(Washington, D.C.) When Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and her husband Brian learned their son Cole had Down syndrome, the news was shocking.  “The doctors gathered us in a room and gave us a long list of the medical and physical challenges Cole might face,” McMorris Rodgers said.

That is why today McMorris Rodgers stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and asked her colleagues to support a bill that would help parents faced with a similar situation.  (You can watch the floor statement here.)  The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (S. 1810) will provide current and reliable information about the many services and support networks available for parents who either receive the news that their child may be born with a disability or their young child has been diagnosed with a disability.
 
Specifically, the legislation:

• Provides for the establishment of a resource telephone hotline, a web site, and the expansion of information clearinghouses in disabilities;
• Provides for the expansion and development of national and local parent support programs;
• Establishes a national registry of parents willing to adopt children with these disabilities;
• Establishes awareness and education programs for health care providers who give parents the results of these tests.

The House passed the bill by a voice vote and it now awaits the President’s signature. 

“I hope this bill will provide these parents with the information and support they so desperately need during a critical time,” McMorris Rodgers said.  “It is so important for them to know that they are not alone and that others have struggled with their questions and answers are available.”