On July 18, Governor Tom Corbett sat down with Chloe Kondrich, a young girl from Pittsburgh, and signed into law an educational effort named after her.
“Chloe’s Law” (HB 2111, Act 130) will now aid Pennsylvania parents and families by providing relevant information upon the prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome.
Thank you to everyone who contacted their elected officials through our Citizen Action Center alert to help make Chloe’s Law happen. Each State Senator voted to pass this measure along with a majority of State Representatives (here’s a roll call for the House). Be sure to thank them for their support. We especially thank Sen. Vulakovich and Rep. Jim Marshall for their leadership in this effort.
And we also wish to thank the Kondrich family – Pittsburgh natives – who have passionately led this effort to educate families on Down Syndrome. For more about their story, you can purchase their book Brilliant Souls on Amazon. Part one takes a detailed look at each of the popular arguments used to support the termination of Down syndrome pregnancies, testing their validity based on up-to-date information. Part Two explores the topic of eugenics and other moral and philosophical issues as they related to individuals and Down Syndrome. It also includes the story of Chloe Kondrich and her family.
Here’s a portion from Brilliant Souls:
“Chloe Kondrich began changing lives for the better the instant she was born. Her parents, who had chosen not to undergo prenatal testing, were not aware that Chloe would be born with an extra chromosome until the moment she arrived. It didn’t matter, though. Chloe was destined to become not only a cherished member of her family but of her community as well. And judging by the long-as-your-arm list of accomplishments she already has under her belt at age nine, by the time Chloe reaches adulthood I have no doubt that people all around the world will feel the impact of her presence.”
Thank you Chloe for changing Pennsylvania for the better.
Thank you Governor, for passing Chloe’s Law. Life is precious and families that embrace and value each new life given them find that to be true. An extra chromosome in an individual will change the expected course of life, but it is not a reason to end that life.
Thank you for helping guard the sanctity of life!