2 The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana Jul
¸¸7,!
Improving health of those with Down Syndrome
SAN DIEGO (CNS) -- A seminar hosted by the
Office for Social Ministries of the San Diego Diocese
challenged participants to examine how the quality
of life for people with Down syndrome is measured.
More than 100 members of Human Life Interna-
tional, pro-life coordinators and parents of children
with Down syndrome attended.
The keynote speaker told participants that gains in
improving the overall health of people with Down
syndrome are virtually ignored by many in the med-
ical community because these health gains do not
improve their IQ.
Dr. Kent MacLeod, the keynoter, is the owner and
founder of Nutri-Chem, a pharmacological company
that conducts research into the connection between
nutrition and certain metabolic disorders.
According to MacLeod, recent studies on how
nutrition influences the development and well-being
of people with certain genetic disorders has shown
significant promise in improving the quality of life
for people with Down syndrome.
But these breakthroughs are being ignored by many
in the medical community, even by some Down syn-
drome advocacy groups, because while nutritional
supplementation improves the health of Down syn-
drome patients, it does not increase their IQ.
MacLeod said that when the mother of a child with
Down syndrome asked him why she should give
nutritional supplements to her child if it would not
improve his IQ, he replied that most of us take vita-
mins and nutritional supplements to improve health
and prevent disease.
"Why isn't that a good enough reason then to give
nutritional supplements to people with Down syn-
drome?" he asked. "None of us is taking suppleq3ents
to increase our IQ."
MacLeod's work in nutritional supplementation is
an extension of the research conducted by the late
Jerome Lejeune, who in 1959 discovered the chromo-
somal basis for Down syndrome. Lejeune's assistant,
Dr. Marie Peeters-Ney, is continuing the research.
Nutri-Chem has developed nutritional supple-
ments which many Down syndrome children have
taken for the past 20 years. Such supplementation
has significantly decreased the many ailments
caused by the compromised immune system of peo-
ple with Down syndrome, according to MacLeod
and others.
Denise and Bob Lingvall, the parents of 4-year-old
twins with Down syndrome who coordinated the
event, asked MacLeod to give his presentation.
They wanted him not only to share the benefits of
nutritional supplementation for Down syndrome chil-
dren, but to raise the awareness in the
munity about what they feel are anti-life
many in the medical and scientific fields regarding
those with Down syndrome.
"We are grateful to peovle who rmrsue these tech"
nologies so that people can reach tleir full potential,'!
said Denise Lingvall.
She said she saw a dramatic improvement
of her twins within 24 hours of giving him
supplement. "He went from having a dull stare
being bright and engaging. Soon he was
full of energy," she said.
Both of her boys are much healthier since
the supplements and neither have the
immune system problems that often goalong
Down syndrome. Soon after her sons were
Denise got in contact with Peeters-Ney, who
with Lejeune for 10 years before he died in 1994.
Peeters-Ney sent a message to be read at the
Diego meeting, along with a copy of an article
wrote about Lejeune's legacy.
With the increasing availability of
sis, there is less therapeutic research being
because "the emphasis is now on eradicating the
ease by eradicating the patient," Pec
A Generation Later
Thirtieth anniversary of the landmark Church document on human sexuality
00rlJL!lf00
July 25 marks the thirtieth
anniversary of Humanae Vitae
pronounced oo-MAH-nay VEE-
tay), a papal encyclical released
by Pope Paul VI in 1968. Part I
described how the encyclical has
become an open letter from the
Pope to his bishops and the
world. Part I also provided back-
ground on Pope Paul VI and the
climate in and around the
Roman Catholic Church when
he released Humanae Vitae.
Humanae Vitae clarifiedthe stand
of the Roman Catholic Church
NEWS AND COMMENTARY
By SOOZI SCHELLER
Contributing Writer
against contraception when
many believed the Church
would and should change her
age-old teaching on the appreci-
ation of fertility. Dr. Mark E. Gin-
ter, assistant professor of Moral
Theology at St. Meinrad School
of Theology, gave an interview
recently offering information
about this important anniver-
.. Humanae Vitae has been an
,portant focus in his teaching
career for the last 15 years.
What does Humane Vitae say
and why should more Catholics
become aware of it?
Dr. Ginter. Humanae Vitae is
Pope Paul VI's open letter to the
world about our responsibility
concerning the great gift of
human fertility. More Catholics
should know about it because,
in Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI
put into contemporary lan-
guage the great, ancient, tradi-
tional Church teaching on the
gift of fertility to be shared by
husbands and wives.
The other reason Catholics
Humanae Vitae has been a focus
of Dr. Mark Ginter's study and
teaching for 15 years. Currently,
he teaches Moral Theology at St.
Meinrad School of Theology.
really need to know about the
message of Humanae Vitae is that
our responsibility towards and
respect for the gift of fertility is
now part of what the present
Pope John Paul U calls the New
Evangelization. Catholics, to
really share the truth, need to
understand the Church tradi-
tion to present the whole
gospel. We are called to share a
Gospel of Life which includes
fertility appreciation.
What effect' has this docu-
ment had on our society?
Dr. Ginter. Humanae Vitae did
not stop the rush towards the
use of contraception. But among
its positive outcomes, Humanae
Vitae gave life to the Natural
Family Planning movement.
Priests, bishops, married cou-
ples, physicians, scientists and
others have taken up the call of
Pope Paul VI to research, teach
and live in accordance with the
Church teaching especially in
regards to human fertility.
Mother Teresa's Missionaries of
Charity demonstrate the wis-
dom of Humanae Vitae in their
work. Mother Teresa described
in her own words to the Prime
Minister of India in 1979:
"In Calcutta alone at the pre-
sent time, we run 102 centers
where spouses are taught nat-
ural birth control that supports
love for one another and for
their children. In the last years,
11,701 Hindu families, 5,568
Muslim families, and 4,341
Christian families have made
use of our natural family plan-
ning centers. A total of 21,610
families thinking of them-
selves, their children and their
country have been contribut-
ing to decreasing the population
without killing anyone."
In Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul
VI discussed the effects that
rejection of this Church teach-
ing would have on our society.
Concerning the acceptance of
contraception, in paragraph 17
he states:
"And then [let reasonable
individuals] also carefully con-,
sider that a dangerous power
will be put into the hands of
rulers who care little for the
moral law... Who will prevent
public authorities from favoring
what they believe to be the most
effective contraceptive methods
and from mandating everyone
must use them, whenever they
consider necessary?"
In a February 14, 1998, front-
page article, The New York
Times exposed a new "worst
case scenario" for government
abuse of its people in Peru. The
article describes how the gov-
ernment used gifts as bait to
lure Andean peasant women to
sterilization:
"Shortly before Christmas,
Government health workers
promised gifts of food and
clothing if they underwent a
sterilization procedure called
tubal ligation. The operation
went well for Mrs. Alva who
received two dresses for her
daughter and a T-shirt for her
son. But Mrs. [Magda] Morales,
34, died of complications 10
days after the surgery leaving
three young children and a hus-
band behind. She was never
well enough to pick up the
promised gifts... Magna had
told them that her husband was
against the idea, but they told
her, 'Don't worry, we can do it
right now, and tonight you will
be back home cooking and your
husband will never realize what
happened.'"
Closer to home, while contra-
ceptive availability and use rise
in Evansville, the number of sin-
gle mothers goes up, not down.
The Vanderburgh County
Health Department Annual
Report for 1997 states that 40%
of all babies born last
to single mothers.
fives offer promises , ,
fulfill.
What role did
Karol Wojtyla
tee-wa) now known as
John Paul II play in
of Humanae Vitae?
Dr. Ginter:
appointed Ca
Wojtyla to the Papal
sion on Marriage,
Birth Regulation
part one of this
the Papal Commission
meeting in
la could not meet
because the CommuniS
of Poland restricted his
perceiving his travels
upset the balance of
dinal Wojty!a did
Rome in 1966 to
Pope Paul VI on the
sion's reports.
Between 1966 and
while Pope Paul VI
silent on the use
tion, Cardinal
another visit to Rome"
er a draft for
Sources say that
incorporated about
of Cardinal
Humanae Vitae. NoW
Paul II, he has not
claim about his
Humanae Vitae.
"e'""'n° ST. M
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