ARTICLES

Group promotes adoption of Down syndrome babies

By Paul Sanchez
special to The Catholic Virginian

A Maryland-based organization is going against the unfortunate trend of aborting Down syndrome babies to scan the globe to rescue these babies and place them with loving families in the United States.

In the U.S., a front page article entitled “Prenatal Test Puts Down Syndrome in Hard Focus” in the New York Times appeared on 9 May 2007 with the grim statistics that 90 percent of all prenatal detections of Down syndrome end in abortion.

Until 2007, only pregnant women 35 and older were routinely tested to determine if their unborn children had the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome. However, a 2007 recommendation from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has encouraged doctors to offer a new screening procedure to all pregnant women, regardless of their age.

For decades doctors have recommended an amniocentesis test for pregnant women 35 and over because their age dictates a greater risk for chromosomal defects. Because the test carries a slight chance of miscarriage, it has not been routinely offered to younger women, who end up giving birth to the majority of Down syndrome babies. However, now a sonogram and two blood tests in the first trimester can detect the extra 21st chromosome that causes Down syndrome.

Despite the trend in the use of prenatal testing to facilitate the aborting of Down syndrome babies, a most unique organization in the U.S. has been changing hearts and minds on the Down syndrome issue. Reece’s Rainbow assists couples in adopting Down syndrome children from other countries.

Founded in June 2006, it has already found families for more than 125 children. An entirely volunteer organization, Reece’s Rainbow prides itself on the fact that 100 percent of every dollar donated goes to the child, family or other fund the donor specifies.

Reece’s Rainbow is not an adoption agency, but rather a nonprofit volunteer organization that serves as a connecting point for Down syndrome children and potential adoptive families. The organization promotes focus on saving the lives of those left behind and facing life or death in mental institutions abroad.

Reece’s Rainbow was founded by Andrea Roberts, a mother with a Down syndrome child named Reece who changed her life.

“Yes, my son is the catalyst for Reece’s Rainbow,” she says. “But, I lean on my belief that God has a specific purpose for everyone, and this is His calling for me through Reece.

“Not everyone gets such an obvious call! I spent many years drifting through life, with no idea where I was headed. I love to help others and my love for Reece fuels my passion to defend and protect others like him.”

Shelley Bedford and her husband have adopted two boys from two different countries through Reece’s Rainbow. Their son Xander, adopted from the Ukraine in August 2007, has Down syndrome and bilateral clubbed feet; he has had major foot reconstruction surgery and is learning to walk at age five.

Their other son Grifyn, also five years old, was adopted from Serbia in April 2008. Shelley now volunteers with Reece’s Rainbow to assist other families who are adopting from Serbia.

A resident of Alabama where her husband is in the U.S. Army, Ms. Bedford recently said of her volunteer work with Reece’s Rainbow, “The most rewarding part is seeing the families meeting their new children. It is amazing to watch the journeys that families go through and how God pulls it all together.

“It is an honor to be a small part of helping unite children with their forever families.”

Bedford admits that people were surprised when she and her husband announced they were adopting a Down syndrome child.

“Everyone was really surprised when we first told them that we were adopting a child with DS,” she said. “No one understood why and they really didn’t understand what to expect.

“Once we brought Xander home, everyone fell in love with him. As he’s grown and developed, we’ve learned that most of the fears and reservations that our family and friends had is because they really didn’t understand what having DS means.

“Now they see our children and they realize that they are just normal kids, with personalities, likes and dislikes like everyone else. Our boys are loved and accepted by all of our family and friends.”

While asked about her opposition to abortion and prenatal testing done solely for the detection of Down syndrome, Ms. Roberts said, “I am sure that there are many members of our group who may have varying viewpoints, but Reece’s Rainbow does not have a stated position on abortion. Our group is open to anyone with a love for children and people with Down syndrome.”

Volunteers in Reece’s Rainbow reach across the broad spectrum of Christianity. There are many Catholic volunteers. One Catholic with a strong opinion on Reece’s Rainbow is not a volunteer. Maureen Mulready is a native of Liverpool, England, who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years.

A pro-life activist who resides in Westchester County, N.Y., Mulready thinks that Reece’s Rainbow represents the ultimate pro-life expression and applauds the rescuing of Down syndrome babies from lives in terrible institutions where they would likely be mistreated.

“I think it is horrific that 90 percent of Down syndrome pregnancies end up in abortion. If society does not show compassion for its most vulnerable members, then it is doomed for worse things.

“In my opinion, the fact that Reece’s Rainbow is helping to secure all of these adoptions conveys to others that these children deserve the right to live just like other children. They are spreading a pro-life message of compassion and acceptance.”

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