{"id":38866,"date":"2013-08-09T11:27:30","date_gmt":"2013-08-09T15:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=38866"},"modified":"2016-03-18T10:37:35","modified_gmt":"2016-03-18T14:37:35","slug":"life-of-the-week-noahs-dad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/life-of-the-week-noahs-dad\/","title":{"rendered":"Life of the Week: Noah\u2019s Dad"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Noah,<\/a>

Noah, courtesy of Noahsdad.com.<\/p><\/div>\n

When Rick Smith and his wife found out their newborn son had Down syndrome, their life momentarily turned upside-down. As with any of us who have received a diagnosis for our child, there were a million questions to ask, each coated in fear and anxiety. Rick set out to do what many parents have done – he started a blog<\/a> to show the world just how normal his son and his life are. But he did it with a pro-life message.<\/p>\n

On his blog, Rick writes:<\/p>\n

Shortly after [Noah\u2019s] birth we were shocked to learn that\u00a092 percent<\/a>\u00a0of children\u00a0diagnosed\u00a0with Down syndrome through\u00a0prenatal\u00a0testing were aborted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sadly, he\u2019s right. He even talks about how the doctor apologized and went back through his wife\u2019s records to see if something had been missed, something that may have given Rick and his wife an out \u2013 through abortion.<\/p>\n

So Rick set out to change the way the world views people with Down syndrome. He set out to teach expectant parents not to be so afraid when their child is diagnosed with Down syndrome. With his simple wording like \u201cchild-less (no-child-out-of-the-womb) couple\u201d when he referred to himself and his pregnant wife, he is expressing to the world his belief in life before birth.<\/p>\n

Expressing a pro-life view can invite some harsh words from readers, like \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want the burden of having a child with Down Syndrome. I would have terminated the pregnancy.\u201d But by expressing those pro-life beliefs, Rick has saved lives. The criticisms are more than worth it.<\/p>\n

One parent wrote to him saying:<\/p>\n

I just got the phone call last night that my blood work was abnormal and my child may possibly have Down\u2019s Syndrome. [\u2026] While my first thought was to abort if DS was confirmed all that has changed thanks to your story and others like yours.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then, on National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday<\/a>, Rick posted<\/a> about his pro-life stance. This particular post was called “A Mother\u2019s Womb, The Most Dangerous Place In The World For A Baby With Down Syndrome,” and in it, Rick talks about what we can do to change the world\u2019s view of abortion as a whole and abortion of children with Down syndrome in particular. He talks about how it\u2019s wrong for us to remain silent about abortion and says that by sharing our stories and our views, we can help families, we can help parents, we can help children. He writes:<\/p>\n

People aren\u2019t burdens. People are gifts from God. Created in His image for a purpose. Every. single. person. on. this. planet \u2026 in the womb, or out. Let me say it again, this time read it slowly. Every person on this planet is a gift from God, created in His image for a great purpose.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Noah\u2019s obvious – but not only – purpose is to help his father fulfill one of his purposes: to save lives of unborn children with Down syndrome. And for that, we salute them both.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: This summer, we will be providing you with a Life of the Week story every Friday. Our previous Life of the Week articles are here: <\/em><\/p>\n