Last weekend my husband and I went to the movies and, prior to our featured film, we saw both the ad from Coke-a-Cola and an upcoming new movie to promote saving the chimpanzees.  Not to mention the inaccuracy regarding their Save the Polar Bears campaign. (Myers) Now don’t get me wrong, I love animals.  I would be saddened to see the end of any species and I do think it is very important to do what we can to save them.  What bothered me (and yes I am sensitive to this subject) is that I am sickened that the same effort isn’t given to saving the most loving and selfless people on our planet, those with special needs.

Particularly those born with Down syndrome, not to say that other disabilities are not equally as important, I am just going to focus on Down syndrome for this identifiable point.  To give you a visual on why we need a wake-up call to “Save Down syndrome,” think of it this way:  For every prenatal diagnosis’ of Down syndrome over 90% will be aborted. (Susan W. Enouen) Every time you see a child with Down syndrome, there were 9 others aborted that were deemed not worthy of life because of their genetic make-up.  Eugenics is a horrific practice that goes well beyond just a “woman’s right to choose,” it bases that choice on a misguided preconceived notion that these children are not good enough to be born; that they will be a burden on society or on their families.

In 2010 there were 1,246,248 violent crimes committed in the US, roughly 100,000 of those included rape and murder. (The Disaster Center)   Would you say that those incarcerated were a “burden on society?”  Compare that to the roughly 5,000 babies born with Down Syndrome in that same year (March of Dimes)  How do we know prenatally who is better to be born?  We don’t!  My daughter (who has Down syndrome) teaches those around her to love unconditionally; how be a true friend who doesn’t care what you look like, or how smart you are.  She teaches those around her to be their best selves.   What a wonderful trait for all of us to aspire to.

So I am declaring 2012 the year to save something even more important than the chimpanzees and polar bears, children born with Down syndrome.  We need more people born without the tendency to destroy, not less.  More people who express the best part of our nature, not the worst.  More people to wake up and save Down syndrome!

For more information regarding Down syndrome visit:

National Association for Down Syndrome, Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome