We shouldn’t have to justify children with Down syndrome being born
Rachel Adams, the author of Raising Henry, has a piece in the new issue of American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A. You should read it and its lines should be inscribed in offices around the...
View ArticleSupport moms grieving their lost child
This Mother’s Day, will you support those mothers who are grieving the child they lost? Part of having a prenatal test result for Down syndrome is grieving loss. Grieving the loss of the child the...
View ArticleDelaware and Maryland join Massachusetts and Kentucky in enacting laws to...
Last week, Governor O’Malley of Maryland and then Governor Markell of Delaware each signed laws requiring that their state agencies provide accurate, up-to-date information about Down syndrome for...
View ArticleKathy Ratkiewicz, mother, advocate, friend, RIP
The Down syndrome community has lost an advocate and leader. I first met Kathy Ratkiewicz at one of the early Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action conference. As with many who I meet in person, Kathy and...
View ArticleNarrative ethics: the power of story in prenatal testing for Down syndrome
This week has brought a confluence of evidence to me showing the power of story in delivering a Down syndrome diagnosis. For most of human history, wisdom was passed on in the narrative form: the...
View ArticleThe 2014 NDSC Convention: reuniting & making new friends
The National Down Syndrome Congress Annual Convention just concluded this weekend. It was a very cool experience giving and attending presentations and reuniting with and making new friends....
View ArticleWhich is the harder choice after a prenatal diagnosis: continuing or...
A recent news story presents the question all expectant mothers receiving a prenatal test result for Down syndrome will have to answer for themselves: which is the harder choice, continuing the...
View ArticleIt’s official: Down syndrome is not suffering
Richard Dawkins’ tweet on it being immoral not to abort a pregnancy positive for Down syndrome generated many responses. A point of consensus emerged: a life with Down syndrome does not increase...
View Articlesmall talk (about BIG things)
I’m having the pleasure of reading Amy Julia Becker’s newest book, small talk. I expect you will enjoy it as well. Amy Julia Becker is a mom of three who writes for a number of sites. She maintains a...
View ArticleA gift for expectant mothers
Downsyndromepregnancy.org recently revamped its website. Perfect timing in this season of giving as DSP is a gift for expectant mothers. Downsyndromepregnancy.org (DSP) has been a labor of love from...
View ArticleBurden or caregiver?
A report on elderly parents of individuals with Down syndrome living longer lives offers a perspective for expectant parents to consider. A century ago the average lifespan a person with Down syndrome...
View ArticleWe do not want sympathy, but we do want love and support
At the News page, some highlights on what you can’t expect when you receive a prenatal test result for Down syndrome. Self-advocate invited guest for State of the Union Sara Wolff, a young lady with...
View ArticleWhat’s wrong with the Yahoo! story of why a mom terminated her pregnancy for...
What’s wrong is that the decision was made after receiving false information, not all the information, and without seeking more information. And, what’s more, this is happening so often as to be the...
View ArticleDown syndrome: dad keeps son, a mom terminates, and a state tries to ban...
Three stories that kicked off 2015 involving Down syndrome have drawn commentary from fellow parent/bloggers worth considering: From the News page (which has a ton of links to news stories and blog...
View ArticleHappy Mother’s Day: Thank you for believing
Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you to all the moms for believing in their children. The above video is from American Idol. Contestant Rayvon Owen sings Justin Bieber’s “Believe.” I was not familiar with the...
View ArticleNew Resource for World Breastfeeding Week
World Breastfeeding Week is the first week of August in 2015. A new resource helps new moms with breastfeeding an infant with Down syndrome. At the end of July, a new book was offered by the National...
View ArticleMary Harris’ Only Human on Down syndrome prenatal testing: corrections and...
Mary Harris reported on a woman that launched the search for a prenatal test for Down syndrome. While some key corrections should be made for any future reports, overall, Harris’ is a piece of...
View ArticleDSPTP Episode 3: Happy Mother’s Day
In episode 3, in honor of Mother's Day, I talk about the miracle of life, how more moms than ever are choosing to have a child with Down syndrome, and the important role moms play in supporting so many...
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