We have a fight on our hands; one that shows just how extreme some politicians and others in our state can be.
Yesterday, the PA House Health Committee voted on the Down Syndrome Protection Act, House Bill 321. It now moves to a vote by the full House of Representatives – which is why we encourage you to contact your State Representative today in support.
This vote should have been unanimous. Yet nine State Representatives voted against it. It ended up a party line vote, with 15 Republicans voting yes to 9 Democrats voting no (click here for the roll call).
What’s so tragic in seeing opposition to this bill is the reality that right now there are medical professionals pressuring pregnant women into having an abortion who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome into having an abortion.
- Parents in Pennsylvania have shared with us their experience of such pressure.
- Doctors are encouraging the “implementation of universal screening” to identify and “medically terminate” – to kill the baby that’s diagnosed with Down syndrome.
There are some extreme politicians, like the nine State Representatives who voted no, who are trying to allow this sad reality to continue. And extreme pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood are actively lobbying to stop this bill from progressing.
It shouldn’t surprise us. It’s exactly why we are actively showing our elected officials our support. Members of our team attended the committee vote with yellow roses in support of the Down Syndrome Protection Act. We also helped deliver roses and notes to every member of the committee to emphasize one message: Down syndrome is a life worth saving and why we must pass the Down Syndrome Protection Act.
As you may know, this is not our first go-around with this legislation. Last year, although it received a bipartisan majority vote in the House (enough to overturn any Governor’s veto), it failed to come up for a vote in the State Senate.
This is a chance to save lives in Pennsylvania. No doctor should be pressuring women to have an abortion – especially for a diagnosis of Down syndrome.
Please join us in contacting your state elected officials in supporting the Down Syndrome Protection Act. To email, visit pafamily.org/protect.
As Joni Eareckson Tada (Founder & CEO, Joni & Friends) has said in support of the Down Syndrome Protection Act,
“The presence of people with disabilities always enriches a community’s fabric, underscoring that vulnerability and weakness is a prime platform for strength, joy and love.”
Join us in using this platform of the Down Syndrome Protection Act to show love to these vulnerable children in the womb. And again, please share your support with your State Representative and State Senator. Join us in calling on them to protect these precious lives in law and recognizing Down Syndrome is a life worth living.
Sincerely,
Michael Geer
President & CEO
Pennsylvania Family Council
