A Life Worth Living

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I received a text the other day, informing me that there was a talk on NPR, specifically about down syndrome.  I raced to the radio, and was completely delighted by everything I heard.  It was informational, and so positive. I heard from professionals, siblings of individuals with DS, parents, and even from a young man who had the extra chromosome himself.  During the broadcast, people were tweeting in "there are more blessings than not", and were pleading with people to reconsider terminating their pregnancies.  The man conducting the interview mentioned that they have been having the same talk on this topic for the last few years, and that everyone interviewed has such positive things to say about this extra chromosome. The director of our local Down Syndrome Association group quickly chimed in that she has had more families who are prenatally diagnosed join the group, than ever before.  What an incredible correlation, that this community's large and loud campaign to advocate for life for individuals with DS, is proving soccessful!  As moved as I was to listen to this broadcast, I was equally saddened by the time the talk show was finished. The heaviness on my heart was in thinking about all of the little innocent babies who are being prenatally diagnosed with a condition, and without a loud advocacy group encouraging their life. I felt like crying out for all of those parents who will never hear that their baby's life is worth living, even if it's for a few hours, even if that child will never speak or walk.  Crying out for the parents that will not be told that their child will still have a purpose in this world.  If only we could meet those parents at the geneticists door, and assure them that they will love their baby. Assure them that regardless of the outcome, everything will be okay. It's amazing that our heavenly Father has not completely discarded us, with all of our blatant imperfections. He continues to love us, and gives us a chance at life.  Yet we come to a place where it is inter-woven in the fabric of our culture, that we can choose who is worthy of life, and who is not.  Today I am hopeful for more advocacy. I pray that every prenatally diagnosed condition gets a voice. A loud, confident, and bold voice that will stand up for LIFE.