After reading and writing about the loss of a child diagnosed with Down syndrome, I am reminded that our response as Christians cannot end with words.
Where life is devalued, we pray.
Where hearts are wounded, we pray.
Where truth is rejected, we pray.
Tonight, immediately following First Friday Mass at St. James Parish in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada, Per Vitam will host a Holy Hour for Life. On this First Friday, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we will pray the Rosary, spend time in Eucharistic Adoration, and ask Our Lord to heal, convert, and strengthen our culture.
We will pray for unborn children, for mothers and fathers facing difficult circumstances, for families raising children with disabilities, for those carrying the wounds of abortion, and for a renewed respect for the dignity of every human person.
If you are in the area and believe every human life has inherent dignity and worth, I invite you to join us.
Per Vitam.
Through Life.
When our sixth child was born, the doctor told us she likely had Down syndrome. We had not done prenatal testing, and I was stunned. When the diagnosis of Trisomy 21 was confirmed, I cried.
Not because I believed her life was worth less, but because I feared what challenges might lie ahead. The medical literature, specialists, and statistics painted an uncertain picture. I worried about her future.
What I discovered was a daughter.
A daughter who brings joy, frustration, laughter, and love into our family every day. A daughter who contributes to our home, has her own personality, her own strengths, and her own dignity. I cannot imagine our family without her.
So when I read that a child was aborted because of a Down syndrome diagnosis, I cannot pretend that this is morally equivalent to choosing between different schools, careers, or lifestyles. It is not.
No one should send death threats. No one should engage in vile personal attacks. Christians, especially, are called to charity. But neither should anyone be surprised that many people react with grief, outrage, and sorrow when they learn that a child was intentionally denied the chance to live because he or she carried an extra chromosome.
You write that people are condemning your choice. They are. Not because they hate you, but because they believed your child possessed the same inherent human dignity as every other child.
I do not believe there is any circumstance that justifies the intentional taking of innocent human life. That conviction applies equally to children with Down syndrome and those without it.
Your son or daughter deserved parents who would defend his or her life without reservation. That child deserved the opportunity to be welcomed into the world, loved, and known.
I am sorry for the child whose life was ended before it began. I am sorry that he or she was denied the protection every child should be able to expect from his or her mother and father.
No amount of public affirmation can change the reality of what was lost.
May God forgive what has been done, have mercy on that innocent child, and grant repentance and healing to all involved.
@willanselme@Burgess7281975@TheJamesWeigel@LilaGraceRose@Prolife_Sam
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What happens when citizens engage with the public record?
National Citizens Inquiry witness testimony is publicly available for anyone to review, examine, question, and build upon. Independent analysis and commentary are one way Canadians can continue important conversations beyond the hearing room.
@Dominiq7angels recently drew on public testimony from Maxime Bernier and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois presented at NCI hearings to explore questions surrounding dairy regulation, consumer choice, and synthetic food technologies.
Read the article:
https://t.co/5U8cmUwXU8
Watch witness testimony and explore the public record:
https://t.co/m7qpVf0er8