.

~All children get teased for something.  If you can show us a child that has never been teased about anything, that is a amazing. Taking their life is not a healthy response to others teasing them.  We work hard to give our children the tools to deal with those who bully.  And they are shining examples to others!  We are equipping our children to live in a world, where teasing is a part of life.  And they are rising to the occasion!

~As for not wanting a child with a disability, no parent wishes this on themselves.  Taking your child’s life is not the answer.  There is a waiting list for families who would like to have a child who happens to have Down syndrome.  The list is 200 families long.  The adoption option is a perfect option for those who do not feel as though they are equipped for this.  It is a gift to your child, and a gift to those who are waiting for an angel to adopt. 

Our hearts and prayers go out to those who terminated their pregnancy when they found out the child they were carrying happened to have Down syndrome.  We are sorry for your loss, and want to help dispel these myths, so that another parent does not make a decision based on this misinformation.