By M.A. Student Megan Witt
Since I was a child I have been lucky enough to attend the March for Life. It was always something my family looked forward to doing together. As a child though, I never fully grasped the reality of the situation. That there were hundreds of thousands of lives being taken each year, 2,363 babies every day. I remember around eleven years old seeing the graphic images on the route of the March. My mother had always shielded me from them, until that day. That was when I finally realized the evil that we were battling. The reality that scared me the most was that children determined to have special needs in the womb were being aborted at a startling rate.
I have an aunt with a genetic disability called XXX syndrome. My grandparents did not have access to prenatal genetic testing and were not aware of my aunt’s disability. The thought that a physician may have suggested ending my aunt’s life is devastating, but unfortunately, it is the reality for too many parents. I had the privilege to assist and eventually teach catechesis classes to children with disabilities of all kinds for almost ten years. Having the opportunity to watch them grow in faith and receive the sacraments was an incredible experience. It was never a question that each of those children had an invaluable role in their family, their community, and the world.
In 2017, I remember reading an article celebrating the eradication of Down Syndrome in Iceland through abortion practices. It was published as some sort of celebration piece implying that individuals with Down Syndrome were a burden to the society they were a part of. I remember feeling so disgusted that people thought such a thing. Knowing many children and having family members that experienced the world through this different lens, I knew I was blessed to experience the love and friendship of these individuals.
At this year’s March for Life, I was reminded of this when Casey Gunning and her twin Sister Mary Casey O’Connor gave their speech. Casey reminded the audience that “God does not make mistakes”. A whole population of God’s creation is stripped of their right to life because they are different. Their lives are not appreciated, and instead, many times they are seen as people undeserving of life.
The March for Life to me is an opportunity to speak up for the rights of all unborn children, but especially the lives of children with disabilities who are disproportionately aborted every day. In Denmark 98% of children diagnosed with a disability are aborted, 77% in France, and 67% in the United States. Children with a prenatal diagnosis of a genetic disease are twice as likely to be aborted for their diagnosis. And yet, according to the New York Times “studies have found that positive results are incorrect more than 90 percent of the time.”[1] There is a false sense that these tests are infallible, and children are losing their lives because of it. This is a gross violation of these childrens’ rights and I do not believe that it is discussed enough.
Many pro-choice advocates are also disability advocates, but only once they are outside the womb. In bringing attention to this subject through events like the March for Life we are fighting for the rights of all unborn children, and unborn children with disabilities are not forgotten in that fight. By bringing speakers like Casey Gunning, the March for Life calls attention to this horrible practice and makes it undeniable that human beings with disabilities are no less human or deserving of life.
I will always be grateful for having been raised experiencing these Marches and the unique joy of those that attend them. Although we have made great strides in protecting the lives of the unborn, there is so much more that needs to be done. Giving parents resources to help raise children with disabilities is crucial in making them feel like abortion is not the only option. Bringing light to this subject is something that we must continue to do in order to save these children’s lives. No one deserves to be murdered because they are different or may require additional resources. Society must be restructured to support these individuals and their families, instead of eradicating them to avoid this.
[1] These Prenatal Tests Are Usually Wrong When Warning of Rare Disorders, The New York Times (nytimes.com).
