The Passion of Dr. Lejeune

Dr. Jerome Lejuene, who died in 1994, was one of Europe's few pro-life advocates. He came by that position honestly, having worked on behalf of children all his life.

A geneticist, he discovered the cause of Down Syndrome -- which became, horribly, the cause of the Passion of Dr. Lejuene.

For years, Down Syndrome and similar mental and physical conditions had been widely considered some sort of evolutionary regression. That is, many considered people affected by them to be "throwbacks," "degenerates," or "subhumans."

Dr. Lejeune discovered that Down Syndrome (its genetic name is now "Trisomy 21") was caused by an extra but normal chromosome -- and thus people with Down Syndrome were perfectly human. Dr, Lejeune loved children with Down Syndrome. With their big eyes, round faces, and perpetual childishness, he thought, who wouldn't love them?

Lots of people, it turns out. In a cruel twist of fate, Dr. Lejeune lived to see the chromosome test he developed used, not to research a genetic cure for these and other Trisomy anomalies, but to find and kill people who had them before they could be born. In Western countries, where prenatal genetic testing is common, up to 90% of children with Down Syndrome are aborted. For them, their extra chromosome is not a disability, but a death sentence.

Abortion doesn't prevent Down Syndrome, it kills people who have it. The French doctor never stopped pushing for developing gene-level cures, and there is currently a cause for his sainthood. The Fondation Jerome Lejeune carries on his work, and this year the second International Jerome Lejeune Conference will be held in Paris for doctors and geneticists working toward treatments for genetic disabilities.

In the meantime, the deaths continue. Dr. Lejeune, pray for us.