Today is World Down Syndrome Day. It’s a day to promote awareness of the needs, challenges and successes of those with Down Syndrome. It is becoming sadly apparent that the greatest threat to those with down syndrome is abortion. The numbers of babies born with down syndrome has fallen steadily over the past thirty years as prenatal testing has made it possible for parents to selectively abort babies with down syndrome. Between 2008 and 2012, in England and Wales, where, unlike here in the U.S. birth defects are tracked closely, there were 5,215 babies with DS aborted compared to 4,288 DS babies born. In the U.S., a 2010 study showed that in the state of Massachusetts the rate of births with Down Syndrome was reduced 49% due to abortions. In several European countries the abortion rate of children with Down Syndrome is nearly 100%!

With this heartbreak in mind, a group called CoorDown produced a video highlighting the love and joy of those with Down Syndrome. But if you live in France, you won’t see it. The French government has banned the video from being played on TV. Why would they possibly ban a video with such an uplifting message? Because it is, “likely to disturb the conscience of women who had lawfully made personal life choices.”

Please share this video. Show your family and friends these beautiful faces and the abundant life they bring to us all. And if you feel so compelled, sign the Change.org petition asking the French government to lift the ban.

SIGN THE PETITION