Man With Down Syndrome Silences Congress With 5 Powerful Words

“Is there really no place for us in the world?” Frank Stephens asked silenced the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Committee on Appropriations.

He was responding to a CBS News report on this terrifying and gruesome trend in Iceland:

With the rise of prenatal screening tests across Europe and the United States, the number of babies born with Down syndrome has significantly decreased, but few countries have come as close to eradicating Down syndrome births as Iceland.

Since prenatal screening tests were introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, the vast majority of women — close to 100 percent — who received a positive test for Down syndrome terminated their pregnancy.

While the tests are optional, the government states that all expectant mothers must be informed about availability of screening tests, which reveal the likelihood of a child being born with Down syndrome. Around 80 to 85 percent of pregnant women choose to take the prenatal screening test, according to Landspitali University Hospital in Reykjavik.

Of course, the headline is misleading — they aren’t eradicating the disease, they’re eradicating people with the disease through abortion.  Horrific!

But recently, Stephens delivered these five words to Congress: “My life is worth living.” Independence Journal Review has more details:

The young advocate shared details about the world’s approach toward Down syndrome, telling lawmakers, “I completely understand that the people pushing this particular ‘final solution’ are saying that people like me should not exist.”

Stephens, hoping to thwart the number of Down syndrome-related abortions in the U.S., urged Congress to increase funding for medical research of Down syndrome. He noted such research could yield breakthroughs about “cancer, Alzheimer’s, and immune system disorders.”

“Help us make this difference,” he said. “Let’s be America, not Iceland or Denmark. Let’s pursue answers, not ‘final solutions.’ Let’s be America. Let’s make our goal to be Alzheimer’s free, not Down syndrome free.”

Earlier in his address, Stephens told legislators that pro-abortion advocates have a “deeply prejudiced” view of life with Down syndrome. He said he has a “great life,” joking, “I have been to the White House twice, and I didn’t have to jump the fence either time.”

“I don’t feel I should have to justify my existence,” Stephens continued, noting those who “question the value” of people with Down syndrome don’t understand “we are an unusually powerful source of happiness.”

In using abortion to eliminate Down syndrome, Stephens told Congress, “we are giving the world a chance to think about the ethics of choosing which humans get a chance at life.”

Watch his poignant testimony below:

Image Credit: Screen Cap

Hat Tip: Independence Journal Review