Act Now to Fund Kennedy Browback Bill

From the National Down Syndrome Congress
The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act of 2008 (known as Kennedy/Brownback), passed last fall will provide grant funding to eligible organizations to promote dissemination of high quality information and referral to support services for parents who receive a pre-natal or post-natal diagnosis of Down syndrome. However, an appropriation for funding must now be included in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education FY 2010 appropriations bill in order for the law to be implemented.
Representatives Cathy McMorris Rogers (R.WA) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.DC) have written a Dear Colleague letter to members of the House of Representatives asking them to sign a letter asking Representatives David Obey (D.WI) and James Walsh (R.NY) chairs of this committee to include funding for Kennedy/Brownback in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education FY 2010 appropriations bill. It is important to have as many Representatives as possible sign this letter to improve its chances for funding.

Action Needed

Please contact your Representative and ask him or her to sign onto the McMorris Rodgers/Holmes Norton letter that is being circulated in the House of Representatives. This letter is being sent to the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee in support of funding to provide $5 million in FY10 Appropriations to implement The deadline to add cosigners to the House letter is April 1st. A sample letter with contact information is included at http://capwiz.com/ndss/issues/alert/?alertid=12956971&queueid=3075131146.
If possible, you should personalize the letter.

Welcome "The Face of Pro-life" Viewers

Last night, on the live program of "The Face of Pro-life" I discussed the warm reception KIDS received in Washington, DC at the March for Life, meeting with Sen Sam Brownback and Rep Cathy McMorris Rogers, and our thoughts on where we might serve our children from here. We had several callers who wanted to know where parents expecting children with Down syndrome could find support, and I made reference to my friend Monica Rafie's website
Be Not Afraid. I also told viewers that the links on the sidebar of this site offered resources and blogs of families who had positive stories to share about life with Down syndrome.
So, if you saw me on "The Face of Pro-life" welcome and please don't be a stranger! Drop me a comment below and make my day.
I'll keep you posted about the amazing reaction Eileen Haupt and are finding as KIDS is becoming known out there. Only God knows where this will lead us, but we are 'riding the wave of the Holy Spirit' open to whatever comes.

President Bush is the one to sign "Prenatal Awareness Bill"

from Citizen Link
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (S. 1810), which will provide up-to-date information to families that receive adverse prenatal genetic diagnoses.
The bill, which now heads to President Bush's desk, would supply families — prenatally and up to the baby's first birthday — with a connection to support services and networks that can offer assistance.
“Passage of this bipartisan bill in both the Senate and House is a great victory for expecting parents who learn that their unborn child may be born with a disability,” said Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

BREAKING NEWS: Brownback bill passed!!!

Thanks be to God, and all of you who have taken action, we have taken one more step towards giving babies with Down syndrome a better chance of making it to birth by giving their parents access to the truth.
Sen Sam Brownback, a pro-life Kansas Republican and co-sponsor of the bill, told LifeNews.com he's glad the Senate approved it.“This bill will greatly benefit expecting parents who receive the sometimes overwhelming news that their unborn child may be born with a disability," he said. "This legislation will provide parents with current and reliable information about the many options available for caring for children with disabilities.”
from Life News.com
The truth of the positive lives lived by people with Down syndrome,the truth that treatments are being discovered to help the cognitive abilites of these childrenthe truth that there is a waiting list of parents waiting to adopt babies with Down syndromeThe passage of the Kennedy Brownback bill in the Senate is a triumph for the truth.Will the House now pass this important legislation?
Read the entire article here on Life News.com

Thomas Vander Woude is a true hero

I found the blog of the family of the heroic man who gave his life for his son with Down syndrome who was drowning in a cesspool. Here is the video of Senator Brownback's speech on the floor of the Senate where he tells the story of Tom's noble sacrifice.(when you click on this link the player will display the time of the speech on the upper right hand corner. Senator Brownback spoke from 1:05 ET)
Here is the blog of Tom's daughter-in-law A Lee in the Woudes where you can find photos of Tom and the inside story as well as the widespread news coverage. Senator Brownback said that he wanted to pass this bill in honor of Tom's sacrifice, however Bernie Sanders defeated the bill in favor of partisanship.
He should be ashamed of himself.

Senator Sam Brownback's speech on Prenatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act

This speech was given Thursday September 18 on the Senate floor
Madam President, we also, I think, need a government that will stand up for the weakest and most vulnerable amongst us as well. I have got a real story of human heroism that I wanted to share with the body, and then I am hopeful we can agree to a piece of legislation that Senator Kennedy and I have done that has been rolled into this bigger package that has drawn a lot of difficulty. But this is a piece Senator Kennedy and I have worked on for a couple of years now. There is no reason for this to be blocked. So I am hopeful we can then move to it and pass it through this body, move it on forward.
I have got a picture of a gentleman. I want to show you a wonderful man. This is Thomas Vander Woude. This is an incredible story here in the suburbs around Washington, DC. On September 8, Thomas Vander Woude returned from mass that he had gone to in Gainesville, VA. He attended mass regularly and was working in his yard with his youngest son, who is 20 years old, Joseph. He is known by the family as Josie. Josie is a Downs syndrome adult. He fell through a 2 foot by 2 foot piece of metal that covered an opening to a septic tank, Josie did. His dad Thomas immediately rushed to his aid. According to an account in the Washington Post, when he saw that Joseph could not keep his head above the muck, Vander Woude, who was 66, jumped in the tank, ``submerged himself in sewage so he could push his son up from below and keep his head above the muck.''
Tom Vander Woude saved his son, but he drowned in the process. As it is stated so eloquently: There is no greater love than to lay down your life for another. And Tom Vander Woude laid down his life for his 20-year-old Downs syndrome son. This is a beautiful story that has taken place of the dedication of a father for his son, an act of heroism, but in his quiet life of dedication to his son, to his wife Mary Ellen of 43 years, to his six sons, 24 grandchildren, and to his country. Tom served his Nation as a pilot in Vietnam, and after the war worked as a commercial airline pilot. Around the community of Gainesville, though, he was known as a generous neighbor, a volunteer at church, a basketball and soccer coach for the high school in Manassas that five of his sons attended. He was also a farmer, something dear to my heart, I know to the Chair, the Presiding Officer as well. Most of all, he was known as Josie's devoted dad. Wherever you found Tom--at a game, at church, helping a neighbor--there was Josie, lending a hand. Tom Vander Woude knew the value of his son's life. He considered it so precious that he gave his own to save it. He never considered the special care and attention that Joseph required because of his Downs syndrome, he never considered that a burden to the family. On the contrary, ``he always considered Joseph a wonderful blessing to the family,'' a special gift from God who brings out the best in his family and the lives of all of those he touches.
This is true of so many families who have children with difficulties. They find that through all of the difficulty and trial of caring for and providing for their child who has a mental disability, these special individuals are ambassadors of love and of understanding, filled with an openness and unconditional affection that acts as a humanizing force of compassion in their families and in their communities. But we have to be open to this kind of gift and to the potential of every human life to make our world a better place.
Now that I reflect on Tom Vander Woude and the value he placed on the life of his son, I also thought of Sarah Palin and what she said about her son, Trig, born in April. When the Governor and her husband Todd were told last year that the child she was expecting in May would be born with Downs syndrome, they knew that ending that pregnancy was never an option for them. After all, why would it be? ``We understand,'' she was quoted as saying at the time, ``that every innocent life has wonderful potential.'' The problem is that between 80 and 90 percent of the children diagnosed with Downs syndrome in the United States will not make it to the world, simply because they have a positive genetic test in prenatal screening, tests which can be wrong, by the way.
I have had a number of people come up to me and say they had a positive Downs syndrome designation and the child was born and the child did not have Downs syndrome. America is poorer because of this. To deny children with disabilities a chance at life will make us more insensitive, callous, and jaded, and will take away from the diversity of American life. I do not think this is what we were meant to do. So Senator Kennedy and I, for about 2 years now, have been working on a bill. What we are trying to do with this bill is to see that more Downs syndrome children make it here and get here. It is a pretty simple bill that establishes a registry of people who are willing to adopt Downs syndrome children. So that if someone gets that diagnosis and they say, I cannot handle it, fine. The answer is not to kill the child, the answer is to put the child up for adoption. We have got people willing to adopt it, and also to put forward information to people about the current condition of a Downs syndrome child and what all is available, because a lot is available for this child.So we worked a long time, got the spending lined up--we are in good shape on that--and we are ready to move forward with this so we can get more of these special kids here. What I was hoping we can do, and we had it almost passed through, and then this got caught up in the clutter of things, was that we could get this bill hot-lined--Senator Kennedy's sister is a big proponent of this, has done great work with the Special Olympics--that we could do this. It got caught up in this overall package. Nobody objects to this bill. What I would like to see us do is let us take the pieces of this overall omnibus that we can agree to and let's do them. So then we have got some progress that is being shown.
UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--S. 1810 I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 701, S. 1810, the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act. The lead sponsors are Senator Kennedy and myself. I ask unanimous consent that the amendment at the desk be agreed to, the committee-reported amendment, as amended, be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table with no interviewing action or debate, and that we can get more of these special children here.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont was the lone dissnenting vote that defeated this measure.
Email him and let him know how you feel about this.

Brownback to introduce our bill today: Take Action!

9/19 UPDATE:Senator Brownback DID introduce the bill yesterday for an unanimous vote (if any one Senator objected, the bill was not approved) and the lone vote of protest was Sen Bernie Sanders of VT. He is in the tank for Harry Reid who wants this now popular (thanks Trig Palin) bill to be attached to his omnibus spending bill.
This, Senator Brownback's office informs me, is how to kill a bill.
Why don't you let Sen Sanders know how you feel about his killing a bill which would provide information and support to parents expecting a child like Trig Palin? Click here.


We have received word that Senator Brownback (R-KS) will bring up the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act at 1:00 pm TODAY.They have asked us to call the following Senators:
Lieberman (I-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Webb (D-VA)
Casey (D-PA)
Please contact these Members' Offices and encourage them to say something on the Senator Floor in support of the bill today.
Please ACT NOW! The Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121
The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act will provide funds to develop accurate, up-to-date materials and information for families that receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or other genetic conditions so that parents can make informed decisions.
It's time to take advantage of all the buzz created by Sarah Palin's son Trig. Let's help parents expecting a child with Down syndrome overcome their fear and understand the reality of life with a special child.

Movement of the Kennedy-Brownback Bill

“Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act” (S. 1810)
To read the bill go here.
NDSC and NDSS have been following this bill, the “Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act,” S. 1810, since its introduction in 2005 and successfully promoted improved language that was included in the latest version which was introduced in July, 2007. We have been informed by Senate staff members that Senator Edward Kennedy (D.MA) and Senator Sam Brownback (R.KS) are scheduling a briefing for the other members of the Senate Health Education Labor Pensions (HELP) Committee on January 16, 2008, the second day of the next Congressional session. The HELP committee has jurisdiction over this bill.
After this briefing, a date for a “mark-up” has been scheduled for January 23rd. The mark-up is a process that takes place in committee when a piece of legislation is analyzed section by section and changes are made, if necessary. Generally, the bill then can be brought to the floor for a vote or attached to another piece of legislation that is moving through Congress. Throughout the various stages, Governmental Affairs staff members will be closely monitoring the proposed legislation.

NDSC and NDSS are working closely with congressional staff members to facilitate the movement of the legislation. Please pay close attention to future recommendations for action made in Newslines and Alerts. The timeliness of your advocacy efforts at that point will be critical. We will keep readers informed so the membership can advocate at a time when their contacts will have the greatest impact.

Brownback--Kennedy Bill to give expectant parents the truth about their babies

I'm supporting this bill. Read here how it would help expectant parents find out what having a child Down syndrome is really like. The reason I started Cause of Our Joy is to educate parents who do a search on Down syndrome on what is really is like to raise a child with Down syndrome.
If there were more ways to reach out to the public, as well as funding to do so, I would be the first in line to help. I tried for four years to get doctors, nurses and social workers to give out my phone number to expectant parents, with no success.
The biggest enemy of the truth in this instance is fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of suffering, both of the child, and the parents. Fear of rejection. Fear sickness. Fear of embarrassment.
That's why Monica Rafie mentioned in this article and I are writing our book on Catholic mothers of special needs and medically fragile children. To allay the fears of these parents, and to give them hope in their baby's future. If you have a story to share about your special needs child, just email me leticia77@optonline.net

A BIG step towards victory!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE

July 18, 2007

BROWNBACK, KENNEDY REINTRODUCE PRE-NATALLY AND POST-NATALLY DIAGNOSED CONDITIONS AWARENESS ACT

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) today reintroduced the Pre-natally and Post-natally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, legislation which would require that families who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or any other condition, pre-natally or up until a year after birth, will be given up-to-date information about the nature of the condition and connection with support services and networks that could offer assistance.

"We as a society must offer as much protection as we can to 'the least of these,'" said Brownback. "When a mother receives the news that her unborn child may be born with a disability, she should be supplied with current and reliable information about the many options available for caring for children with disabilities."

The Pre-natally and Post-natally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act would provide for the expansion and further development of a national clearinghouse on information for parents of children with disabilities, so that the clearinghouse would be better equipped to assist parents whose children have recently been pre- or post-natally diagnosed. The bill also provides for the expansion and further development of national and local peer-support programs. The bill also calls for the creation of a national registry of families willing to adopt children with pre- or post-natally diagnosed conditions.

"One of the hardest moments in the life of an expectant mother is when she receives news that she is going to have a child with special needs," said Kennedy. "Access to the best support and information about the condition, and the quality of life for a child born with that condition, can make all the difference to a woman trying to make an informed and difficult decision. I believe this kind of support is a vital element to strengthening a true culture of life in America."

Currently, 90 percent of children pre-natally diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. That percentage is similar for children pre-natally diagnosed with other conditions such as spina bifida, cystic fibrosis, and dwarfism.
Brownback is a member of the Senate Judiciary and Appropriations Committees.
Sam Brownback United States Senator - Kansas 303 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-6521 http://brownback.senate.gov/
Christina thanks you, Senators Kennedy and Brownback! Now THIS is bi-partisanship!!

Jaden's Journal author has a mission to lower the abortion rate of Down syndrome children

Click here to read her powerful letter to Senator Kennedy who had introduced a bill( # 609) in the last session of Congress to inform parents expecting a child with Down syndrome of the truth of their child's future, from experts in the field of Down sydrome, and parents who are raising a child with Down syndrome, instead of terrifying them with grim statisics, outdated scenarios of life with the condition, and an overriding expectation that they will abort their child. The bill is not currently active in Congress, as it needs to be re-introduced.

See this article by Jonathan Finer of the Washington Post, who wrote "We felt hopeless and incredibly scared," Allard, 42, said in an interview. "We didn't know what this was or what to do. They told us we had a few weeks to decide whether to keep the baby."

Such negative depictions of Down syndrome by health professionals who do prenatal screening are common, according to a Harvard survey of nearly 3,000 parents of children with the condition, published last month in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. A majority reported that the obstetricians who gave them the diagnosis had focused on the hardships ahead and ignored "the positive potential of people with Down syndrome."

The abortion rate of Down sydrome children is currently 90% and this is a tragedy! Senator Brownback mentioned this at the Blogs for Life Conference and at the March for Life in January. I discussed his earlier efforts to pass this bill in 2005, which some members of Congress buried in committee, and encouraged him to keep trying for the sake of my little Christina, who will grow up without the pleasure of similar friends.

Thank you for your past support of this legislation, Senators Kennedy and Brownback. We are asking you to please re-introduce this bill in this session of Congress.

Great Minds Think Alike

I usually go online after everyone has gone to bed, as do many of you, from the traffic I see on my blog(which has tripled in the past two days of my March for Life coverage, thanks!).
Last night, I was sneaking downstairs to write an endorsement for Senator Brownback from the perspective of a Catholic mother of a special needs child. I often get ideas during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and try and write them down as soon as possible afterwards, before I forget them, however, Christina, and began to cry before I had a chance to write, so I went upstairs and fell asleep with her.
This morning, I found some traffic from Students for Brownback on Causa Nostrae Laetitiae, my political blog.They had already found my endorsement there, and posted it on their website.They highlighted, as has the Washington Post, and People for the American Way, Senator Brownback's mention of Christina in his talk at Bloggers for Life.
So, in her own small way, Christina has become a voice for the voiceless, the unborn Down Syndrome child who has an 80% chance of being aborted. This is even more urgent since the ACOG(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) have recommended that all pregnant mothers receive a new type of screening for Down's, which will result in some to the 20% who survive being aborted. You go, Christina!
Senator Brownback has garnered the endorsement of Fr. Frank Pavone, of Priests for Life, Dr. Alveda King of Silent No More, and Dominoes Pizza magnate, and Ave Maria University Founder, Tom Monaghan. I am honored to join such august company in endorsing Sam Brownback for president!

You Gotta Love this Man!

I just HAD to meet Senator Sam Brownback, whose career I have followed since he converted to Catholicism in 2002, after he worked on awarding the Congressional Medal of Freedom to Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa (reading their works made him want to be a Catholic).
When he and Ted Kennedy worked together to inform pregnant mothers whose unborn child had Down Syndrome about their potential for fulfilled lives, so they wouldn't abort their babies, my respect grew, when he brought a lovely blonde model with Down Syndrome to the Samuel Alito hearings as a testament to the tragedy of the lives taken by Partial-Birth Abortion, I admired him more, but, when he made friends with Christina, and talked about her in his speech at the Bloggers for Life Conference yesterday, I was completely sold. He is a sincere, articulate, intelligent pro-life hero, who deserves our full support in the next presidential election. He represents Catholic morality proudly without shame, and knows how to get elected when the chips are down.

BROWNBACK FOR PRESIDENT!!