On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood asked a judge to throw out an Indiana law that protects unborn babies from being aborted solely because of their sex, race, or a genetic disorder like Down syndrome.
Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit this spring challenging HB 1337, which was signed into law by Governor Mike Pence.
Life News reported:
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt of the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Indiana granted Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky’s request for an injunction against the measure, known as the Dignity for the Unborn Law, before it could take effect tomorrow.
The bill would have also have stipulated that the bodies of aborted babies be disposed of in a respectful fashion (such as cremation or proper burial) by the abortion facility. North Dakota was the first state to pass such a law in 2013.
Planned Parenthood does not object to abortion on the basis of the child’s sex or disability, and therefore, is encouraging the overturning of a law that respects the dignity of the preborn as human beings. In Live Action’s own investigations into sex-selective abortions in the United States, they found Planned Parenthood representatives more than willing to abort these children for discriminatory reasons — or any reason at all — in several states. Live Action noted:
Although 9 out of 10 Americans oppose sex-selection abortion, abortions based on gender are neither illegal nor uncommon in our country. Many other industrialized countries have either restrictions or a ban on sex-selection, yet the United States does not – despite our continuous condemnation of other countries that permit the practice.
Live Action investigated Planned Parenthood centers in Texas, New York, Arizona, Hawaii, and also in North Carolina (featured below):
Even more common than sex-selective abortions are abortions done for reason of a prenatal disability. Sadly, about 75 percent of children diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted, yet parents who have decided to give their babies the right to life describe what joy Down syndrome children bring into their lives. One such mother is Marguerite (Maggie) Reardon, who describes in a column for CBS News what a delight it is to have her daughter Margot, who has Down syndrome:
One thing I want to make clear. There’s nothing particularly special about my husband or me. We wanted a baby and that’s exactly what we got. She may not be the baby we expected, but then again that’s what being a parent is all about. As much as we like to believe we can control who our children will become or that we can protect them from disease or a cruel world unwilling to accept them, the basic truth is, we can’t. For some parents it takes years or decades to accept this. My husband and I just had to come to terms with it before our daughter was even born.
Reardon adds that although her daughter has some developmental delays, “[s]he has a twinkle in her eye and an infectious grin that makes even the most miserable looking people on the subway smile when she stares them down. When she puts her head on my shoulder as I rock her to sleep each night, my heart melts no matter what kind of day I’ve had.”
The National Down Syndrome Society has been a national advocate for people with Down syndrome since 1979. They run the My Great Story campaign which seeks to ignite a new way of thinking about people with Down syndrome by sharing stories by and about them. Theresa Miller from Illinois shares the story of her son, Seth, who has Down syndrome:
I owe so much to this child. I am often told how lucky Seth is to have us. I always reply with something like, “We are the lucky ones.” It has occurred to me that we saved Seth’s life by bringing him into our family. But Seth has more than “saved” me. He has renewed in me the value of the human connection. His skill is in being present with you. His reward is to see your smile. Life is much more beautiful when I slow down and look at it with Seth.
Children who have Down syndrome are just that: children. They deserve to be treated with the joy, dignity and respect that any other child receives.
Planned Parenthood has long fought to overturn restrictions and regulations on abortion. In fact, the organization’s president and CEO Cecile Richards recently told the Washington Post, “We need to challenge or repeal every single restriction that’s out there.” While Planned Parenthood claims that abortion only makes up 3 percent of their overall services, the organization commits one abortion every 97 seconds, and therefore has a financial interest in making sure abortion is ‘plentiful’:
