Standing Alone — Not With Wendy Davis — On Abortion & Down Syndrome

“What's right isn't always popular. What's popular isn't always right.” -Howard Cosell I stayed up late last night, following the events as they unfolded on the Texas Senate floor. Wendy Davis spoke for hours about the restrictive abortion bill before the state Senate, ending only after the third “point of order” call forced her to stop her filibuster. It seemed as if the Republicans made it. However, in the midst of a chaotic protest, the vote was late. Lt. Governor Dewhurst missed the midnight deadline and the bill was forced to die. The “pro-choice” crowd certainly got a win last night. Waking up this morning, I was surprised at a message posted to a Down Syndrome support group I belong to. It was a picture; just a pink shoe. It was titled, “…something amazing happened in Texas last night.” I was stumped until I looked at the tags": “standwithwendy” and “wendydavis.” Surely it didn’t mean THAT Wendy Davis. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry at the irony. It comes as a shock to no one that I have very strong opinions. I wasn’t sure if this was the place for me to vocalize them, though. It’s the one area of my life where I haven’t allowed politics to intrude. In support groups like this, I’m just a mom. I’m not a conservative blogger. I’m not a political junkie. I’m Bri’s mom. As her mom, though, it’s my job to stand up for her. Screw politics. Sometimes hard truths need to be told. I don't consider what happened last night to be amazing or positive as it relates to Down Syndrome. No matter how any of us feels about abortion personally, there is one simple truth that bothers me. When Down Syndrome is detected in the womb, 90% of women abort. There is one reason and one reason only that the 20 week threshold was made by the pro-life side. Quad testing is done between 18-22 weeks. Do the math. I cannot get behind ANY law that says it's ok to abort at 22 weeks simply because a child has Down Syndrome (or any disability). It evokes nothing but complete and utter sadness in me. That more and more women consider it a real option is tragic. It's tragic for our children and it's tragic for society at large. It gives parents the notion that perfection (in whose eyes I don't know) is obtainable. And all it takes to fix that is a little medical procedure. It’s not a controversial statement. I didn’t mention my political leanings. And I really didn’t need to. Sometimes the truth transcends politics. The truth is women are aborting babies with Down Syndrome. Nearly ALL of them. The reasons are varied, I’m sure. I’m also sure those reasons are complete crap. (How’s that for controversial)? For the pro-choice crowd I’d simply ask, what is a valid reason? It’s too hard? It’s too expensive? Not quite perfect enough? Why stop there? Can I abort a boy because I really, really wanted a girl? I cannot and will not “standwithwendy.” Not because I’m a conservative, but because I’m a mom. Image: World Down Syndrome Day logo used worldwide; author: DSi 2012; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

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