{"id":16128,"date":"2017-10-30T16:58:47","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T21:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/bristolpalin\/?p=16128"},"modified":"2017-10-30T16:58:47","modified_gmt":"2017-10-30T21:58:47","slug":"man-syndrome-silences-congress-5-powerful-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bristolpalin\/2017\/10\/man-syndrome-silences-congress-5-powerful-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Man With Down Syndrome Silences Congress With 5 Powerful Words"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Screen<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there really no place for us in the world?\u201d Frank Stephens asked\u00a0silenced the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and\u00a0Education Committee on Appropriations.<\/p>\n

He was responding to\u00a0a CBS News\u00a0report on this terrifying and gruesome trend in Iceland<\/a>:<\/p>\n

With the rise of prenatal screening tests across Europe and the United States, the number of\u00a0babies born with Down syndrome<\/a><\/span>\u00a0has significantly decreased, but few countries have come as close to eradicating Down syndrome births as Iceland.<\/p>\n

Since prenatal screening tests were introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, the vast majority of women \u2014 close to 100 percent \u2014 who received a positive test for Down syndrome terminated their pregnancy.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course, the headline is misleading \u2014 they aren\u2019t eradicating the disease, they\u2019re eradicating people with the disease through abortion.\u00a0 Horrific!<\/p>\n

But recently, Stephens delivered these five words to Congress: \u201cMy life is worth living.\u201d\u00a0Independence Journal Review<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>has more details:<\/p>\n

The young advocate shared details about the world\u2019s\u00a0approach toward Down syndrome, telling lawmakers, \u201cI completely understand that the people pushing this particular \u2018final solution\u2019 are saying that people like me should not exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u00a0about \u201ccancer, Alzheimer\u2019s, and immune system disorders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp us make this difference,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s be America, not Iceland or Denmark. Let\u2019s pursue answers, not \u2018final solutions.\u2019 Let\u2019s be America. Let\u2019s make our goal to be Alzheimer\u2019s free, not Down syndrome free.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier in his address, Stephens told legislators that pro-abortion advocates have a \u201cdeeply prejudiced\u201d view of life with Down syndrome. He said he has a \u201cgreat life,\u201d joking, \u201cI have been to the White House twice, and I didn\u2019t have to jump the fence either time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t feel I should have to justify my existence,\u201d Stephens continued, noting those who \u201cquestion the value\u201d of people with Down syndrome don\u2019t understand \u201cwe are an unusually powerful source of happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

In using abortion to eliminate Down syndrome, Stephens told Congress, \u201cwe are giving the world a chance to think about the ethics of choosing which humans get a chance at life.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Watch\u00a0his poignant testimony below:<\/p>\n