By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
Chloe Kondrich, left, and actress Lauren Elizabeth Potter
A refreshing breeze of bipartisanship is blowing through the state Capitol in Pennsylvania prompted by a desire among both Democrats and Republicans to ensure that people with Down syndrome receive the respect they deserve.
Democratic state Representative Anita Kulik of Allegheny County has been circulating a co-sponsorship memo for a resolution designed to 1) celebrate the lives of people with Down syndrome and 2) denounce the selective abortion of unborn babies who have been diagnosed with Down syndrome.
Rep. Kulik has a great deal of support from across the political aisle. When I sent a request to state representatives to co-sponsor Kulik’s resolution, I quickly received more than a half-dozen responses from Republicans saying that they had already signed onto the measure.
Kulik notes that, despite having an intellectual disability, children with Down syndrome can “grow to lead very productive lives, become active members of their communities and positively contribute towards society.”
Research has shown that, tragically, as many as 90 percent of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are victims of abortion.
As Kulik notes, “When given a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome for their child, some women may feel pressured from their doctor or others to abort. A prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome should not be used to terminate a pregnancy and selectively aborting fetuses with Down syndrome is not a healthcare solution.”
Kurt Kondrich is a former police officer who now devotes his life to advocating for people with disabilities. Kondrich’s daughter Chloe, a high school freshman, has Down syndrome and has herself become a champion for the right to life of all babies—including those with an extra chromosome.
“October is Down syndrome Awareness Month, and it is time to end this prenatal genocide,” Kurt Kondrich said. “Individuals with Down syndrome shine a bright light that our lost culture desperately needs now more than ever!”
Adds Rep. Kulik, “It is imperative that we respect and celebrate individuals with Down syndrome for the joy and contributions they bring to society and denounce any practice that serves to take or devalue the lives of children with Down syndrome.”
A similar resolution condemning the abortion of babies with Down syndrome, Senate Resolution 174, is now under consideration in the PA Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
That resolution states, “The notion that an individual with Down syndrome is incapable of leading a full life is grossly flawed.”
Certainly, that statement is borne out by Chloe Kondrich and all those people with Down syndrome who are contributing mightily to their families, communities, schools, and workplaces.