Life decisions

Abortion: How far should pro-life advocates go in working with “abortion grays” to reduce the number of abortions? | Jamie Dean

WASHINGTON, D.C.— One favorite Capitol Hill worker of Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) is an elevator operator named Jimmy. The young man with Down syndrome wears ties given to him by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and often greets legislators with high-fives or hugs.

"He's a wonderful young man," Brownback recently told a pro-life audience in Washington, D.C. "And if you see a Down syndrome child or person in this country today, I hope you give them a hug, because 90 percent are killed in the womb."

Brownback referred to studies that estimate 80 to 90 percent of parents who learn their unborn children have Down syndrome choose abortion. The senator made a plea to those with unborn babies testing positive for the genetic disorder: "If it's too tough for the family, don't kill them. We'll put them up, and we'll get them adopted."