Catholic Schools Day in Hartford

I was sent with Isabella, and another student and teacher to represent St Joseph's School at Catholic Schools Day in Hartford. We were there to protect state subsidies to Catholic schools such as bus transportation (in CT only the town you live in provides a bus, in NY you were bussed within a 15 mile range) and funds for school nurses. There is also a bill to allow businesses tax credits if they contribute to a scholarship program for children in poor areas to attend Catholic schools. This would include several towns where students at St Joseph live.
Rep Chris Coutu is not intimidated by being a minority Republican, and enthusiastically promoted this bill among his colleagues while we were there. He attended a meeting in Norwich where the imminent closing of 102 year old St Joseph School was discussed. With Superintendent Shine and Asst. Supt. Sr Barbara Gould, (see photo) we discussed the closing of many area Catholic schools and the negative impact it has had on the community. One aspect we stressed was the economic burden ($15K annualy) to educate the Catholic school students who enter public schools.

Catholic schools, especially faithful schools like St Joseph, are a boon to the community, and it's time they were given a break. A tax break with no strings attached.
I will keep you posted here on the progress of this bill.
Thank you Rep Coutu for supporting Catholic shools in CT

Thank you Congressman Chris Smith

For recognizing the Appreciation Award from Keep Infants with Down Syndrome on your website, which we gave you last January. You are an outstanding advocate for all unborn children, typical or disabled and we are proud to call you our friend.

Come and see our new KIDS blog and keep up with the latest news.

Listen to the latest Among Women podcast, where Pat Gohn and I discuss how I became a pro-life advocate and began KIDS with Eileen Haupt.

Down Syndrome Caucus secures research money!

On April 27, 2009, I, along with the other members of the congressional Down syndrome caucus, wrote to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) expressing concern with the lack of funding for Down syndrome research. (You can read that letter here.)

In particular, we requested NIH triple its funding to Down syndrome research, especially in light of additional funding made available from the stimulus package. We felt NIH’s response to our letter was inadequate and requested an in-person meeting to discuss their commitment to Down syndrome.

As a result, a week ago today, Dr. Yvonne Maddox, Deputy Director, of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD), briefed me and the other caucus co-chairs on NICHD’s funding priorities. I was extremely pleased to hear NICHD reaffirm its commitment to the short and long term goals set forth in the 2008 Research Plan on Down syndrome, particularly through NICHD’s commitment to future funding announcements for Down syndrome research over the next five years.
Equally exciting, as I mentioned above, was the long-awaited introduction of the Trisomy 21 Translational Research Parity Act of 2009, which I sponsored, together with Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX). This bill is critical to ensuring Down syndrome research remains on par with the research infrastructure of other diseases.
In 2000, the Children’s Health Act amended the Public Health Services Act in a number of ways, including by authorizing research and surveillance for a number of conditions and disabilities such as juvenile diabetes, Fragile X, asthma, and epilepsy, autism, and traumatic brain injuries. However, the amendments did not authorize the research and surveillance of Down syndrome.
The Trisomy 21 Translational Research Parity Act of 2009, will bridge the critical gap that currently exists in Down syndrome research between basic medical research and cutting edge clinical trials. The bill will recognize at least six Centers of Excellence around the nation that will be dedicated to conducting translational research as well as create the much need biobank and registry to assist with the Down syndrome translational research program.
More than 400,000 individuals have been diagnosed with Down syndrome (also known as Trisomy 21). The extra chromosome causes varying degrees of intellectual disabilities as well as physical abnormalities. As a result, those with Down syndrome also have a number of other medical conditions, including: Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and other neurological and psychiatric disorders. I believe the funding opportunities confirmed by NICHD this week as well as the research infrastructure authorized by the Trisomy 21 Translational Research Parity Act of 2009 will not just benefit individuals with Down syndrome but the millions people with other conditions and diseases.
While we have a long way to go, I believe last week represented a turning point in our efforts. I look forward to continuing working with the disability community to ensure funding and infrastructure remains a priority here in Congress.
Bravo Representative McMorris Rogers!!!
She is the best friend the Down syndrome community has in Congress. She is pictured here with me, Eileen Haupt and other members of Keep Infants with Down Syndrome.
Now exciting research projects like those of Dr William Mobley of the Down Syndrome Research and Treatment Foundation can get the required funding they need to move forward. Maybe someday, there won't be a 90% abortion rate for children with Down syndrome, once we can give hope to parents from this promising research.

Rep Cathy McMorris Rogers supports Healthcare for Gunner

Rep Cathy McMorris Rogers is a champion for disabled children, as well as the proud mother of Cole, her son with Down syndrome. Here is a link to the YouTube video of her remarks at Healthcare for Gunner press conference yesterday.

I'm posting on Catholic Vote.org

Here is my first post at CatholicVote.org.
They have a new video up today.

Lest we forget

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD

(1872-1918) Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved,

and now we lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep,

though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

On a positively luminous spring afternoon, the tiny parade in Sprauge wound it's way through the old factory town by the river, while I watched under shady tree near the Veteran's Memorial. It was gratifying to see so many of my new friends in the parade, Christina's friend Tommy(with T21) with the cub scouts,Gabbi's, and Bella's friends on the sidelines, and my pastor, Fr Tito to give the invocation. In only 9 months, we have become part of this tight knit community of faithful Catholics, and Connecticut feels like home.
Here are two of the politicians who spoke at the ceremony:

Connecticut Congressman Joe Courtney, a Democrat, has a 05 pro-life voting record. His speech received moderate applause at the Sprauge Memorial Day service. Fr Tito, my pastor, who read Alex De Touqueville's quote, "America is great, because America is good, when American ceases to be good, it will no longer be great", received much stronger applause. We are in the conservative area of a liberal state.

Connecticut State Represenative Chris Coutu (R dist 47)on the other hand is a Catholic and votes like one. I met him one Saturday in September during his campaign, and he assured me he would think about voting like a Catholic. His HS teacher, Paul Tetrault, whom I met at the polling place, where he held pro-life signs, assured me that he would, or Chris would have to answer to him. He has a distinguished record of military and community service including volunteering in the Special Olympics(unlike our President who only uses it as the butt of jokes).

He voted against the terrible S899 bill legalizing gay marriage in Connecticut, and forcing homosexual agenda on the state's schoolchildren.

We salute you, veteran and proud Catholic in a cowardly Catholic state, Rep Chris Coutu!

Reporting on the Kennedy-Brownback bill

Dr Brian Skotko, whom I quoted in my article for the Register was the inspiration for the Kennedy Brownback Bill, by conducting a survey about how women were told their child had Down syndrome.
About half of the women said doctors talked about or emphasized negative aspects: that almost 50 percent of children with Down syndrome will need heart surgery; that they will need to see a specialist for their condition; and that they will need speech or physical therapy.
But that's far from the whole story, Skotko said.

Today, surgery, treatment and therapy are readily available and often successful. And a recent study showed life expectancy for people with Down syndrome doubled between 1983 and 1997, going from 25 to about 50 years old.
Also, children diagnosed with Down syndrome are routinely mainstreamed in public schools, Skotko said. And they are scoring higher on standardized tests. Many of them even work and live on their own.
"So, just like you and I have a whole range of talent, so do people with Down syndrome," he said.

This bill which we advocates of Down syndrome have worked so hard to pass, is starting to make itself known out there, for the hope it brings. Not to mention the lives it will save.
Now we have to make sure it receives proper funding in the Spring.
Read the entire story here.

Our Lady of America pray for our nation tomorrow

Tonight at the election Mass at the Friary, the Friars continued to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament for the entire night. Offer your prayers for people of faith to come out in strength and vote for LIFE.

Remember this image where it seems that you see an unborn child of light in Our Lady of Guadaulpe's womb? This inexplicable event coincided with the legalization of abortion in Mexico City. How displeased Our Lord must be with America, after we killed 48 million of our children!

Don't give up the fight, don't give in to the Siren's Song

Is the topic of my latest column at Catholic Exchange.

Fr Corapi wants us to pray for the election

Father John Corapi, SOLT is urging all to participate in a novena to Our Lady of Victory beginning October 27.

The novena intention is for a pro-life outcome in our national elections, November 4. I support this novena and encourage all of us to participate in it. Nothing is impossible with God. May we work diligently and untiringly on behalf of the dignity and value of every human being from the moment of conception to natural death."

Download the Novena Here.

from Johnette Benkovic's blog

Hope in the midst of suffering

Former Senator from Pennysylvania, Rick Santorum was just on my favorite news program, "The World Over" with Ray Arroyo on EWTN, and shared that his wife Karen just gave birth to their 8th child, Bella, who has Trisomy 18.
When I interviewed him for an article in this month's Canticle magazine, about his valiant defense of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, we discussed the blessings which these special children bring to the lives of their families, in fact he told me about the young man, Brendan with Down syndrome he mentions in this column in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"In a country where some politicians now promise to end suffering, and where our usefulness seems to be measured in dollars, these special individuals stand as complex, mysterious contradictions from a loving God.
They remind us that it is not just our capacity to achieve, but our capacity for sacrificial love that will change the character of America for the good. And that character will inspire true hope - and that hope does not disappoint."
Bella was born in May, nine months later. God, in His providence was using me in a small way to help prepare Rick for this new challenge. Now I join the thousands who are praying for Bella to beat the odds, and live a long and healthy life.

News on Kennedy-Brownback bill from NDSC

NDSC and NDSS Urge the Down Syndrome Community to Take Action Today!
Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act - ANOTHER CRITICAL VOTE SOON!
The development of up-to-date, accurate and evidence-based information should never be a partisan issue.
The Senate may soon hold another critical vote on S. 3297, the Advancing America's Priorities Act, a package of 35 bills which includes the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (S. 1810), introduced by Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and Brownback (R-KS). This may be the first of several votes on S. 3297. However, this first vote likely will determine whether the Senate passes the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act this year!
Therefore, please contact your Senators immediately and tell your friends, family, colleagues - and everyone you know - to do so as well. Urge your Senators to vote YES on S. 3297. Even if you already have contacted your Senators this week, your outreach is still needed. We want to fill Senator's inboxes and make it clear that they must pass the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act this year.
Letters you can personalize and send to your Senators are available in the Advocacy Action Center of the NDSS website, here: http://capwiz.com/ndss/home/. If you don't know the names of your Senators, don't worry. The Advocacy Action Center automatically will identify them for you and enable you to contact them directly from the site.
Talking Points

Please use the following talking points when you call your Senators' offices today:

I am a of the Down syndrome community calling to urge my Senator to vote YES on S. 3297.

The two national organizations, National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC), representing over 400,000 individuals with Down syndrome and their families, also support the passage of this bipartisan legislation.

The S. 3297 bill includes, Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, which is a bipartisan compromise that will promote and develop up-to-date, evidence based information and materials for parents who, increasingly in the 21st century, receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome and other genetic conditions.

This is a nonpartisan issue that affects all of our children and adults with Down syndrome and their families.

The development of up-to-date, accurate and evidence-based information should never be a partisan issue.

Two Down syndrome babies

I told you babies like my Christina would change the world.
Here's proof: A Tale of Two Down Syndrome Babies by Paul Kengor, a professor of Grove City College in the National Catholic Register.
How the candidates Sarah Palin and Barack Obama treated unborn babies with Down syndrome may just be the make-or-break point in this election. AMAZING!
Jesus told us we would be held accountable for how we treated the "least of our brothers", for that is how we are treating Him. It is my deepest hope that Barack Obama may feel His judgement on his sinful position on abortion before it is too late. Before more children with Down syndrome have to die, and our nation falls even deeper into the Culture of Death.
Here is Paul Kengor:
Obama’s intransigence was best shown in the eyewitness experience of Jill Stanek, the nurse at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., who provided testimony to Obama’s committee in the Illinois Senate. To Stanek’s amazement, Obama was unfazed by her devastatingly sad testimony of cradling a newborn baby who had just survived an abortion. That baby was refused medical care. He was sent to the soiled utility room to endure a heart-wrenching, excruciating death over the course of 45 minutes.
“He was too weak to move very much,” remembered Stanek, in testimony for which the hospital fired her, “expending any energy he had trying to breathe. Toward the end, he was so quiet that I couldn’t tell if he was still alive unless I held him up to the light to see if his heart was still beating through his chest wall.”
Why was this poor, innocent, helpless little boy sentenced to this unjust, wicked execution? Because of this crime: He had Down syndrome.
That Down syndrome child was unable to affect Obama’s oft-expressed “least-of-our-brothers” compassion and protection.
But a Down syndrome child fully received Sarah Palin’s motherly compassion and protection. And pro-lifers everywhere feel the difference in this selective “social justice.”
As Fr Frank Pavone says, a candidate's fitness for holding the most powerful position in the world is determined by his character. Governor Palin and John McCain have the courage to stand up for the unborn. They have the moral fiber we need to bring this country forward.
We can see this so clearly in the stark contrast of the treatment of these two baby boys. Children who are considered the 'least of these' have much to teach our society. Are we able to listen?

Sarah Palin: should the mother of an infant be Vice President?

The thought occurred to me while I was rejoicing in Senator McCain's good taste: should the mother of an infant, much less an infant with Down syndrome be seeking even more responsibility than she already has?

You know I love her as a person, I posted about her back in April when her youngest son, Trig was born. I love her as a moral, pro-life, no-favorites politician. But should a Christian woman with a young infant be doing this?

Those of you who read this blog know how much of my time is invested in my children. A home schooling mother is very busy; add dozens of therapy appointments a month and a writing career, a teaching job and you have an overwrought mother with a cluttered home. My girls have expressed a desire to attend school, so I am making a move to Connecticut for good Catholic schools to alleviate some of this pressure, and focus more on writing.

For fifteen years, I have had to work in addition to mothering. I don't have a choice; my husband's siblings and parents in El Salvador depend on him for financial support, so I have to pitch in. When the girls were younger, I ran a preschool in my home. They had lots of friends, plenty to do; art, story time, outdoor play, field trips, etc. but less alone time with Mom. For the past 8 years, I worked part-time teaching English at a local college; they got more attention from Daddy, they went on bike rides and out to lunch at the restaurant down the road on the beach. Their relationship strengthened; but the house was a wreck when I got home from a five hour class on Saturday afternoon. I (usually) bit my tongue and tried to focus on my husband and children's happiness while I cleaned up, with their help.

Every decision has it's price. I think the mind of the Church on this issue is that Catholic women have a duty to exercise their prudential judgement on this. Elizabeth Foss rightly pointed out that soon to be Blessed Zelie Martin, mother of St Therese of Lisieux, operated a lace-making business out of her home. St. Gianna Berretta Molla worked as a Pediatrician while her children were young. The famous Old Testament feminine role model, the Proverbs 31 woman made cloth at home, sold it in the public square and brought both prosperity and honor to her family. Danielle Bean, Michele Quigley, and Heidi Hess Saxton edit good Catholic magazines while raising their children. My point is, that although these women are engaged in business activities, their family is their first priority. I know stay at home mothers whose volunteer or social activities encroach upon their mothering time.

We have to seek the will of God for our particular situation and in charity, refrain from criticizing one another. To correct a friend who is going astray in this direction, is the loving thing to do, but until you know the particulars of a working mother, please don't sit in judgement of her. I've been hurt by the judgements of fellow homeschooling mothers with more comfortable financial circumstances, who see all mothers who work as vain and materialistic.

I understand that stay at home mothers are tired of their vital role in raising children for heaven being mocked and this may account for a backlash against Sarah Palin. But I urge you to consider the powerful witness Sarah can be as Vice President. She can be a positive role model of a true feminist; pro-life, pro-family, faithful Christian, whose family life blends with her political career. Her husband is very supportive and isn't afraid of doing his share of child care; and we all know that this is crucial to the success of any working mother. I love when she described how she puts down the blackberry and picks up the breast pump. I would probably try to do both at once and make a hash of it!

Danielle Bean has quite a lively discussion on this subject going on at Faith and Family Live.

9/17 UPDATE: Elizabeth Miller has a great post on how Sarah Palin might be a source of unity for women on this issue.

Urge your Rep to join the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus

DATE: May 12, 2008
Your Advocacy Works
On Friday, May 2, 2008, NDSC and NDSS sent an Action Alert urging members to call their Congressional Representative and ask them to join the Congressional Down Syndrome caucus (See Action Alert at the bottom of this News Line). On May 12, 2008, we received an e-mail from Kristin Garesche, legislative staff assistant to Congressman Cathy McMorris-Rogers (R.WA) with an impressive group of Representatives who have joined the caucus. The e-mail reads as follows:
“I just wanted to thank you again for your support for the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus and help getting Members interested in it. I wanted to update you on our membership. Our co-chairs are Rep. Pete Sessions (TX), Rep. Patrick Kennedy (RI), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) and Rep. McMorris Rodgers (WA).
Our members are Rep. Todd Akin (MO), Rep. Joe Barton (TX), Rep. Steve Buyer (IN), Rep. Dave Camp (MI), Rep. Christopher Carney (PA), Rep. Howard Coble (NC), Rep. Ander Crenshaw (FL), Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL), Rep. Charlie Dent (PA), Rep. David Drier (CA), Rep. Mary Fallin (OK), Rep. Tom Feeney (FL), Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ), Rep. Doc Hastings (WA), Rep. Jeb Henserling (TX), Rep. Sam Johnson (TX), Rep. Ric Keller (FL), Rep. Steve King (IW), Rep. Mark Kirk (IL), Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO), Rep. Nick Lampson (TX), Rep. Frank LoBiondo (NJ), Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (MI), Rep. John McHugh (NY), Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA), Rep. Tim Murphy (PA), Rep. Todd Platts (PA), Rep. George Radonovich (CA), Rep. Tom Reynolds (NY), Rep. Dave Reichert (WA), Rep. Peter Roskam (IL), Rep. Mike Rogers (MI), Rep. Mike Simpson (ID), Rep. Lamar Smith (TX), Rep. John Sullivan (OK), Rep. Pat Tiberi (OH), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD), Rep. Greg Walden (OR), Rep. James Walsh (NY) and Rep. Bill Young (FL).
In addition, my boss sent out a video release regarding the Caucus to her constituents last week and she wanted to share it with all of you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfNAiBj-Hvs.”
If your Representative is not on this list, please call and ask him or her to join the caucus. He or she may contact either Emily Davis, in Congressman Pete Session’s office (202.225.2231) or Kristin Garesche (202.225.2006), in Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rogers office.
To find out the name of your Representative, to www.congress.org and key in your zip code. The main switchboard of the Capitol (202) 224-3121 will connect you to your Representatives office.

Ask your member of the House of Representatives to join the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus House of Representative members:
Pete Sessions (R.TX), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R.WA), Patrick Kennedy (D.RI) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.DC) have sent a Dear Colleague letter asking other House members to join the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus (CDSC).

According to the letter,
“the caucus will serve as a valuable resource for increasing awareness of those efforts and identifying ways that Congress and relevant departments and agencies of the Federal government can help to meet the needs of individuals with Down syndrome and their value to society. The CDSC will promote public policies to enhance the quality of life of individuals with Down syndrome by:
(1) raising expectations and improving outcomes in education;
(2) eliminating barriers to economic opportunity in employment and in programs that promote savings and investment; and
(3) promoting and funding research that accelerates the development of effective treatments and therapies. In 2008, some additional priorities of the caucus will be to:

Ø Promote the translation of Down syndrome research into effective new treatments through interdisciplinary cooperation among the various NIH institutes, the FDA, the CDC and privately funded scientists and clinicians.
Ø To promote inclusiveness for people with Down syndrome.
Ø To help provide family support services and a community of care model.
Ø To protect the rights of those with Down syndrome and make sure those rights are being enforced.”

In addition, the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus will be holding a briefing for Congressional staff on May 8 to discuss where we are in terms of Down syndrome research. A representative from the National Institutes of Health will be attending as well as Dr. Bill Mobley, the Director of the Neuroscience Institute from Stanford Medical School.

If you have questions about this Call to Action, please contact Susang1961@aol.com or Ricki Sabia at Rsabia@ndss.org. We would also appreciate you letting us know if you contact your Representative.

Join me in celebrating the Down Syndrome Congressional Caucus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Destry Henderson 202-225-2006
McMorris Rodgers Announces New Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus
(Washington, D.C.) Today, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and other members of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus held their first briefing. Today’s briefing marks the first official event of the bipartisan caucus since its launch last week.
McMorris Rodgers co-chairs the caucus. She and her husband Brian have a one-year-old son, Cole, who has Down syndrome.

“The news of Cole’s Down syndrome was at first difficult to get our arms around and we were eager to learn all we could,” McMorris Rodgers said. “I’m often asked how being a mother has changed my life and changed my priorities, and I can assure you that it’s all been for the better. I have a new passion and a new energy for everything that I do. We have every intention of doing everything possible to ensure Cole has every opportunity to reach his full potential. I believe the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus will be a vehicle to help bring this information to the forefront so all families of children and adults with Down syndrome can lead happy lives.”
There are more than 350,000 people with Down syndrome in the U.S., but past and current funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is disproportionately low when it comes to finding treatments and increasing understanding of secondary disorders that often afflict people with Down syndrome, like Alzheimer’s disease and atherosclerosis.
Today, the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus held its first briefing on what research is being done at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH updated us on its 10-year research plan which calls for increased research on the medical, cognitive, and behavioral conditions that occur in people with Down syndrome.
###
Destry Henderson
Press Secretary
Office of Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Office: 202-225-2006
Cell: 202-279-0418
destry.henderson@mail.house.gov
www.mcmorrisrodgers.house.gov

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Gives Birth to Down Baby Despite Abortion Pressure

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com Editor
Juneau, AK
(LifeNews.com) -- As many as 80 percent of unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome become victims of abortion, but Alaska Gov, Sarah Palin didn't let her child become a statistic. Palin, who has deeply-felt pro-life views, gave birth to her fifth child this week and the baby was diagnosed with the condition.On Tuesday, Palin confirmed her baby, named Trig Paxson, has Down syndrome."Trig is beautiful and already adored by us," Palin said in a statement LifeNews.com obtained."We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives," she said.'We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."
Billy Valentine, a pro-life student leader who worked on the presidential campaign of Sam Brownback, was equally excited."Thanks be to God that Gov. Palin is pro-life and the baby wasn't one of the 80% of Down syndrome lives that are aborted each year," he said."Say a prayer for Gov. Palin and her family and thank God that the baby is blessed with a pro-life family," Valentine added.
The Palins have four other children including Track, 18, Bristol, 17, Willow, 13 and Piper, 7.

Just as I was thinking she might make a good presidential candidate. . .

First Female Alaskan Governor and Potential Republican VP Candidate
The politicos are all abuzz over whom John McCain will choose as his running mate for the 2008 presidential elections. Rush Limbaugh is pushing for Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, right down to designing a logo for a McCain-Palin ticket. Nothing is close to being decided as yet, but here's a closer look at Sarah Palin and her chances for being on the 2008 Republican ballot.

Cause for Joy!!! Kennedy Brownback bill passes out of Committee in Senate

The wonderful Pre-natally and Post-natally Diagnosed Conditions Act, known as the Kennedy-Brownback bill passed out of Senate HELP Committee today!
It will ensure that doctors provide parents with complete information about their unborn or newborn with disabilities, including referrals to advocacy groups. There is $25 million in funding to help provide information about the promising therapies, and fulfilling lives lived by individuals with Down syndrome and other genetic anomalies. So many of my friends expecting a child with Down syndrome were pressured by their doctors to abort, and weren't given any information about Down syndrome.
Senator Sam Brownback said he hopes it will reduce the percentage of abortions in such cases -- with some studies showing as many as 90 percent of parents with an unborn baby diagnosed as having Down syndrome having an abortion.“It is difficult, sometimes overwhelming, for expecting parents to receive news that their unborn child may be born with a disability,” Brownback said.“This legislation will help parents receiving such news by supplying them with current and reliable information about the many options available for caring for children with disabilities," he added.In a rare show of bipartisan support, Brownback is working with pro-abortion Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts on the bill.The bill now moves to full Senate consideration and Brownback said he hopes the body will move on it quickly. “I am hopeful this bill soon moves to consideration by the full Senate. The quicker my colleagues and I move to pass this bill, the more quickly we can help families across the nation," he said.The bill also calls for the creation of a national registry of families willing to adopt children with pre- or post-natally diagnosed conditions.
HT Life News
When the unlikely pair first introduced the bill in 2005, it was killed in committee, so the fact that it made it out of committee intact is big news. .Senator Brownback's office gave it a 50% chance of approval once it reached the Senate floor.
It's an election year, so, let's get moving on this immediately.
I want you all to contact your senators and write letters to the editor of your local and national papers in support of this important bill S1810.
ACTION: Contact your senator at 202-224-3121 and urge support for the bill, write letters to the editor, or go to http://www.senate.gov/ for more specific contact information.

Update on Kennedy-Brownback Legislation

From the National Down Syndrome Congress:
The mark-up on the Pre-Natally and Post-Natally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (S. 1810), known as the Kennedy-Brownback bill, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 27, 2008. Once the bill is reported out of the committee, our efforts will need to focus on moving it in the House of Representatives. As always, we will keep you posted about new developments.
To see the most recent version of the bill that has been introduced, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov and key in S. 1810 in the space for the bill number.

It's time to vote for your favorite homeschool blog

If you enjoy my other blog, Causa Nostrae Laetitiae, please vote for me for the best political/social commentary blog or the best business/curriculum blog at the Homeschool Blog Awards.

I would appreciate your support, and I am deeply honored by this nomination. My readership there has grown tremendously lately, and I hope to make a difference for the babies in the upcoming elections.

Thank you to all those who are loyal readers, your comments are very much appreciated. Voting ends December 15.