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GAINESVILLE, Va. — After learning that a couple was planning to abort an unborn baby with Down syndrome if they could not find an adoptive family, a Catholic pastor in Virginia took to social media in a desperate attempt to save the child.
A July 8 Facebook message posted by a volunteer for the Gainesville, Va., Holy Trinity Catholic Church read:
"There is a couple in another state who have contacted an adoption agency looking for a family to adopt their Downs Syndrome unborn baby. If a couple has not been found by today they plan to abort the baby. If you are interested in adopting this baby please contact (Rev. Thomas Vander Woude) IMMEDIATELY. We are asking all to pray for this baby and the wisdom that this couple realize the importance of human life and do not abort this beautiful gift from God."
The plea was indeed urgent. The birth mother, whose identity is being kept private for safety reasons, is nearly six months pregnant and lives in a state that prohibits abortions past 24 weeks, according to The Washington Times. The window of opportunity was closing, fast.
So Father Vander Woude reached out to the mother and made a deal: Carry the child to term and he would find it a loving home.
The plea received an almost instant and overwhelming response.
“When we got in and opened up around 9:30, it was nearly nonstop. All day long, we were receiving phone calls from people who wanted to adopt the baby,” Martha Drennan, director of Adult Faith Formation at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, told The Washington Times. “Father Vander Woude has gotten over 900 emails in regard to the baby.”
Drennan told The Christian Post the parish had received calls from interested adoptive families from the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, England and the Netherlands. A number of suitable candidates were found, according to the Times, and the field has been narrowed: The birth parents are currently looking at three possible families.
The wonderful response absolutely shows that all babies are wanted — there are no unwanted babies. ... Every life is precious, from birth to natural death.
–Martha Drennan, Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Diane Grover, president and founder of the International Down Syndrome Coalition, told the Times how important it is to inform couples who are considering abortion for babies with Down syndrome that "adoption is a viable option, pointing to the fast and overwhelming response" the organization received about this one child.
“When (couples are) in that position, a lot of people wonder if their child (with Down syndrome) would actually get adopted,” Grover said. “There’s a lot of people waiting, and we are happy to always help.”
Drennan told the Post there's a message in American culture that a disability, birth defect or handicap are legitimate reasons for aborting a baby. This event was a "great witness to everyone," she said, that there are many people with a strong desire to adopt children, no matter the circumstance.
"The wonderful response absolutely shows that all babies are wanted — there are no unwanted babies," she told the Christian Post. "To say that any baby is an unwanted baby is a lie. It's just a matter of matching the right parents up with a child" during the adoption process.
She added, "Every life is precious, from birth to natural death."
