Opponents of abortion are always met with the same personal and extreme rebuttal. They are inevitably asked whether they would care for a handicapped child, for a baby born with a rare and expensive and crippling disorder.
It’s a hard question and it doesn’t have an easy answer but Rep. Todd Rokita can respond without hesitation, because that Indiana Republican has lived through this. In a new ad, Rokita shares the struggles, and the joys, of raising a son with severe neurological challenges.
“We had just gotten the news that our firstborn, our Teddy, had a very rare and severe neurological disorder called Angelman Syndrome,” Rokita says, explaining the condition which effects one of every 15,000 births.
“The idea that you can genetically screen someone out before they are born and judged the worth of their life is an abomination to me,” Rokita continues. “Because he has made me such a better person. He has enlightened me so much. And honestly, we think Teddy is going to change the world.”
That’s a powerful message for Rokita who is seeking the Republican nomination for Indiana Senate and who will be marching in the National March for Life Friday.
The ad is touching and the ad is effective precisely because it is authentic. After hearing his family’s story, no one can argue with Rokita that life is only reserved for those children who are planned and privileged.
