President Bush Signs into Law Measure to Curtail Abortions Due to Prenatal Diagnoses Such as Down Syndrome
"This is a great victory for the culture of life we should all seek to promote."
(Washington, D.C.)—The Minnesota Christian Chronicle has reported that President Bush has signed into law a measure that may help to curtail the number of abortions of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome and other conditions.
According to the report, The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act requires parents whose children receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or another malady to be provided with the latest information on the condition and be informed of support services available. This would apply to a diagnosis on a child before birth or until a year after birth. The measure also would establish a registry of families willing to adopt special needs children.
The measure reportedly seeks to address the reported lack of information and support given to parents whose unborn children test positive for conditions such as Down syndrome.
"This is a great victory for the culture of life we should all seek to promote," said Sen. Sam Brownback, sponsor of the bill. "[The 90 percent abortion rate for unborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome] is much too high and suggests that we as a society are not doing everything we can to protect every human life, at every stage."
The House of Representatives passed the bill by voice vote Sept. 25, two days after the Senate approved it by unanimous consent. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D.-Mass., was the lead cosponsor of the Brownback-authored bill.
