Advocacy for people with disabilities should be a unifying cause – and in many ways it is. Both Republicans and Democrats alike promote policies to better serve their constituents who live with disabilities. But in far too many circles, that advocacy stops based on age, and unborn children with disabilities are increasingly under attack.
Take Nebraska, where a Republican legislator tried to advance a so-called ‘fetal anomaly’ bill to allow for the late-term abortion of babies with disabilities. Similar legislation was threatened in Tennessee earlier this year. Recently, in Texas, abortion advocates tried to convince a regulatory board to rewrite state law to allow late-term abortions of babies with disability diagnoses. The Texas Medical Board’s rules on the state’s life at conception protection gained attention from the media as the entity clarified how doctors can operate under the ‘life of the mother’ exception. But there’s an untold story of the board’s deliberations with the abortion lobby using the process to try to remove rights from Texans with disabilities.
During a recent hearing, abortion activists showed up in force, arguing for exceptions to Texas' pro-life law that would allow abortions based on a disability diagnosis in utero. The goal? To pressure the Medical Board into defying state law and endorsing discriminatory abortions.
Kate Cox, who had received difficult in utero diagnoses, was present at the hearing. Her pain is real. However, our empathy for Kate and women who share her story should not lead us to endorse the taking of life of unborn babies. Abortion is not a compassionate solution; it is a violent act that ends an innocent life.
I am a 27-year-old living with Pompe, a rare and devasting neuromuscular genetic disease. Diagnosed at 15 months old, I was not expected to live past my second birthday. Doctors told my parents to go home and cherish the time they had with me, as there was no treatment or cure available. My father embarked on a mission to save my life and the lives of many others. His efforts were successful, and today, multiple treatments for Pompe exist because of his determination. Additionally, it turned out that my younger brother Patrick was born with the same disease.
If Patrick and I had been conceived today, I may well have been diagnosed in utero, and my mother would have been given the option to abort us because of our “disability.” She would likely face enormous pressure to abort based on our diagnoses. Let me tell you what I have accomplished despite my disability. I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts and obtained a Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I now work as the Assistant Director of Mission Integration at the Make-A-Wish Foundation. My brother Patrick graduated high school and works at a flower shop staffed by people with disabilities. We are both preparing to live on our own. Yes, we have never walked on our own, breathed on our own, or had a moment without a parent or a nurse by our side. But, does that mean our lives aren't "worth" it? Absolutely not.
Thankfully, the Texas Medical Board rejected the calls to target unborn babies with disabilities, reaffirming that it is not their role to legislate but to enforce the law as it was enacted by the Texas Legislature. The board emphasized their role to rule within the confines of existing statute, not to create new exceptions that undermine the law.
The Texas Medical Board's recent action is an unsung victory for the pro-life cause and a win in safeguarding the rights of unborn babies with disabilities. It is a fundamental truth that all life is precious and deserves protection. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
In an age where the sanctity of life is often compromised by convenience and subjective standards of “worth,” leaders in states across the U.S. should take notice of the Texas Medical Board's decision to stand by the Legislature’s recognition that Texas values all babies. Texas law ensures that moms and dads like mine are offered hope and compassion, not pushed to abort kids like me and my brother. We must remain vigilant in our defense of the unborn, ensuring that every child has the chance to live and thrive, free from the threat of discriminatory abortion practices.
Megan Crowley, born with Pompe disease, is now a 27-year-old Notre Dame graduate who also achieved her master's in social work at UNC Chapel Hill in 2021. She now works full-time for Make-A-Wish as Assistant Director of Mission Integration. Megan and her father’s story was chronicled in a book, “The Cure,” and inspired the movie “Extraordinary Measures” starring Harrison Ford.
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