Choosing Life, Not Death,
because life is worth living.
Our world is very hostile to the thought that a pregnant mother with a child in utero who has a disability should decide to carry her baby to term instead of choosing abortion. Planned Parenthood would surely encourage this mother to terminate. Nazi Germany in World War II carried out a campaign to discard these children since they were not ideal citizens. It seems that this idea never died out and continues to this day in the Pro Choice movement.
When Michelle White was in her first trimester of pregnancy with Katie, her OBGYN doctor suggested that she terminate her pregnancy, not because of Down syndrome, but because she already had two children which "was enough" for a family. "With the rise of prenatal screening tests across Europe and the United States, the number of babies with Down syndrome has significantly decreased, but few countries have come as close to eradicating Down syndrome births as Iceland." (CBS News 8/15/2017)
Michelle refused the amnio test because she knew that if it showed that the child was not "perfect" that she would give life instead of death to her third child. The story is unthinkable but sadly true.
Talk to a mom who has been through it all with her daughter, Katie, who has Down syndrome. Katie was born on November 1, 1989, yes, All Saints Day. From heart surgery to inclusion in schools, to working at Friendly's Restaurant, Katie and her mom, Michelle White, have jumped through all the hurdles in the process from infancy to adulthood. It is a compelling story of their journey in the Catholic faith.
Invite Michelle to come into your group and give a dynamic and informative presentation. Michelle has a Masters degree from Alvernia College in Special Education. She has taught classes from Kindergarten to Senior High in both Catholic and Public Schools. She has been giving talks on Special Needs since 1995.
Remember, Life is Worth Living, even if you have special needs.
Aunt Katie getting to know newborn baby Nick, her nephew.
The whole family left to right, Michelle, Katie, John (dad), Chris, and John Michael on a hot air balloon ride. Just living life to the full.
MYTH: Parents will not find community support in bringing up their child with Down syndrome.
TRUTH: In almost every community of the United States there are parent support groups and other community organizations directly involved in providing services to families of individuals with Down syndrome. You can find a list of groups at http://www.ndss.org/Resources/Local-Support.
When Katie was born in 1989 we were contacted by a case worker from MHMR. By the time Katie was only two weeks old we had a physical therapist, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, and a case worker in our house. They taught me everything I needed to know and do with her so that she would have the best chance of a fulfilling life. From that point on this type of support lasted all the way through senior high school. My husband and I were so overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of support anyone could hope for. To find out more you can go to the National Down syndrome website: https://www.down-syndrome.org/en-us/news/2022/02/11/guidelines-for-inclusive-education/