Life

President Trump on Down Syndrome Awareness Month: ‘Every Child is a Gift From God’

President Donald J. Trump issued a presidential message this month celebrating the lives of people with Down syndrome and honoring their families.

October is observed as Down Syndrome Awareness Month in the United States.

“Every child is a gift from God, created in His image and likeness, bringing hope, love, and a future filled with promise to our Nation and the world,” Trump affirmed in the message’s first sentence.

“I join millions of Americans in celebrating the lives, accomplishments, and contributions of people with Down syndrome and honor the families and communities who stand beside them each and every day.”

“Americans with Down syndrome enrich every life they touch, meeting the world with a sincerity and joy that make our classrooms brighter and our communities stronger.”

He noted Down syndrome is caused by a single extra chromosome, which is “a small difference that can slow a child’s development and bring challenges to families who love and care for them.”

The president lauded the great work being done by “our Nation’s doctors and researchers” who “have answered these challenges with remarkable scientific discoveries, and in so doing have greatly enhanced the quality of life for children and adults living with Down syndrome.”

The president touted his administration’s actions to protect innocent life and advance research “that delivers new treatments” and allows individuals with Down syndrome “to pursue their dreams and thrive in their communities.”

He also encouraged the families and friends who care for those with Down syndrome as “some of the most extraordinary, caring and generous Americans” who help ensure the over 5,000 babies born with Down syndrome every year “can live their American dream.”

“My Administration will never waver in our devotion to the men, women, and children living with Down syndrome, and I will always fight to ensure that they, like every other American, can be proud to live in a country with a government and a society that upholds the dignity of every precious life and recognizes the beauty and humanity of every person.”

The president concluded, “This month, and every month, we celebrate, love, and cherish the incredible Americans living with Down syndrome.”

It is estimated that between 60 to 90% of preborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted in the United States. It’s a great national tragedy that so many individuals with Down syndrome never get the chance to live a joyful and fulfilling life because of abortion.

Every child – born and preborn – is made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27).

Contrary to what you might hear, Scripture is not silent about abortion.

The Ten Commandments state:

“You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).

The psalmist declares:

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13).

And the prophet Jeremiah proclaims:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Jeremiah 1:5).

For this reason, the Christian church has upheld the dignity and God-given rights of all people, including preborn children, since the very first century.

One of the earliest extra-biblical Christian teachings, known as “The Didache,” states: “You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born.”

During this Down Syndrome Awareness Month, we give thanks for the life of each person with Down syndrome. We reaffirm their inalienable right to life and celebrate their contributions to our society.

Related articles and resources:

Resources: Special Needs & Disabilities

Parenting A Child with Down Syndrome

Shining a Positive Light on Down Syndrome

Pope Leo’s Pro-Life and Pro-Family Journey to France

The Young Man with Down Syndrome Who Built a Sock Empire

How Chris Burke’s Down Syndrome Saved Other Lives

How in-Utero Diagnosis Is Being Used to Push Abortion

Photo from Getty Images.

WH Press Secretary Katie Zacharia’s Amazing Pro-Life Story

Katie Zacharia led her first briefing as the new White House press secretary yesterday, replacing Karoline Leavitt, who left the post in August to care for her growing family.

“It is my Great Honor to have just appointed, as Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia,” President Donald J. Trump announced on Truth Social on October 9. “Katie currently serves as Senior Communications Advisor to Truth Social (Trump Media & Technology Group), where she has been outstanding!”

The 41-year-old wife and mom of four previously served as spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. She graduated from Pepperdine University and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law before working on the president’s campaign.

“I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration,” President Trump added.

During her first press briefing, Zacharia responded to a question about how she will balance her new role with her family life, saying her family will “always be a priority” even while she handles the demanding workload.

“I want to give my husband an amazing shout out. We have four kids, ranging from 12, 10, 8 and 6. Three of them are boys, so we have a handful,” Zacharia acknowledged. “I adore my family. I love them. They are my priority. I love being with my kids.”

“The idea of not spending evenings with kids is completely unacceptable. So, my husband is out here for the week because we have two birthdays in our family. And we are very protective of celebrating birthdays as a family. So, he brought the entire crew out here. And we will be moving out here.”

Upon Zacharia’s appointment, the pro-abortion group Reproductive Freedom For All slammed her as a “conservative commentator” who has “spread alarming anti-abortion disinformation.”

Zacharia has been consistently pro-life, once likening mifepristone (the first drug in a two-drug regimen commonly referred to as the abortion pill) to “the same chemicals that they used in the extermination camps in Nazi Germany.”

While not technically accurate, as mifepristone was first developed in the 1980s, the drug was manufactured by the same company (after several mergers) that developed Zyklon B – the chemical used in the extermination camps in Nazi Germany.

But Zacharia’s words are not the most remarkable aspect of her pro-life story. She, herself, was saved from the great human tragedy of abortion.

In a June 2025 interview, Zacharia discussed her pro-life principles, explaining that, when her mother was pregnant, she was “approximately 20, 30 minutes away from being aborted.”

“I learned this when I met my biological mom when I was 18,” she said.

When Zacharia’s 19-year-old biological mother was pregnant, her father demanded she “get an abortion.” However, moments before her mother’s aunt drove her to the abortion clinic, a Christian counselor called and urged her to “consider an open adoption rather than an abortion.”

The counselor encouraged Zacharia’s biological mother to give her preborn child the “opportunity to live” and warned “how painful abortion is for women,” including the “psychological, physical and physiological trauma” it involves.

The counselor voiced “hope and prayer” that she would choose life.

Thankfully, the counselor’s message resonated. Zacharia’s mom decided to carry the pregnancy to term and place Katie up for adoption.

“I was then adopted as a newborn, and the story really is one of a miracle,” Zacharia said. “This is an issue so near and dear to me because of the timeframe, the timeline that she looked at: finds out she’s pregnant, immediately wants to go get an abortion, we’re talking seconds, seconds of a phone call that really spared my life and saved my life.”

In hindsight, it’s easy to see the divine timing behind the Christian counselor’s call, a crucial moment which saved Zacharia’s life.

John 10:10 comes to mind: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (ESV).

As Zacharia settles into her new role, it’s encouraging to see someone with such an impactful pro-life story in a position of influence at the White House.

We wish Zacharia the best in her new role, and give thanks that her mom chose life!

If you are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and want to learn more about your options, you can visit My Choice Network.

Please considering supporting Focus on the Family’s Option Ultrasound program to place ultrasounds in pregnancy centers around the country. To date, we’ve helped save over 500,000 preborn babies from abortion.

Related articles and resources:

My Choice Network

I’m Pregnant, Now What?

Dealing With Unplanned Pregnancy

Become an Option Ultrasound Life Advocate

How You Can Join the Pro-Life Movement

How To Join The Pro-Life Movement

Scriptures Advocating For The Pre-Born

The History of Christianity and Abortion

Photo from Getty Images.

FDA Delays Review of Abortion Pill, Leaving Women Unprotected

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) won’t complete its safety review of the dangerous abortion pill until later this year, and won’t release results until March 2027, a new filing from the Justice Department revealed.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ordered the FDA to file an update on its ongoing review of mifepristone by October 7.

Mifepristone is the first drug in a two-drug abortion regimen commonly referred to as the abortion pill.

The court-ordered update comes in the case of Louisiana v. FDA, where the state of Louisiana and Alliance Defending Freedom are suing the FDA over its relaxing of the in-person dispensing requirement, a regulation that had been on the books since 2000. The requirement mandated women obtain the abortion pill in person because of its serious safety concerns.

In 2023, when the Biden FDA removed the requirement from its Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for the drug, it allowed mifepristone to be sent through the mail and administered without medical oversight. The change permitted doctors in pro-abortion states to mail mifepristone to individuals in pro-life states, effectively nullifying those states’ laws restricting abortion.

It also opened the door to abuse of the abortion pill, as occurred in the case of Rosalie Markezich, who was forced by her violent boyfriend to take abortion drugs after he obtained them online from a doctor in California and had them mailed to Louisiana. Markezich is a party to Louisiana’s lawsuit.

In its filing to the court, the FDA disclosed it “is on track to obtain study results by mid-December 2026. FDA will then need to review and evaluate/interpret the results and draft a report. FDA expects to complete that process not later than March 2027.”

The FDA’s study of mifepristone’s safety, which the agency initially launched in 2025, was reportedly set to conclude in September. That has now been pushed back several months.

Multiple pro-life leaders criticized the delay.

Alliance Defending Freedom official counsel Erin Hawley said the FDA has “failed to deliver” the study that it “has promised for nearly two years.”

“Nearly 90,000 unborn babies … will die between now and [March] by illegally obtained abortion drugs in states like Louisiana that have taken great care to protect babies and mothers from the harms of abortion,” Hawley warned.

“Every month of additional delay puts nearly 15,000 additional babies at risk in states where mail-order abortion drugs are unlawful – 1,000 in Louisiana alone.”

Lila Rose, founder and president of Liva Action, called the delay unacceptable.

“Every day, women are put at risk and preborn children are killed,” Rose said. “The FDA must pull the abortion pill from the market NOW.”

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life American President Marjorie Dannenfelser said the agency’s move “should concern every American who cares about unborn babies and women’s safety.”

“Twenty months in, we’re still not seeing the gold-standard study that was promised,” she said. “The Trump administration must act by settling the case with Louisiana and ending mail-order abortion.”

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “The FDA’s deregulatory actions regarding abortion drugs allow innocent children to be destroyed and women to be harmed. … The FDA needs to reinstate safety measures for abortion pills now!”

The update comes just a couple weeks after a coalition of 50 leading pro-life groups urged Dr. Heidi Overton, nominee for FDA commissioner, to commit to restoring safeguards on the abortion pill should she be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Dr. Overton, who is widely seen as friendly to the pro-life movement, said she couldn’t make a categorical commitment that would “prejudge the determination of the safety review that’s currently ongoing.”

The Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) released a study last year finding nearly 11% of all women who abort their children with mifepristone suffer from serious health complications, including sepsis, infection or hemorrhaging, sparking the FDA’s investigation.

While it’s unclear what the results of the FDA’s study will show, what’s perfectly clear is that thousands of women are being harmed from the abortion pill, and millions of preborn babies’ lives are being lost.

The FDA should act as soon as possible to reinstate safeguards on the abortion pill and reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement. Vulnerable women and preborn babies would be safer for it.

If you are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and want to learn more about your options, you can visit My Choice Network.

Please considering supporting Focus on the Family’s Option Ultrasound program to place ultrasounds in pregnancy centers around the country. To date, we’ve helped save over 500,000 preborn babies from abortion.

Related articles and resources:

My Choice Network

I’m Pregnant, Now What?

Dealing With Unplanned Pregnancy

Become an Option Ultrasound Life Advocate

How You Can Join the Pro-Life Movement

How To Join The Pro-Life Movement

Scriptures Advocating For The Pre-Born

The History of Christianity and Abortion

Pro-Life Groups Urge FDA to Restore Abortion Pill Safeguards

Photo from Getty.

Canada Won’t Allow Euthanasia Solely for Mental Illness, But Will for Dementia

Editorial note: The terms euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are often used interchangeably and will be in this article. Euthanasia refers to a healthcare worker intentionally and directly administering drugs to kill a patient. Physician-assisted suicide refers to a healthcare worker prescribing drugs for a patient to self-administer to end their own life. Canada allows both forms.

The Canadian government won’t allow elderly and infirm individuals to be approved for euthanasia solely for reason of mental illness.

After years of delay, Canada – which already has one of the most permissive euthanasia regimes in the world – will indefinitely bar individuals from being killed through euthanasia solely for receiving a mental illness diagnosis. The nation has already killed over 100,000 of its citizens since legalizing physician-assisted suicide in 2016.

Canadian Justice Minister Sean Fraser, citing a lack of consensus among physicians about whether mental illness is irremediable, said Wednesday, “While there is not a perfect consensus on this issue, we believe this is the correct approach at this particular time.”

The development comes as Bill C-218, which would have amended the Canadian Criminal Code to permanently prevent euthanasia for mental illness as a sole criterion, was unfortunately defeated in the Canadian Parliament by a vote of 187 to 141 on October 7.

Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, held a press conference ahead of the vote, alongside Dr. Laurence Normand-Rivest, Dr. Paul Saba and Odile Marcotte, a retired professor.

“Euthanasia based on a mental illness should never be approved,” Schadenberg said. “The law requires that a person have an ‘irremediable medical condition.’ That’s what the law requires [for a person] to be approved.”

“And yet, experts, for the most part, agree that it’s impossible to determine for which patients it’s irremediable, and which ones will get better,” Schadenberg explained.

According to Schadenberg, Bill C-218’s defeat was “directly related” to the justice minister’s declaration; it went down just three and a half hours after the announcement.

In 2021, the country expanded its euthanasia regime by enacting Bill C-7, which broadened individuals’ eligibility for euthanasia for serious and incurable medical conditions, even when their death is not reasonably foreseeable.

Bill C-7 also permitted euthanasia for mental illness alone, but the government delayed the provision for two years. The provision was delayed three times, and was set to be implemented on March 17, 2027, before Wednesday’s announcement.

Dr. Saba explained at the press conference, “A Harvard School of Public Health study found that nine out of ten people who attempted suicide but survived did not die by suicide after receiving treatment.”

“With proper care, the desire for suicide often disappears,” Saba continued. “Euthanasia of those with mental disorders is not mercy. It is murder masquerading as compassion.”

Today, Canada permits euthanasia for those with “grievous and irremediable medical conditions” under two different tracks: Track 1 and Track 2.

Under Track 1 (which represents around 96% of euthanasia cases), a person must have a “reasonably foreseeable” natural death, while those approved for euthanasia under Track 2 (around 4% of cases) do not have to have a “reasonably foreseeable” natural death.

Hundreds of Canadians are euthanized each year (732 in 2024) who have potentially many years of life left.

Additionally, since the law allows individual physicians to determine what constitutes a “grievous and irremediable medical condition,” many Canadians are approved for euthanasia despite having very treatable and manageable conditions.

The most common medical conditions cited for euthanasia include more serious diagnoses like cancer, neurological conditions, respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions. But the nation also allows individuals to be approved for minor conditions including diabetes, frailty, autoimmune conditions, chronic pain, joint, bone and muscle issues, and hearing and visual issues.

While every case of euthanasia is a tragic violation of an individual’s right to life, Canada’s permissive laws lead to even more grave cases of abuse, like for patient Alan Nichols, who physicians killed for the sole diagnosis of hearing loss.

Despite the Canadian government’s announcement it will bar individuals from being euthanized solely for mental illness, it also announced it will permit individuals to be killed by “advance request.”

Legislation will be introduced later this fall to change the Criminal Code to permit physicians to kill patients based on their advance request, even if they later lose the capacity to consent.

For example, someone in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease could request and be approved for euthanasia by advance request and then be killed later after their condition deteriorates and they can no longer agree to be killed.

Schadenberg cautioned the development is extremely concerning and invites further abuse of the Canadian system.

“Euthanasia by advanced request is a very dangerous concept as it permits doctors and nurse practitioners to kill someone who has become incompetent,” Schadenberg warned. “Therefore euthanasia by advance request is euthanasia without consent.”

Canada’s continued descent into darkness should serve as a warning to the world about the dire problems that result from legalizing euthanasia.

Every human being has dignity and value because all humans are made in the image of God.

As euthanasia continues to spread across the West, Christians must reaffirm each person’s dignity and worth and argue against euthanasia’s legalization and acceptance. Remember:

  1. Opponents of euthanasia oppose killing innocent people.
  2. Euthanasia corrupts the medical profession and violates the Hippocratic Oath.
  3. Euthanasia is essentially never necessary to control pain or suffering at the end of life.
  4. Euthanasia can transform the “right to die” into a “duty to die” by the state.
  5. Suffering, while never an intrinsic good, can serve a redemptive purpose.

“Every life is valuable and worth fighting for,” Dr. Saba added. “True compassion means supporting people through their dark times, not ending their lives.”

Focus on the Family offers a one-time complimentary consultation with our ministry’s professionally trained counselors. To reach Focus on the Family’s counseling service by phone, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). Alternatively, you can fill out our Counseling Consultation Request Form.

Related articles and resources:

Mental Health Resources

Physician-Assisted Suicide

Understanding God’s Plan for the End of Life

A Godly Perspective on End-of-Life Decisions

Aging Loved Ones and Physician-Assisted Suicide

Answers to Common Questions About Physician-Assisted Suicide

The Problem With Ending It All: A Response to Physician-Assisted Suicide

Disturbing Report Tells Story of Toddler Euthanized in the Netherlands

As Euthanasia Expands in the West, Here’s How Christians Can Respond

Anglican Church of Canada Launches ‘Pastoral Liturgy’ for Medically-Assisted Suicide

Canada to Report Killing Over 100,000 People With Physician-Assisted Suicide

Photo from Shutterstock.

Pope Leo’s Pro-Life and Pro-Family Journey to France

Pope Leo XIV recently concluded a historic four-day visit to France, the first papal visit to the country, often called “the eldest daughter of the Church,” since Pope Benedict XVI’s visit in 2008.

The theme for Pope Leo’s trip was based on Jesus’ words in John 10:10: “So that the world may have life.”

Throughout the trip, the pope repeatedly emphasized the importance of protecting the sanctity of human life and providing real care for the most vulnerable – including those with disabilities and the elderly.

The pope’s trip comes at a dire time in the life of France as it – like many other European nations – is becoming increasingly secular and liberal. Only five percent of French people say they attend church regularly.

Earlier this year, France became the most recent Western nation to legalize euthanasia, permitting doctors to kill the nation’s elderly and infirm.

In 2024, France became the first nation in the world to enshrine abortion as a “right” in its constitution, an action celebrated by French President Emmanuel Macron, and cheered by abortion activists who celebrated as the Eiffel Tower displayed the message “MyBodyMyChoice.”

And who can forget that Jesus’ Last Supper was mocked during the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where anti-Christian contempt was present and proudly displayed.

In contrast to all this, and in courageous fashion, Pope Leo came to France with a message of faith, hope and a firm rebuke to the nation’s governing elite and declining morals.

In an address on September 25 before President Macron at Elysée Palace in Paris, Pope Leo reminded the nation that “France is a land with deep Christian roots.”

In the past, France’s Christian identity fostered a “constant focus on the dignity inherent in every person” which is “echoed in your national motto,” Pope Leo said. But France has recently failed to live up to this identity and its ideal of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.”

“I ‘firmly reiterate that the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right,’” the pope insisted.

“Nowadays there is a temptation to expect science to eliminate or alleviate every form of suffering,” he added, denouncing “genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one’s own death” as medical practices that depart from the “greater good to which [science and technology] aspire.”

“Let us not forget that mutual respect and the protection of every human life is a duty incumbent upon each and every one of us,” he pressed.

At the conclusion of his speech, Pope Leo looked directly at the French president and urged him to remember that “a President of the Republic who claims to be uninterested in the Church and in Catholics would be failing in his duty.”

The same day, Pope Leo visited the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters and again defended the sanctity of human life.

“[Too often] life is no longer understood as a gift, but as a commodity. It is no longer viewed as a summons to care and responsibility, but as a product to be exploited,” the pope said.

“[Human dignity] remains undiminished even in the most vulnerable circumstances, even to death itself,” Pope Leo taught, denouncing euthanasia. “Our dignity is not destroyed by illness or suffering, nor is it dependent upon our abilities. Rather, it calls for loving care at every stage of life.”

On September 26, as Pope Leo rode down the Champs-Elysees Avenue on his way to the Place de la Concorde, central Paris, the pope blessed Marie-Garance Noël, a child with multiple disabilities.

TOPSHOT – Pope Leo XIV blesses Marie-Garance Noel, a child with multiple disabilities, as he rides down the Champs-Elysees Avenue in the Papamobile (popemobile) on his way to the Place de la Concorde, central Paris, on September 26, 2026, to celebrate a solemn outdoor mass, on the second day of his visit to France. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images)

Marie-Garance was adopted by a French Catholic family known for caring for children with disabilities. Clotilde and Nicolas Noël are parents to six biological children and three adopted children with disabilities: Marie, who has Down syndrome; Marie-Garance, who has multiple disabilities; and Frédéric-Moïse, who has a cerebellar disorder.

The moment served as a beautiful witness to life, and in stark contrast to Netherlands doctor’s recent decision to legally euthanize a two-year-old child purely because of his disabilities.

Pope Leo also chose six boys with Down syndrome to serve as altar servers while he celebrated Mass at Place de la Concorde. Rachel Campos-Duffy, co-host of “Fox and Friends Weekend,” commended the move.

Then on September 27, Pope Leo spoke in Lourdes, France, where many Catholics go on pilgrimage to seek healing of physical maladies.

Addressing the staff and sick community at Lourdes’ Accueil Notre Dame, Pope Leo again denounced euthanasia as “false compassion”:

I know that for some of you, because of particular illnesses and, at times, terrible pain, your horizon may appear dark, uncertain and without hope. But no human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity.
On the contrary, it is precisely in the name of this inalienable dignity of the human person that we must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion. It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral.

He also decried abortion, saying, “No one ever has the right … to decide the life of a given embryo or elderly person! Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death!”

On the flight back to Rome, Pope Leo addressed criticism from some that his journey became “political.” He emphasized that his goal was not to be “political,” but to share the Gospel, and its implications for the most important moral issues of our time.

“When the Church speaks about defending life … we are not entering into politics, we are applying the Gospel to people’s lives,” Pope Leo explained. “The defense of life is something that, as you all know, the Church teaches and believes very deeply. … So, I would say that if that is considered politics, then I did it.”

Pope Leo’s historic visit to France will be remembered as a significant moment in the defense of human life at all stages and in all circumstances.

Hopefully the French people, the French government and the nations of the world, will take the pope’s paternal correction to heart.

Related articles and resources:

Pope Leo Warns Technology Must Serve Human Dignity

Vatican Reaffirms: Marriage is Between One Man and One Woman

Pope Leo XIV Warns of ‘Crisis of the Family’ in First Homily

Robert Cardinal Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV: Five Things You Should Know

Notre Dame Cathedral Reopens, Reminding Us of Western Civilization’s Christian Heritage

Photo from Getty Images.