Republican Congresswoman: Down Syndrome Son is 'Gift from God'
In the official Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address Tuesday, House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) stated that her son, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome, was "a gift from God."
In her remarks, Rodgers spoke about her family and its struggles, which included learning after he was born that her son Cole suffered from Down syndrome.
"They told us all the problems. But when we looked at our son, we saw only possibilities. We saw a gift from God," said Rodgers.
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"Today we see a 6-year old boy who dances to Bruce Springsteen; who reads above grade level; and who is the best big brother in the world. We see all the things he can do, not those he can't."
Rodgers added that "Cole, and his sisters, Grace and Brynn, have only made me more determined to see the potential in every human life … ."
"Because our mission - not only as Republicans, but as Americans, is to once again to ensure that we are not bound by where we come from, but empowered by what we can become," said Rodgers.
"The President talks a lot about income inequality. But the real gap we face today is one of opportunity inequality … And with this Administration's policies, that gap has become far too wide. We see this gap growing every single day."
On Tuesday evening, President Barack Obama gave his State of the Union Address before both Houses of Congress and millions of Americans watching from home.
President Obama focused on multiple issues, including matters regarding economic growth, the value of his health care reform efforts, and spotlighting bipartisan endeavors in Congress.
Obama also focused on the advances that Congress has helped create, painting an optimistic picture of the United States' present situation economically and globally.
"The lowest unemployment rate in over five years. A rebounding housing market. A manufacturing sector that's adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s. More oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world," said Obama.
"Our deficits - cut by more than half. And for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that China is no longer the world's number one place to invest; America is."
