Iceland And The Down Syndrome Abortion Rate

 
I’m Lori, “Stacy’s sister,” and I open with prayer because this mission is spiritual and painfully concrete at the same time. We ask Saint Joseph, Protector of the Unborn, to defend babies diagnosed with Down syndrome and to guide us toward courage and clarity. Along the way, I share why Saint Joseph didn’t always feel prominent in my own Catholic life, and what changed as I learned more through Redemptoris Custos and the Church’s growing emphasis on Joseph as guardian, father, and protector.

Then we turn to the real-world impact of prenatal screening and abortion policy, spotlighting Iceland’s near-total termination rate after a positive Down syndrome diagnosis and the cultural language used to justify it. We also look at the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review, where Iceland’s treatment of people with Down syndrome was challenged, and we pray for a change of heart and policy.

To end on truth instead of stereotypes, I return to Stacy. Her life was not an argument on paper but a daily reality full of personality, friends, laughter, and one unforgettable baseball story that says more than statistics ever can. If you care about Down syndrome awareness, prenatal testing ethics, disability rights, and Catholic pro-life witness, listen, share, and subscribe and if this moved you, please leave a review so more people can find it.

Credits: A Prayer to St. Joseph, Defender of Life. Used with permission. Copyright © 2021, USCCB, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved.

Apostolic Exhortation  Redemptoris Custos

Of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II  

On the Mission of St. Joseph In The Life of Christ and of The Church

Transcript

Welcome And Mission

Speaker 0:00

Hello and welcome. Thank you for joining me for this episode of Saint Joseph, Protector of the Unborn. This podcast is dedicated to honoring and to venerating St. Joseph and to seeking his protection and intercession to save the lives of unborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome. I'm your host, Lori, also known as Stacy's sister. Stacy was born when I was six years old and she had Down syndrome. We were together for the entire 60 years of her life. She filled my life with love and purpose. Thanks to Stacy, I know how much individuals with Down syndrome have to offer the world, and what a tragedy it is that thousands of babies who look like Stacy are aborted each

Opening Prayer To Saint Joseph

Speaker 0:40

year. Let's start this podcast with the prayer to Saint Joseph. O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interest and desires. O Saint Joseph, to assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me, from your divine Son, all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ our Lord, so that having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers. O Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart. Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me, and ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. Saint Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for me.

Why Joseph Was Overlooked

Speaker 1:32

As I've mentioned in previous episodes, I have been a faithful Catholic practically since birth. I attend Mass regularly. I was baptized as a baby, celebrated my first communion, and was confirmed. Yet for most of my life, Saint Joseph did not play a prominent role in my spiritual journey. Since so little is known about Saint Joseph's life, I think many Catholics have felt similarly about this humble, gentle man. Even the Catholic Church neglected to include Saint Joseph's name in the prayers of the Mass for almost 2,000 years. As Father Donald Calloway details in his book, Consecration to St. Joseph, Saint Joseph's name was added to the Roman canon of the Mass by Pope John XXIII, effective December 1962. However, his name wasn't added to the other three Eucharistic prayers until May 2013, and even then it took the joint efforts of Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. And, thanks to the efforts of Father Calloway and other St. Joseph advocates, Pope Francis declared 2021 to be the year of Saint Joseph. But in spite of the lack of inclusion of Saint Joseph in the prayers of the Mass, it is important to remember that Saint Joseph has been awarded many honors and titles, among them patron of the unborn.

Guardian Of The Redeemer

Speaker 2:47

Now, I want to continue to explore some nuggets, a term often used by Father Mike Schmitz, about Saint Joseph from Saint Pope John Paul II's Redemptoris Custos, meaning guardian of the Redeemer. Together with Mary, Joseph is the first guardian of the divine mystery, which, according to Ephesians, was hidden for ages in God. Joseph supported Mary, his wife, in the faith of the divine annunciation. As Saint Pope John Paul II says, Joseph was the first to be placed by God on the path of Mary's pilgrimage of faith. The marriage between the holy spouses was the basis for Joseph's legal fatherhood. God chose Joseph as Mary's spouse to assure fatherly protection for Jesus. Throughout Jesus' life, Joseph was never deprived of his fatherly authority. Let's pray to him now as patron of the unborn.

Prayer As Defender Of Life

Speaker 3:40

We're going to again recite the beautiful A Prayer to Saint Joseph, defender of life. I am grateful that we have permission from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, to include this prayer in our podcast. Dearest Saint Joseph, at the word of an angel, you lovingly took Mary into your home. As God's humble servant, you guided the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem, welcomed Jesus as your own son in the shelter of a manger, and fled far from your homeland for the safety of both mother and child. We praise God that as their faithful protector, you never hesitated to sacrifice for those entrusted to you. May your example inspire us also to welcome, cherish, and safeguard God's most precious gift of life. Help us to faithfully commit ourselves to the service and defense of human life, especially where it is vulnerable or threatened. Obtain for us the grace to do the will of God in all things. Amen.

Abortion And Down Syndrome Reality

Speaker 4:42

It's obvious that I am concerned about the impact of abortion on unborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome. So almost every episode will probably include a discussion regarding this atrocity. Our first two episodes focused on Dr. Jerome Lejeune and his journey from award-winning genetics expert to being on the road to potential sainthood, and his heartbreak when he realized that his research would lead to the widespread abortion of unborn babies with Down syndrome. Now we're going to switch focus to the real world results of Dr. Lejeune's discovery. I have to admit that this part of the podcast is the most difficult and heartbreaking part of the podcast for me. I have some pictures of Stacy on the wall behind me. One of the pictures was taken in the hospital soon after her birth. It's devastating to know that babies who look like her are being aborted when they are literally only a day younger than she is in this picture. But sadly, too many countries have tragically high rates of abortion for babies with Down syndrome, some higher than others. This episode and the next few episodes will deal with specific countries that have exceptionally high

Iceland’s Screening And Termination Rates

Speaker 5:50

rates. Countries that have normalized this practice. Today we will spotlight Iceland. Iceland, a country that has almost completely eliminated the birth of babies with Down syndrome. On average, just one or two babies with Down syndrome are born annually in Iceland now. Prenatal screening tests were introduced into Iceland in the 2000s, and all expectant mothers must be apprised of the availability of the screening test. 80 to 85% of pregnant women choose to take this test. Almost 100% of women who receive a positive result for Down syndrome terminate the pregnancy. Iceland permits abortions after 16 weeks if the baby has a deformity. Unborn babies with Down syndrome fall into this category. They do not, of course, refer to the abortion of almost every unborn baby diagnosed with Down syndrome as murder. In fact, they provide their parents with a prayer card inscribed with the date and tiny footprints, as though their actions were not deliberately causing this loss. An Icelandic counselor justifies the deaths as just a thing we ended, ending a possible life that may have a huge complication, preventing suffering for the child and for the family, which apparently reveals the Icelandic point of view regarding living with a disability. In spite of evidence to the contrary, the world at large claims to be outraged at Iceland's treatment of unborn babies with Down syndrome. Future episodes will highlight the hypocrisy of this claim, but it is true that in January 2024, at the Universal Periodic Review conducted by the United Nations Human Rights Council, Iceland's treatment of those with Down syndrome was rightfully criticized. The Universal Periodic Review is an evaluation of the human rights record of every member country. The meeting takes place every five years. At the 2024 meeting, delegates from both the Philippines and Iran recommended that Iceland take remedial action to combat discrimination against individuals with Down syndrome. We can only pray that negative international attention may cause Iceland to have a change in perspective.

Global Criticism And A Prayer For Change

Speaker 7:56

To further that cause and to ask Saint Joseph for his help in protecting these babies, let's recite the prayer of Saint Francis de Sales. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary, grant us, we beseech thee, thy paternal protection through the heart of Jesus Christ. O thou whose infinite power reaches out to all our needs, rendering possible for us that which is impossible. Look upon the concerns of thy children with fatherly countenance. In the troubles and sorrows that afflict us, we have confident recourse to thee. Deign to take under thy loving protection this important and difficult endeavor, the cause of our worries, and dispose its success for the glory of God and to the benefit of his faithful servants. Amen.

Stacy’s Life And Joy With Down Syndrome

Speaker 8:46

Now is a good time to turn to something less horrific and heartbreaking, since Iceland seems to be obsessed with preventing the suffering of individuals with Down syndrome. We're again going to examine what life is really like for someone with Down syndrome. Of course, Stacy will be my example. It appears that many abortion proponents seem to think that individuals with Down syndrome have no passion or personality, that their lives must be filled with constant suffering that has to be avoided. These people never met Stacy, or any members of the Down syndrome population. A population filled with happy, loving people. People, not inconveniences to be rid of. And just a personal comment. Men and women, boys and girls with Down syndrome, these are some of my absolutely favorite people in the world. I spent one of my happiest birthdays out to dinner with Stacy, our parents, and some of her friends. A fun, loving environment with awesome people. Now back to Stacy's world. Stacy and Dad loved attending baseball games at our local stadium. And as usual, Stacy was a favorite with the fans and the team. However, on one occasion, she wasn't a favorite of Dad's. That evening, Dad left Stacy in her seat while he visited the men's room. Not an unusual occurrence, except this time because he must have been gone longer than typically. By the time he returned, Stacy had managed to make it downstairs, onto the field, then up to the pitcher's mound. Apparently, everyone in the stadium thought it was both adorable and hilarious, except for Dad. Mom and I did not learn about this from Dad. Mom heard about it from a coworker who was at the game and who recognized Stacy. It may not have been a fond memory at the time for either of our parents. However, Stacy, being Stacy, loved the attention. Such was her suffering

Litany Of Saint Joseph And Closing

Speaker 10:33

life. This is a happy note on which to end this episode, so let's recite the litany of St. Joseph. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Holy Mary, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Renowned offspring of David, pray for us. Light of patriarchs, pray for us. Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us. Chaste guardian of the Virgin, pray for us. Foster Father of the Son of God, pray for us. Diligent protector of Christ, pray for us. Head of the Holy Family, pray for us. Joseph, most just, pray for us. Joseph, most chaste, pray for us. Joseph, most prudent, pray for us. Joseph, most strong, pray for us. Joseph, most obedient, pray for us. Joseph, most faithful, pray for us. Mirror of patience, pray for us. Lover of poverty, pray for us. Model of artisans, pray for us. Glory of home life, pray for us. Guardian of virgins, pray for us. Pillar of families, pray for us. Solace of the wretched, pray for us. Hope of the sick, pray for us. Patron of the dying, pray for us. Terror of demons, pray for us. Protector of holy church, pray for us. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. He has made him Lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance. Let us pray. O God, who, in thine unspeakable providence, didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to be the spouse of thine own most holy mother. Grant, we beseech thee, that we may deserve to have him for our intercessor in heaven, whom we reverence as our defender on earth, you who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. Thank you for joining me today, in our effort to honor and to venerate Saint Joseph, and to seek his loving intervention and assistance to save the lives of unborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome. Please keep listening, and I pray you have a hopeful and blessed day. So long from Stacy's sister.