A new prayer book has been published for people with disabilities, including Down’s syndrome, which is disproportionately targeted by abortion.
The book, “Let Us Pray: Catholic Prayers for All Abilities”, includes prayers simplified for people with learning disabilities and uses large written type and easy-to-understand font to improve readability.
It was published earlier this year by Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire Ministries to mark World Down Syndrome Day.
The book’s creator, Mark Bradford, was inspired to put the work together after seeing his son, who has Down’s syndrome, reading a prayer book with “horrible illustrations”.
“There are no resources like this for adults with intellectual disabilities”, said Bradford, who wants his new work “to be a resource that provides something beautiful to encourage adults with disabilities…. to develop a habit of prayer using a book that was prepared just for them”.
Bradford’s book, the first of its kind, also includes “Prayers to End Abortion”, responding to the “very sad” fact that so many unborn babies are lost to abortion, explaining that:
“When some women find out they are going to have a baby, they are very sad and afraid. They don’t want their baby – sometimes especially if they find out the baby will have Down syndrome or another disability…
“They need us to pray for them every day so that they say yes, just like Mary did, and have their special baby to love.”
67 to 87 per cent of unborn babies prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted in the United States, and there are estimated to be 250,000 people in the US with Down’s syndrome.
In the UK, it is legal to abort an unborn baby with Down’s syndrome up to the point of birth. Almost 90 per cent of unborn babies prenatally diagnosed with Down’s syndrome in England and Wales (and Crown Dependencies) were aborted in 2021, according to NHS data.
Parents in the UK regularly report being pressured to abort their babies following a diagnosis of Down’s syndrome.
One mother, Máire Lea-Wilson, was offered abortion three times after such a diagnosis. “During this time of great vulnerability, I was told that my child would not be able to live independently”, she said.
“Within the context of this fear, vulnerability, and biased information, I was offered an abortion three times… Aidan is now 16 months old… a joy, and I am so incredibly proud of him. I would not change a single thing about him.”
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