President Bush Signs Bill to Help Reduce Abortions on Disabled Unborn Children
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 9, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — President Bush has signed another pro-life bill and this time the legislation focuses on reducing the number of abortions done on disabled unborn children. With research showing figures as high as 90% for the number of disabled babies becoming victims of abortion, the new law is sorely needed.
The Pre-natally and Post-natally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act is designed to help reduce the number of abortions of babies with Down syndrome and other conditions.
The legislation would require giving families who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or any other condition, pre-natally or up until a year after birth, pertinent helpful information.
The information would include facts about the condition and connections to support services and networks that could offer assistance in raising a disabled child.
As pregnancy centers and adoption agencies provide alternatives to abortion, the bill hopes the information about support networks and medical help will reduce abortions in these specific cases.
Senator Sam Brownback was the prime sponsor of the bill in the Senate and he told LifeNews.com he’s delighted President Bush put his signature on it.
“President Bush signed into law a bill that will help an untold number of expecting parents who learn that their unborn child may be born with a disability,” he said.
“This is a great victory for the culture of life we should all seek to promote," Brownback added. "Currently, 90 percent of children pre-natally diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. That number is much too high and suggests that we as a society are not doing everything we can to protect every human life, at every stage.”
That percentage of babies who die from abortions is similar for children pre-natally diagnosed with other conditions such as spina bifida, cystic fibrosis and dwarfism.
The bill also calls for the creation of a national registry of families willing to adopt children with pre-natally or post-natally diagnosed conditions.
The measure would provide for the expansion and further development of a national clearinghouse on information for parents of children with disabilities, so that the clearinghouse would be better equipped to assist parents whose children have recently been diagnosed.
“It is difficult, sometimes overwhelming, for expecting parents to receive news that their unborn child may be born with a disability,” Brownback said. “This legislation will help parents receiving such news by supplying them with current and reliable information about the many options available for caring for children with disabilities."
The plight of Down syndrome babies has received significant attention thanks to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, John McCain’s running mate, who gave birth to a baby with the condition earlier this year.
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