Ohio considers Down syndrome abortion ban - what are your thoughts?

by Jackie Borchardt from Cleveland.com and Northeast Ohio Media Group:
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio woman who learns her unborn child has Down syndrome would not be allowed to terminate the pregnancy under legislation sought by the state's largest anti-abortion group.
A yet-to-be introduced bill would prohibit abortions sought because a pre-natal screening or diagnostic test showed the fetus could have Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21. The genetic disorder causes developmental delays and intellectual disability of varying degrees.

Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, said details such as how the law would be enforced are still being determined as the bill is drafted. Gonidakis said any penalties would be for the physician, not the woman, consistent with other legislation the group has supported.

"Everyone wants to be born perfect and none of us are, and we don't think we should devalue life based on a false sense of perfection," Gonidakis said.

SD lawmakers reject abortion ban for Down syndrome

by Chet Brokaw from the Associated Press and San Francisco Gate:

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A measure that would have banned aborting fetuses diagnosed with Down syndrome was rejected by a South Dakota legislative committee Thursday, with lawmakers saying it could jeopardize the state's legal defense of abortion restrictions passed in previous years.

Lawmakers on either side of the issue joined to defeat the bill despite an emotional plea from its sponsor, Rep. Isaac Latterell, R-Tea, who talked about his love for his two sisters, Eva and Grace, who have the genetic disorder.

"I hope you can see what a treasure my sisters are and how much they can teach us about what is truly important in life," Latterell said. "We must stop killing children simply because they have Down syndrome before they even have a chance to shower us with their love, as Eva and Grace have with me."

The House and Human Services Committee voted 8-4 to scrap the measure after a vote to pass it ended in a 6-6 tie.

family welcomes girl with Down syndrome before Russian ban

from Daily Herald by Danny Crivello:
An American Fork family reportedly adopted a 4-year-old Russian girl with Down syndrome just days before Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children -- presumably making the girl, Hazel, one of the last of those now-banned adoptions.
Heather and Jeremy Fillmore welcomed Hazel into their American Fork home only an hour before Christmas began, the Deseret News reports. It took about 11 months for the Fillmores to bring the girl home from Russia prior to her arrival at Salt Lake City International Airport.
“It’s been tough, but worth it, and to have her here and be part of our family, it’s now great,” Jeremy Fillmore told the newspaper. “We feel like we’re complete and we’re excited to have her.”
The Fillmores will be among the last of more than 60,000 American families to bring up a Russian child as their own as Russia signed a bill this week outlawing the process. President Vladimir Putin's approval of the adoption ban will leave nearly 50 Russian children on the verge of adoption by U.S. families now stranded.
The Fillmores found Hazel through a website that advocates for children with special needs called Reece’s Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry. She was the family’s second girl they adopted from Russia via the website. Anya, now 7, was adopted in March 2011, the newspaper reports.
Putin on Friday signed a bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children, part of a harsh response to a U.S. law targeting Russians deemed to be human rights violators, the Associated Press reported.
Although some top Russian officials including the foreign minister openly opposed the bill and Putin himself had been noncommittal about it last week, he signed it less than 24 hours after receiving it from Parliament, where both houses passed it overwhelmingly.
Children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said 52 children who were in the pipeline for U.S. adoption would remain in Russia.
The bill has angered Americans and Russians who argue it victimizes children to make a political point, cutting off a route out of frequently dismal orphanages for thousands.