The IDSC Responds to “The View” Women

The IDSC For Life would like to respond to the “debate” that the women on The View had concerning the conversation that Sarah Palin had with Barbara Walters about aborting  babies who happen to have Down syndrome.

When a mother finds out that she is carrying a baby who happens to have Down syndrome, there are many factors that weigh into her decision to abort.  Some of them are: lack of up to date information, influences from physicians, friends, and family members, and most of all, ignorance for what this experience might be like.  When a woman continues the pregnancy, she realizes that the experience is nothing like she thought, and that her child is a unique and beautiful gift!

Knowing that some women still may not want to have a child who happens to have Down syndrome, we believe that the ADOPTION OPTION is the most incredible gift a mother can give their child, another family, and herself.  N0t once in this debate did anyone mention the adoption option!  Currently, there is a list of 200 families waiting for children who happen to have Down syndrome!  What a gift to them. When we debate this issue, we need to know that this option would solve all of the problems that they are debating!!

IDSC For Life Interview With Reece’s Rainbow (Part IV)

 

 

IDSC:  What is your primary goal? 

Andrea from RR: Raise money so families can afford to save children with Down syndrome in foreign orphanages through the gift of adoption.

 

IDSC: Why is this so important? 

Andrea From RR:  This country, this world, is facing a severe moral crisis right now.  Christian or not, scared of parenting a child with special needs or not, the ease with which a child’s life can be ended is appalling.  It is nothing short of “genetic genocide”, in my opinion.  Is the decision to terminate an easy one?  I’m sure not.   Just like you said, that mother is the mother of a child with Down syndrome for the rest of her life, no matter what path she takes. But to make that heavy decision based on some doctor’s ignorance, and her OWN lack of knowledge about what life with a child with DS is really like…that is what is so wrong about that decision.   I once had a birth mom contact me asking about placement for her child with Down syndrome (domestic).  They were not Christians in any way.  She was only about 20 weeks along, and had the AFP test, and however they came up with the numbers, the doctor told her she had a 1 in 20 chance of her baby being born with Down syndrome.  She wasn’t convinced to abort, but her husband was dead set on it, he “didn’t want no retard kid”.  However, they were both set on not doing an amnio to be sure.  I’m thinking to myself “you’re willing to terminate the pregnancy in full, but not have an amnio done to be SURE”?   HUH??  Anyway, that is another story…so she was really struggling with this decision.  I didn’t go through the whole spiel about how joyous and beautiful life is with a child with DS.  My primary point to her was, that without an amnio, she was not going to be sure.  There was no way to be sure.  And if she chose to terminate without doing the amnio, she had a 19 in 20 chance of killing a perfectly normal, healthy child!  I’m no math major, but that is a pretty obvious one to me.   So eventually they did end up agreeing to the amnio, and guess what…their baby did NOT have Down syndrome.   She comes back singing my praises.  Praises not necessary….what is crucial is making sure people are making an educated decision, having a chance to speak to parents who are living it, learning about all the resources out there to help, and knowing that if even if they still don’t think they can handle raising a child with special needs, there are HUNDREDS of families standing in line to do it for them through the gift of adoption.

 

Reece’s Rainbow, although our focus is international, makes a serious statement….people in this country WANT these children.  People in CANADA and ENGLAND and AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND want these children.  And for birth parents here in the US who are considering terminating their child, think about that for a minute.  There has to be a REASON why so many people want to adopt a child who happens to have Down syndrome, and why so many people adopt MULTIPLE children with Down syndrome.  It’s not for adoption subsidy money, I can tell you that.  It’s not because they are super parents (although they all are to me!)  It’s because they recognize the GIFT that is Down syndrome.   Despite the daily challenges, they recognize the joy and beauty that people with Down syndrome in particular bring to life.  In my opinion, that extra chromosome is a marker of Divine nature.  God makes these children with a particular “look” so they are easily recognizable as his personal messengers, sharing goodness and light in a very dark world.  But the world sees them as freaks and invalids and useless mistakes.  It is our job to change that, one adoption at a time.

 

IDSC: What are some final words you would like to leave with us? 

Andrea from RR:  You don’t have to adopt to save a life.  Give what you can, share the ministry with others, reach out to your churches, your friends, your family, your social organizations, your colleagues, corporations, and celebrities.  It really is that easy.  And if we had a $10k or more grant for every waiting child on our site, there would BE no waiting children on our site.    The long term goal for Reece’s Rainbow is to work ourselves out of a job, that there would be no need for RR.

IDSC For Life Interview with Reece’s Rainbow (Part III)

 

 

IDSC:  What do the dollars that are raised go to? 

Andrea from RR:  There are several different funds that people can give for.  First is our Voice of Hope fund.  It’s not warm and fuzzy, but we have continuously growing operational expenses, and we MUST have funding for this ministry’s basic costs, or there IS no Reece’s Rainbow.  Donations to this fund make it possible for us to continue serving ALL of the children.  

Second are for our waiting children.  Donations to waiting children are broken out 90% for the child and 10% for our Voice of Hope fund.  Funds are held in indvidual grant accounts for each child, and are legally given on behalf of the child.  Families who adopt a child through our ministry know those funds are there from the beginning, and it gives them strength and courage to take a leap of faith, knowing that is $x less than they have to fundraise for later.   Theya re eligible for those funds because of teh child they are adopting.  Although we are definitely a Christian ministry, we are registered as a public charity with the IRS.  Therefore, we do not have any income or faith based restrictions on these funds, and they don’t really have to be “applied for”.  The majority of our adopting families are Christian anyway, but this is not a requirement.  Families don’t have to send out 30 grant or loan applications and hope to God they are chosen.  There is a lot of stress in that!  Knowing the funds are there from the beginning with Reece’s Rainbow makes the decision to commit for one (or more) of these kids a LOT easier!

Third is to sponsor a child who has already found a family through our Family Sponsorship Program (FSP).   Donations to these kids after a family has committed for them are given at 100%.  We do not keep anything for the VOH fund from these donations..   Even once a family commits, there is still a tremendous amount of pressure to fundraise and come up with the rest of the money to complete the adoption in a timely manner.  Remember, these kids are truly living on borrowed time, so there really just can’t be a delay in the adoption process for lack of funds.  Without significant waiting child grant funds available, families take on a huge burden to come up with this money in what really is a short period of time.   (it may seem during the process that 12 months is a long time, but not when you’re trying to come up with $25k on yard sales, spaghetti dinners, and Ebay !) 

The most important thing to note about any donation is that THERE IS NO RISK OF LOSS OF FUNDS.    Funds are held and not disbursed until a family has successfully submitted their dossier and been given a travel date.  This money is typically used to pay for airfare first (we pay it directly), final agency fees, and then if there is anything left over, it is disbursed back to the family to use as they need it in country.   If a child should pass away or become unavailable in some other way (such as a birth parent takes them home or they are sent to an institution they can’t be adopted out of), their grant is reallocated to another waiting child.  Even if a family commits to a child and has to stop the adoption for their own personal reasons, the child’s original waiting grant is still intact, and anything earned in the family’s FSP is also held for that child for the enxt family to commit to adopt them.  (remember, grants are legally given on behalf of the child, which is why they are tax deductible and must remain with the child if a family backs out).

IDSC:  If I sponsor a child, am I able to follow that child’s adoption journey? 
Andrea from RR: Oh yes, that is one of the best things about RR.  You can watch that child’s profile go from “waiting” to listed under “my forever family found me”, and then on their family’s new FSp profile.  You get to watch that journey through various stages, and then nearly every family has an adoption blog, so you can follow along there, and then most fun is to watch the extraordinary transformation these children go through once home!

IDSC For Life Interview with Reece’s Rainbow (Part II)

IDSC: Why are families giving their children up for adoption in these other countries? 

Andrea from RR: Every child has their own individual story.  It is hard to lump all of them in one pot, or to broadly say “the kids are dumped in orphanages and left to die”.  To a large extent, this is true    But I don’t think it is really out of a mindset to clean up the gene pool or rebuild an Arian nation.  It’s lack of knowing what else to do, and/or not having the financial resources to handle the issue in a humanitarian way.  I believe much of the decision to relinquish a child combines factors such as poverty, youth, alcoholism.drug addiction…some children are relinquished because the family knows there are no resources for their child, they really believe there is no better life for them than in the orphanage.  Some hope their child will be chosen for adoption, some actually seek RR out now, and we have helped several of thsoe children find loving American families.  That feels good But change is a’comin’….every child adopted through RR makes a statement…to officials, to orphanage staff, to parents in each community…..people are hearing about all the kids with Down syndrome being adopted, especially in Ukraine and Bulgaria…they are starting to see that these children do have value, that American families pay many thousands of dollars to adopt these children and give them a good life…and we are slwly starting to erode the widely held believe that people only adopt these kids to sell them for body parts.  Can you imagine??  But it is true, many people abroad believe exactly that, because they can’t fathom any other reason to do such a thing.  And just try to picture the faces on the judges handling the coutr cases of our families who adopt THREE AT A TIME!  lol   This is God’s work, and we are helping to change hearts one at a time, and serving as a catalyst for change around the globe.  The goal is for every family to keep their child!   But those families go through the same grieving that many folks here do when their child is diagnosed with Down syndrome, so one of our goals is to help, by each adoption, share the truth about our children, that they do have value and be functional and purposeful in life and society, and that they really are God’s GIFT for that family, not just a freak of nature or a curse upon them for sins of their past. 

 
IDSC:  What are some of the things that RR has been doing to advocate for children with disablities in other countries? 

Andrea from RR: As this ministry grows, we run across more and more people and organizations abroad who also work to serve families of children with disabilities.  The most important work we have abroad is to help develop and financially fund local DSA birth parent support groups.  Believe it or not, there ARE physical, speech, and occupational therapists in these countries.  But it costs money to have access to their services.  So this is another project we like to fund (for the benefit of the orphans in the orphanages AND those brave families who are already raising their own kids).

 
IDSC:  What can a person who is not able to adopt at this time do to help? 

Andrea from RR:  GIVE, raise awareness, post about us on your blog

 

IDSC:  How much money are you hoping to raise from donations given to RR? 

Andrea from RR: It’s ongoing, there is no set number.  For the Angel Tree, our tangible goal is $1000 per child.  But I’d give my left arm to roll into the post office one day and find a check for $500,000, or even a million.   Some folks might think that is a lofty hope, and maybe so, but I KNOW there are some people and businesses out there who have this kind of money to give, even in this difficult economy.  What would I do with a million dollars?   We would set aside $250,000 for the next 5 years of operational expenses (Voice of Hope fund), and spread the rest for our older kids and our at risk kids, and then go down the list to the younger ones.   If we could give $10k grants to 75 kids…..we’d find families for 75 kids in about 15 minutes.  Seriously.

 

IDSC For Life Interview with Reece’s Rainbow (Part I)

Reece's Rainbow

The IDSC For Life was blessed to be given the opportunity to interview Reece’s Rainbow, Andrea Roberts.  It was a wonderful opportunity for us to talk to someone who is taking her pro life stance and doing something about it!  This will be a 4 part series, so be sure to check back each day for the next segment!  In the mean time, RR is promoting their Christmas Angel Tree Project .  Please, please, please,  prayerfully consider donating to this cause.  Help us, to help them, support the adoption option!!

For those not familiar with Reece’s Rainbow, they are an adoption ministry.  Be sure to check them out some more before you read the interview.  You will be glad you did!

IDSC For Life: What is one thing you you would really like people to know about RR?

Andrea from Reeces Rainbow: It DOES work.  Giving money for each of these children, and focusing your efforts on fundraising, even $5 at a time, for one child, WILL help them be chosen for adoption and saved.   The other thing is that people do not have to even be interested in adopting to help.  Not everyone is up for that, and we understand!   But the donations are what we need more than anything else.  We have more than enough willing families to adopt every last one of these kids, but money is the only thing standing in their way.  Even the smallest gifts add up collectively, and this Christmas Angel Tree  is the very best time to give!!  

IDSC For Life: What is the most significant thing  about RR? 

Andrea from RR:  RR not only saves lives, but it makes a very pro-life statement here and abroad, it reachess across lines of faith and geographical boundaries, plants a seed of truth and advocacy to foreign officials and orphanage staff, and inspires foreign birth families to KEEP their children.  We just had a family in Russia decide to take their son home with them after 2 years of living in an orphanage and visiting him weekly! 

IDSC For Life: How can families who are wanting to adopt,  manage this in the current economy? 

Andrea from RR: Despite the economy, we have not seen any downturn in the number of families adopting.   That is a God thing..these families taking on the challenge and risk of financial indebtedness to save a child’s life.   But the truth is that there ARE many people in this country who have money available to give….we just need to FIND them.   So far we have not been able to find any corporate or foundational funding for our operational expenses, nor for any of our waiting children, so we are still functioning strictly on donations from individuals.   God places those people in our path as He sees fit, but just yesterday we were given a check for $6000 to allocate as we saw fit.  Now 3 older children have sizeable grants available, and we pray those funds will really change the course of those children’s lives! 

IDSC For Life: Why is it important to bring these children “home” to families in the US?  

Andrea from RR: For right now, it’s just a matter of life or “not life” for most of these children. We are here to help one by one in the short term.  We are not in this to save every child…we know we can not save every child…but we can save ONE….and TWO….and so forth.  We save who we can, we give a voice to every child we are able to and let God handle the rest, because He is the one running this show.  I just answer e-mails, and have a LOT of amazing volunteers who make it all happen.  It isn’t a matter of “they should come to the US”, but the US is 40+ years ahead of many nations around the world in regards to advocacy, inclusion, rights, and care for our children/people with disabilities.  So we are a good example to guide other nations as they develop their own advocacy and care programs.  But much of the delay with that is economic (abroad).

What Can You Do To Help the IDSC For Life?

You can order this book, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Stumbo adoption! Be sure to order from their blog!

Here is an example of the items Robert is making to raise money for their adoptions! Adorable!

The IDSC For Life has many readers that are pro life.  We have been blessed to have many people write us, supporting our efforts.  We are asked all the time, “What can we do?”  One thing you can do is get the word out there about us.  Help us to continue to teach the world how beautiful ALL life is!  We love to hear from people who don’t have a child with Ds, tell us the difference an individual with Down syndrome has made in their life.  We know that your love for our kids, siblings, grandchildren and friends, is a part of our mission to teach others that our kids matter, and ALL life is precious! 

On another note, we have other ways you can help.  We have families who are part of the IDSC For Life that are adopting another child with special needs.  They are saving babies who are in orphanages, and bringing them home where they belong.  They are racing against the clock.  You see, most of these children die when they are placed in these orphanages.  So these heroic families are actually saving their lives.  We would love for you to meet a couple of them, that are currently working on their adoptions. 

We understand that times are tough.  But if you have a desire to donate to the IDSC For Life, please consider giving your donation to these families, who are working so hard to bring their children home.  When you help these families, you are indeed contributing to the pro life movement!  These children deserve to live, to be loved, and to know the love of a family! 

We would like to introduce these two families to you!

Meet the darling Stumbo family!  If you want to learn more about the Down syndrome journey, you can buy the book Gifts 2 from them, and a portion of the profits go to their adoption! In this book you will meet their darling daughter, Nichole!  She has taught them everything they need to know about life!!  Nichole happens to have Down syndrome!  She is their teacher of life!  Please take a moment to meet this amazing family! And if you are considering ording this book, order it through their site, and you will help to contribute to bringing Nina home!

Shelley and Robert UPDATE!!! (Mentioned below!)  The financial need for their adoption has been completely taken care of!!!  They are no longer in need of donations!!  Wa HOOO!!!  Please prayerfully consider directing any donations to the Stumbo adoption! (Mentioned above!)  Thank you SO much!

We would also like you to meet a family whom we have been blessed to share with you before!  Shelley and Robert have already adopted two darling boys, and they are going back for more!!  They are working hard to bring their next set of boys home.  Do you know a dad who is in the armed services who can sew like a mad man?  I do, and they are selling his product!!  You have to check out Robert’s work! 

We are asked often at the IDSC For Life, “What can we do to help?”  We are not currently looking for donations, because for now, our voices are what matter.  Sharing with you all the dignity of ALL life, is more than we ever dreamed possible.  So in answer to that question, PLEASE continue to help us get the word out there about the IDSC For Life, and prayerfully consider helping these beautiful families bring their children home!  Adoption is the pro life option!!

The IDSC Wants to Know…Will Our Tax Dollars Fund Abortions?

For more information, check out Americans United For Life

Should a pro choice advocate be advocating for our kids?

Whoopi Goldberg Toys R Us campaign

Most are aware of the rate of abortion of babies who are diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome.  Many are also aware of Whoopi Goldberg’s pro choice advocating, that she has done over the years.  If you are not familiar, you can read more about that here.

We would like to hear what you think.  Do you think a vigorous pro choice advocate should be advocating for kids who happen to have Down syndrome?  Why or why not? We would love to hear your thoughts!

FYI:  The small print on the ad says, “Child advocate”.  We guess that advocating  has the same start date as the ARC, NDSS, and NDSC, which is after they are born, and not before!

Charles and Anne De Gaulle

Anne De Gaulle

Charles and Anne De Gaulle

All life has dignity.  That is such a simple truth.  As simple as it is, it is hard to imagine that we have come to a time in history in which 90% of all babies diagnosed with Down syndrome, in the womb, will have their lives taken. 

Not long ago, the life of an individual was cut short, clearly because we did not have the means to give them the life saving surgery that is often required.   Today, we do.  And today, our children are living full and happy lives.  So it is hard to imagine that anyone would advocate for the death of our children. 

Sadly, there are those who believe that it is a responsiblity of a parent, who finds out while they are pregnant, to end the life of their child.  Read any of the comment sections on any Sarah Palin article, and you will find this sad reality. Her rise to fame  has brought this into clear focus.  Individuals will blatently say that it is a terrible burden on a parent, and on society to bring a child into the world with Down syndrome.  We assure you, this could not be further from the truth. 

And so we take on this battle, to teach others, that our children have dignity.  Often, it can feel like we are taking on an army. 

Then we read anecdotes, like the story of Charles De Gaulle, and his beautiful daughter Anne, and we remember, that we are not alone.  There are  those who have gone before us, who were the first teachers of dignity.  We are here to carry on their legacy. 

Charles De Gaulle is one such man. He was known as a very strict military man. Only when he was with his daughter, Anne, who happened to have Down syndrome, did this man become a softened soul. What about Anne brought out something in Charles De Gaulle that no other human being could? 

It is often said, that the extra chromosome has an amazing power to soften even the hardest of hearts.  All of us have witnessed this personally at one time or another.  It is always the same.  You are in a room with the most ruthless person you have ever encountered in your life.  An individual, young or old, who happens to have Down syndrome, enters, and interacts with that person.  From no where, joy and laughter, kindness and compassion, oozes out of this once cold and seemingly uncaring individual.  How does this happen?  The power of the extra chromosome.  I warmly refer to it as De Gaulle syndrome.  Truly, there are few people who can escape this.  Nor would you want to! 

Patricia E Bauer wrote an amazing story about Charles De Gaulle, and his beautiful daughter, Anne.  We highly recommend you read it!  We promise you will be glad you did!

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

Health Care For Gunner Press Conference

Dr. Marty McCaffrey and his beautiful daughter, Shea

Here is an excerpt from the Health Care For Gunner press conference,

Marty McCaffrey, a neonatologist and the father of a 9-year-old daughter with Down Syndrome, said he sees problems with Democrats’ vision of health care reform:
 
“We have been assured that government restructuring of health care will not require rationing, affect current services, create distribution panels, nor subsidize abortion,” McCaffrey said. “Even a neonatologist knows that if you increase demand for services, the cost will rise. If the health services budget is drastically cut while larger numbers of patients are added to the roles, rationing is unavoidable.”

McCaffrey said 90 percent of women who are diagnosed as carrying a baby with Down syndrome terminate the pregnancy – a number he said could grow even larger under currently proposed health care reform.
 
“Many will never meet a child with Down Syndrome,” McCaffrey said as he held his daughter Shea’s hand.

The IDSC stands with Dr. McCaffrey. We want to thank Dr. McCaffrey for being  a voice in this debate.