Victory for the Disabled-and Their Parents

The President signed the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act on October 8. The legislation aims “to increase the provision of scientifically sound information and support services to patients receiving a positive test diagnosis for Down syndrome or other prenatally diagnosed conditions.” These conditions also include dwarfism, spina bifida, and cystic fibrosis.

Recent research has indicated that 90 percent of the unborn children who are diagnosed with Down Syndrome end up as victims of abortion.

The new law aims to reinforce a culture of life by offering information and support to parents who receive a diagnosis before birth and up to a year after birth.

"This is a great victory for the culture of life we should all seek to promote," Sen. Sam Brownback, R.-Kan., said. "[The 90 percent abortion rate for unborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome] 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."

For previous CT coverage on disability, see our editorial and columns by me and Al Hsu.