More than just social media
Facebook, the most utilised social media platform in the world, definitely includes many more perks than mere socialising and advertising. The ubiquity of Facebook has allowed people to rally for protests, start revolutions and more crucially, saving lives.
Stories of people using Facebook to help others are posted everyday. But rarely has anyone seen a display of humanity like this benevolent deed. Daily Mail reported of a church in Gainesville, Virginia that managed to interest over 900 families in an unborn child with Down syndrome that would have otherwise been aborted.
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The child’s salvation
Reverend Thomas Vander Woude begged the six-month pregnant mother of the unborn child with Down syndrome and her partner to let him find an appropriate family for the baby before they finalised on an abortion. Early last Monday, a volunteer at The Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville posted an appeal that asked if any families were interested in adopting an unborn child with Down syndrome.
This is what Geraldine Zahn Erikson, the volunteer who handles the church’s social media on behalf of Rev. Vander Woude posted on Facebook:
“There is a couple in another state who have contacted an adoption agency looking for a family to adopt their unborn Down’s Syndrome baby. If a couple has not been found by today, they plan to abort the baby. If you are interested in adopting this baby please contact Fr. VW IMMEDIATELY. We are asking all to pray for this baby and the wisdom that this couple realize the importance of human life and do not abort this beautiful gift from God.”
The facial features are slightly different in children with Down syndrome among other things.
Since the state disallowed women pregnant over 24 weeks from abortion, Rev. Wander Woude was desperate to find a family for the unborn child with Down syndrome as soon as possible. Eventually, he turned to social media’s power to connect and share the news to people from all around the world.
The parents are now interviewing three potential families with an adopted agency.
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Overwhelming responses
Church staff member Martha Drennan told The Washington Times, “When we got in and opened up around 9:30, it was nearly nonstop. All day long, we were receiving phone calls from people who wanted to adopt the baby. Father Vander Woude has gotten over 900 emails in regard to the baby.”
The church members are amazed by the overwhelming responses from all over the U.S., and around the globe including England, Puerto Rico and Netherlands.
They are certainly not the only ones taken by surprise to see the amount of people willing to step up and raise a child that does not belong to them, whether the child has Down Syndrome or not.
How would you have reacted in a situation like this with an unborn child with Down syndrome? Let us know your opinions! We’d love to hear! For more on why a child with Down syndrome is a blessing, watch this video:
For more on this story, visit Catholicherald.com.