By Kathleen Gilbert
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The parents and families of children with Down syndrome are preparing to gather at the March for Life in the U.S. Capitol on January 22 to spread awareness of the massive number of disabled children targeted for eugenic cleansing in the womb.
Eileen Haupt of Vermont and Leticia Velasquez of Connecticut have already gathered dozens of families of disabled children wishing to form a presence at the march. The initiative, known as KIDS (Keeping Infants with Down Syndrome) will commemorate the 9 out of 10 Downs children in the U.S. who are killed in the womb, as well as seek to address modern prejudices against the disabled. The group is open to all members of the disabled community.
Leticia Velasquez, a mother of three daughters whose 6-year-old has Down syndrome, has a background in journalism and writes for several publications on disability issues.
Velasquez said that the simple fact that 90% of Downs children are aborted is shocking to most people, and should be better known. Furthermore, Velasquez said the decision to kill an unborn child with Downs is routinely based on antiquated information, as rapid progress has been made in improving the health and life expectancy of Downs sufferers.
While she had not experienced pressure to kill her Downs child, as she refused prenatal testing, Velasquez said she has heard the stories of several other women who, upon learning their unborn child has Down syndrome, “receive the most terrible pronouncements from their doctor, everything from ‘you’re going get a divorce,’ to ‘you can’t do this to your children,’ to ‘he’ll ruin your life,’ to ‘he’ll never learn, or read, or walk,’ or you name it, they said the kid wasn’t going to do it.
“And of course, they’ve all been wrong,” she said
Eileen Haupt was drawn into the pro-life movement after her daughter Sadie was born with Down syndrome and she learned about the high incidence of aborting unborn babies with Down syndrome. She is on the board of the Vermont Right to Life Committee and is the Alternate Delegate from Vermont to the board of the National Right to Life Committee.
Haupt told LSN that she wants to battle the prevailing idea that disabled children are a mere “burden.”
“They are an absolute blessing. That’s not to say there’s not challenges that go with that,” she said, noting that many believe “that somehow life (with a disabled child) is difficult and it’s negative, and it’s not at all – in my experience, it’s been a positive experience.”
Haupt said that 10-year-old Sadie, whom she boasted is beautiful and uniquely precocious despite her handicap, has “been a total blessing to me.”
KIDS will meet between 11:30 a.m. and noon the day of the March at the National Right to Life Committee headquarters, 512 10th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
To join KIDS, contact:
Eileen Haupt
5 Old Pump Road
Jericho, VT 05465
(802) 899-4882
[email protected]
Leticia Velasquez
227 Cemetery Road
Canterbury, CT 06331
(860) 556-9116
[email protected]
To see a list of other scheduled March for Life activities, go to: https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08122304.html