Man with Down Syndrome in Viral Pro-Life Video: 'I Don't Want To Make It Illegal, I Want To Make It Unthinkable'
Actor, Special Olympian and pro-life advocate Frank Stephens believes that abortion should be unthinkable, thanks to his life lived with Down Syndrome.
Stephens spoke out about the abortion debate on Friday’s edition of “Fox and Friends,” and said he believes that ignorance of those with disabilities like his own have led to the conclusion that their lives don’t matter.
“When they get a chance to get to know us they basically get a chance to like us,” Stephens told Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt.
“About abortion, I don’t want to make it illegal,” Stephens said. “I want to make it unthinkable. Politicians change laws. I want to change people’s hearts. I want to change people’s hearts by changing people’s minds and hearts together.”
Stephens speaks in schools, to the media and even to Congress and is an ambassador for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation.
According to a study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, 67 percent of prenatal diagnoses of Down Syndrome in the United States resulted in abortions.
For several countries across the globe, however, being diagnosed with Down Syndrome in utero is considerably more dangerous for the child.
CBS News reported in August of 2017 that since prenatal screening was introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, almost 100 percent of those who received a positive test chose to abort their baby.
As of 2015, Denmark had a 98 percent abortion rate and France had a 77 percent abortion rate for positive tests of Down Syndrome.
Stephens believes that if mothers understood what life could be like for their children, they might change their minds.
“My life is worth living because it is fantastic,” Stephens stated. “I’ve gotten to travel all over the world.”
“I get to workshop a play in New York. I’m going to be in two documentaries which will be on next month. And I have a lovely girlfriend, friends and a wonderful family.”
“I don’t want to make abortion illegal. I want to make it unthinkable,” says Frank Stephens, a special Olympian who wants abortion advocates to know that the lives of people with special needs have unlimited value. #ProLife pic.twitter.com/637JJKCChm
— Rep. Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) February 1, 2019
The issue of abortion was brought into the headlines once again, thanks to New York’s recent third-trimester abortion law and Virginia’s attempt to follow suit — push the law even further to allow the killing of babies while they are being born.
Stephens’ message was brought to the forefront of many minds by actor Ashton Kutcher, who posted a video on his Facebook page featuring the pro-life advocate speaking to a Congressional committee in October of 2017.
Stephens mentioned Kutcher in his Fox interview and said, “I’d like to thank my friend Ashton Kutcher for bringing back my testimony. It’s like the walking dead because it just won’t stay down.”
While speaking to the committee, Stephens emphasized his own quality of life, and his right to exist, despite what testing or abortion advocates might say.
“Across the world, a notion is being sold that maybe we don’t need research concerning Down Syndrome. Some people say prenatal screenings will identify Down syndrome in the womb, and those pregnancies will just be terminated,” Stephens said.
“It’s is hard for me to sit here and say those words. Let’s be clear, I completely understand that the people pushing that particular ‘final solution’ are saying that people like me should not exist. They are saying that we have too little value to exist.”
Near the end of his comments, Stephens implored the panel, “Let’s be America, not Iceland or Denmark. Let’s pursue answers, not ‘final solutions.’”
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