Moments ago, the first legislative step was taken in the Down Syndrome Protection Act – House Bill 2050 – with a passing vote out of the PA House Health Committee (17-9 bipartisan unofficial vote) chaired by State Representative Kathy Rapp. House Bill 2050 could come up on the House floor for debate as early as this Wednesday.
Know this: extreme abortion-on-demand advocates like Planned Parenthood were active today lobbying against this reasonable measure. Several misconceptions about this legislation are being spread through the Capitol and in the media. Your help to combat these attacks is vital to the success of the Down Syndrome Protection Act.
Here are three ways you can help this week to support the Down Syndrome Protection Act:
- Contact your State Representative (and State Senator) – visit their district office, call and/or email.
- To find their district office address or phone number, use our Find Your Legislator look-up tool.
- To email, use our Citizen Action Center: tinyurl.com/ValueAll
- Utilize our online resources to educate and share with others.
- Share our segment from our new webtool – WhenAPoliticianTellsYou.com – that offers a variety of resources on the question: When a politician tells you people with Down syndrome are being targeted, they’re absolutely right.
- Share stories of children born with Down syndrome and why this legislation is necessary: pafamily.org/alifeworthliving
- Read the bill yourself – it’s a really short bill because it simply adds “a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome” to the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act as a sole reason a woman cannot have an abortion. The law already states that a woman cannot have an abortion on the basis of sex selection. Passing the Down Syndrome Protection Act simply adds this additional reason. Here’s exactly what the bill states:
House Bill 2050 – “No abortion shall be deemed necessary if sought exclusively for either or both of the following reasons: (i) The sex of the unborn child. (ii) A prenatal diagnosis of, or belief that the unborn child has, Down syndrome.”
- Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper.
- Use these resources to help craft a short response pointing to the importance of this legislation. For some tips on writing these letters, click here.
Thank you for taking action this week to help bring protection to unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome.
