Welcome, Cole McMorris Rodgers!

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane gave birth about a month ago to a son, Cole.  But sadly, The Spokesman Review reported last Thursday that Cole was just released from the hospital after treatment from his premature birth and has been diagnosed with Down's Syndrome. 

As any mother with a heart would be, Mrs. Rodgers is embracing her son.

"This news has been difficult to get our arms around, like every parent, we have hopes and dreams for our children," she wrote. "  Although initially stunned, we are embracing our son and preparing for what may lay ahead."

While the Rodgers family is embracing their new son and preparing for what may lay ahead, a certain lefty blogger took the opportunity to make the story about "choice" which prompted this rather odd reply in defense of Rodgers at "Sound Politics".  The post drew out the gamut in the comment thread, ranging from the profound to the profoundly insane.  But having the discussion is good, since there are so many "in the middle" on the debate about abortion. 

From Physicians For Life:

Recent US studies have indicated that when Down syndrome is diagnosed prenatally, 84% to 91% of those babies will be killed by abortion. This trend is not isolated to the United States. In England, a 2004 study showed that 94% of babies who were diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome were subsequently aborted.5 When all Down syndrome babies are considered - those diagnosed prenatally as well as those only diagnosed with DS after birth - studies show that 26% to 37% of these tiny lives will be ended by abortion.

As one mother of a Down's Syndrome baby wrote:

Just as we have finally discovered how much children with Down syndrome can learn and how much they can contribute to our families, schools and communities, they are endangered human beings - soon to be extinct at the hands of expectant parents, physicians and bioethicists, who profess to define quality of life, predict the ability of an unborn fetus, and define "perfect."

And a precious human face on the debate over "an issue" that often gets treated as a bargaining chip, reminds us (if we look closely) that it's not just "an issue" with which we can exchange for the other 80% of the Republican platform. Look at that little face and tell me that it's not as important as lower taxes or property rights.

Welcome, Cole McMorris Rodgers!