Welcome To Canada ... A Tale of Prenatal Screening

It's an interesting issue ... the ethics of prenatal screening, particularly when it comes to Down Syndrome. When I first heard of a movement afoot provincially to push for legislation around the issue, I was confused. Exactly what perceived problem were these people trying to solve?

Then I had a long chat with Renate Lindeman, mother of April and Hazel (both have Down syndrome) and president and co-founder of the Nova Scotia Down Syndrome Society. A mother. And a woman with a mission.

I am going to be blogging more about Renate's mission on the special needs blawg over the next little while. But I thought I might share here a poem Renate wrote. It an be found on her blog, Campaign for Down Syndrome.

I am seldom asked to describe the experience of raising children with a disability in Canada – to try to reach people who avoid this issue, to get them involved. It’s like this….

When we landed as Dutch immigrants at Halifax Airport six years ago, we were excited to start the first day of our lives in our newly adopted country. We found jobs, a home, made ‘Canadian’ friends and got involved in our community. Canada felt like the perfect place to live.

After years of successful integration, the day finally arrives that our own little Canadian was born. Several hours later, the nurse comes in and says, ‘your baby has Down syndrome, welcome to Canada.'

‘Canada?!?’ you say ‘what do you mean welcome to Canada’? We live here, our baby is born here, of course we are welcome here.

Go read the rest of it. It will bring a tear to your eye. And might just make you question what you think you know. If you're interested in learning more, check in at that the blawg over the next little while.

It's not about pro-abortion
It's not about pro-life
Its about pro-humanity