Life and Human Dignity

The Point: A Life Worth Living

11/15/17

John Stonestreet

His message is one more people need to hear. For the Colson Center, I’m John Stonestreet with The Point.

Last month, Congress heard testimony from Frank Stephens, an actor, Special Olympian, and advocate for those with disabilities. Stephens has Down syndrome, but he had something to say in a country where an estimated 67 percent of those diagnosed with the disorder in utero are aborted:

“I am a man with Down syndrome,” he said, “and my life is worth living. I have a great life!”

His story echoes the vast majority of adults with Down syndrome, as well as their families. A study in the American Journal of Medical Genetics shows that 99 percent of individuals with Down syndrome are happy with their lives; 97 percent of parents of children with Downs expressed pride in their child, as well as 94 percent of siblings.

This information has the power to impact the decisions of parents who get hard diagnoses, and shape our society into one where people with disabilities aren’t considered better off dead.

But Stephens can’t get the word out on his own. We need to speak up, too.

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