Thanks to The Raving Atheist for drawing my attention to Rich Lowry's article, Shorty and Down Syndrome.

Shorty is a documentary about a 56-year-old man who has Downs. The world premiere is this Saturday, October 18, in New York City.

At Mass this morning I was seated near a young man with Downs. He was about 25. It gave me pause to reflect on how many of his comrades were killed in the womb.

As I was starting to recognize what abortion truly is, I knew that I would never again abort....if the child was healthy. I didn't think I'd have the strength of character to welcome a more challenging child into the world. It was a turning point for me the day I could honestly say that I would accept any child as a gift.

Rich Lowrey writes in his article:

"How to fight the termination of children with Down syndrome? The first step is for doctors to stop trying to scare parents out of having such children. Mary Salter, a Florida mother who has a Down syndrome son and has written about it, says, 'I can't tell you how many times doctors who have seen my son have said to me, 'Didn't you know ahead of time?'"

I was once like those doctors, which only goes to show, as the Mass readings said this morning, that the Word of God is a living Word, alive and active in the world. Without that grace, I expect I would still be a committed fan of the Culture of Death.

Here's a site on the web where you can find a Downs support group in your area.