Totus Tuus: My Speech For the 2018 Rosary for Life Event

When Tyler Rowley from Servants of Christ for Life asked me to be one of the speakers for their 2018 Rosary for Life Event at the Rhode Island State House, I was honored.   On Thursday, March 22nd, I joined two other pro-life Catholic mothers and advocates in sharing our testimony. 

My story began when we received a positive prenatal screening result for Down syndrome while I was pregnant with our first child.   That result turned out to be what is known as a false positive, or in other words, the screening was wrong and our son does not have Down syndrome.

​I pray that by sharing our story, we can inspire other women and families who may be facing a similar situation to hold onto hope, not fear and to choose life.

As Tyler stated at the event, we have an obligation to defend these precious babies as they have no means of defending themselves.    

For those who would like to read my speech, I have included it below.

Christina Frye's 2018 Rosary For Life Speech:
​ 
On Monday, July 13, 2015, I was entering my 15th week of pregnancy with our first child.  Three weeks earlier, I had taken a prenatal screening test that checks for chromosomal abnormalities in the baby.   I opted to take the test because it would tell us the gender of the baby earlier than usual and it was of no cost to us, as it was part of a study from the hospital. 
 
The prenatal screening that I took is a Noninvasive cell-free fetal DNA test, which works “by analyzing the DNA fragments from the baby which are present in the maternal plasma during pregnancy.”  In other words, when a mother becomes pregnant, some cells from the baby and placenta start to “mix in” or “float” around in the mother’s blood stream. 
 
That Monday, over the phone, my doctor told me that our results from the prenatal test were in and that it showed an increased risk of Trisomy 21, Down Syndrome, for our baby.  She told me that the risk of our baby having Down Syndrome was 9 in 10.   She told me that she was very sorry and that a nurse from her office would call me shortly to set up an appointment for us that day with a genetic counselor.  I was petrified.
 
When I talked to the nurse, I asked her if she knew if we were having a boy or girl and she told me that it was a boy.   While I was still very much afraid- I felt hope in knowing that our baby would be our baby and we would love and cherish him no matter what.
 
Later that day, we met with the genetic counselor.  She told us that we had “options” and before she could finish the word termination, my sadness turned to anger, and I yelled at her and said “NO! The only option ever is to have this baby. Do not say that again.”  We declined an amniocentesis test which while it could have confirmed or invalidated the screening test, is invasive and has a miscarriage risk.  We agreed to a Level II ultrasound at 20 weeks, which checks the baby from head to toe.   She told us an array of medical challenges that our son could face if he did have Down syndrome. 
 
I felt hopeless, afraid and distraught that my baby might have serious medical challenges ahead and at one singular point, I even felt guilty for not “terminating” the pregnancy. 
 
As I held my husbands hand, I turned to my mother, who attended the meeting with us and said, “Mom, what do we do?”  She said, “Pray, we just start praying.”
And we did. We prayed that, if it was God’s will, to spare our son of any health problems.  We prayed for strength for our family to endure whatever He decided.  Down syndrome or not, our boy was our boy.
 
Shortly after, my husband, my mother and I began to pray the Rosary daily.  We asked for Our Lady’s intercession, we sent in what felt like hundreds of requests for prayers online.  I lit candle after candle at Church.   I began wearing the Miraculous Medal and we asked as many Saints as possible for their intercession.
 
The Level II ultrasound at 20 weeks showed that our son appeared to be healthy.  Our sweet boy’s heart, brain, stomach, kidneys, arms, legs and basically everything was measuring as it should. But the doctor still insisted that the blood test was 97% accurate and that Down syndrome could not be ruled out.
 
But, throughout the entire pregnancy, I didn’t feel like he had Down syndrome.  I kept telling my doctor that and while she may have thought that I was crazy, in denial or both, my motherly intuition did not align with the testing result.
 
I prayed to God that if he truly trusted me with a child with special needs, then “May it be done to me according to your word” to quote the Blessed Mother’s Fiat in Luke 1:38
Well, it turns out that God did not trust me with a child with special needs or maybe my mother’s instinct was right, and he never had Down syndrome.
 
Our sweet, precious little boy was born without a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21.
He does not have Down syndrome.  Bloodwork confirmed this when he was just days old.
Throughout my entire pregnancy, I was afraid of miscarriage.  There is a significant likelihood that women who are pregnant with a child with Down Syndrome will miscarry.  In fact, only three in ten babies with Down syndrome make it full term.
 
That is, if they are not aborted.
Unfortunately, thanks in part to prenatal testing, Down syndrome is slowly being eradicated from the Earth.
In Iceland, nearly 100 percent of women who receive a positive test for Down syndrome choose to abort.  In Denmark, its 98%, in France, its 77%

In the USA, 67% of mothers who were told that their children had an elevated risk of Down syndrome choose abortion.
 
This is nothing short of genocide.

Imagine that 100 people with Down syndrome were in this room and someone came and killed 67 of them.  How is that okay? 
 
It is absolutely terrifying, and it frightens me to the depths of my soul.
Years ago, I used to side more with pro-choice, as I thought that while I would never have an abortion myself, I wouldn’t want to “take that option away from another woman.”
Praise God for softening my heart and letting me realize that the only option abortion allows for is death.  Death of over one billion babies worldwide.
 
I hope abortion terrifies you as much as it terrifies me.  I say this not to harm you but to inspire you to join me in making a difference.  To pray for change.

As Saint Therese of Lisieux said: “Let us not grow tired of prayer: confidence works miracles”
 
Two years to the day when we received that call from my doctor, I launched Catholic Mom Rhode Island, a ministry for Roman Catholic mothers in Rhode Island to nurture, grow and support families and themselves through faith, hope and love.  We are inspired by the original Catholic Mom: the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. 

While my husband and I decided to “keep” our son, there are others who have for whatever reason, decided to abort.  Let us always remember to pray for these precious babies.  Also, pray for the mothers and perhaps fathers who make the life-ending decision and all the doctors and nurses who perform or assist in these life-ending procedures day after day.
 
And to all the beautiful babies, children and adults with Down Syndrome, whether you are here with us on Earth or in Heaven, I offer you my love and prayers hoping that others can see that you truly are “more alike than different” and that there is NOTHING DOWN ABOUT IT.
 
With prayer, we can change this world to be a world that doesn’t kill it’s children because they aren’t considered “perfect.”  

​That babies with Down syndrome can be given the same chance at life.
That ALL babies can be given the chance at life.
Every person deserves the Right to Life, from conception until natural death.

If you’ve received a positive screening for Down Syndrome, contact the Down Syndrome Society of Rhode Island. www.DSSRI.org
 
To any woman considering abortion, for whatever reason, please hold on to hope, not fear.
Choose Life.

Contact Servants of Christ for Life or any Catholic Church to be directed to various organizations that will help you.
​
Thank you.  God bless you all and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!
 
©2018 Catholic Mom Rhode Island, All Rights Reserved 

“Never tire of firmly speaking out in defense of life from its conception and do not be deterred from the commitment to defend the dignity of every human person with courageous determination. Christ is with you: be not afraid!”  ~Pope St. John Paul II