Kurt Kondrich and his daughter, Chloe, make quite the dynamic duo traveling the country as voices for the voiceless. Their next stop? Greensboro! Kurt is the keynote speaker for our 21st Annual Benefit Banquet, which funds Room At The Inn’s comprehensive programs serving homeless pregnant women and their children. A former Pittsburgh police officer, Kurt left his successful law enforcement career to advocate for people like his daughter, Chloe, who was born with Down syndrome in 2003.

Both father and daughter are defenders of the unborn, particularly those with a diagnosis of Down syndrome, and they’re reaching people around the globe with their message of love. A diagnosis of Down syndrome puts these innocent human lives at an extremely high risk of being eliminated through abortion — up to a 90 percent chance, as Kurt learned soon after Chloe’s birth.

Their willingness to speak up changes hearts and minds everywhere they go and has led to legislation like Chloe’s Law, which provides education and support for pregnant women who receive this diagnosis. We recently talked with Kurt about his advocacy, what this cause means for society as a whole, and the joy Chloe brings to their family and those they meet on the road.

Q: In what ways have you witness people changing their minds on abortion overall as well as in the case of a Down syndrome diagnosis?

A: I know people who received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome and were pressured to abort the child and were considering abortion. They changed their minds when they connected with families who had children with Down syndrome and heard the positive stories and saw the love and joy these children brought to their families and communities. I also know many women have changed their minds about abortion when they saw an ultrasound picture of their baby or were able to speak to an amazing sidewalk counselor.

Q: Have you heard stories like this from people who attended your talks? Do you have examples you could share?

A: Yes, people have shared stories with me, and I am connected to individuals, families, and organizations across the globe since speaking at the United Nations twice. When I first spoke at the United Nations to a global audience, I was told there were several pro-abortion individuals attending my presentation, and they would challenge me during the Q&A period. Chloe was sitting by me during my talk, and everyone watched her interactions, love, joy, and kindness to international leaders in attendance. At one point, Chloe gave the peace sign between the diplomats from Russia and Saudi Arabia after handing them one of her books.

When I finished speaking, many of the individuals who supported abortion had tears in their eyes and came up and asked to have their picture taken with Chloe. There were no negative comments from the audience at the United Nations after my talk. Pregnancy Resource Centers and other groups use me as a resource in the area, and Chloe and I have met with two abortion-minded women who were pregnant with children who have Down syndrome, and they chose life after meeting with Chloe.

Q: What have you found to be most persuasive in defending those with a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome?

A: Sharing personal stories and pictures and having people see firsthand the joy, unconditional love, kindness, and lack of malice these individuals bring to our culture. When I speak to policymakers and international leaders, I show them how this is the most extreme form of prejudice, bias, profiling, discrimination, and hate, and that it’s a silent genocide against innocent people who bring no evil to society. I ask the question who is next to be identified, targeted, and terminated in this silent prenatal eugenic movement, and what happens when we make genetic links and have prenatal tests for autism, depression, ADHD, baldness, shortness, future medical conditions, brown eyes, and the list goes on and on. None of us will ever meet the misguided cultural mandate for unattainable “perfection,” and if we can eliminate prenatally people we feel are a burden, then what stops us from doing it on a postnatal basis?

I remind people we are all disabled and one accident or illness away from becoming completely disabled. I wrote an article about Adam and Eve and Down syndrome that has a strong impact on people when I share it, and I always say I am disabled and my daughter, Chloe, is how God wants us to be. She will have a mansion in heaven, and I will sweep her driveway.

I also tell people that human beings like my daughter should be on the Endangered Species list, and if we have strict laws protecting unborn turtles (eggs), then we need strict laws protecting children like Chloe.

Q: Since you began advocating for Chloe and others who have Down syndrome, how have things changed in public awareness and legal protections? What has been the biggest challenge?

A: Chloe’s Law that Chloe signed in 2014 and other legislation in states across the United States. Some states have even passed laws to ban abortion based on a Down syndrome diagnosis. The challenge is getting people involved in this battle and getting churches to mobilize and be loud voices to end the greatest slaughter of innocent children and greatest cause of death in America. It is THE ISSUE.

Q: What tips would you give to someone who wants to protect all unborn children?

A: I tell people everywhere I speak that this battle to end abortion is the issue for this moment of history just as ending slavery was the issue in the 1800s and stopping the Holocaust was the issue of the 1940s. We have killed 61-plus million of our most-innocent, vulnerable children since 1973 and brutally slay 2,500-plus children every day in our nation. Our most precious, priceless national treasure is human life, and what we do or fail to do to end this slaughter of our most vulnerable children will define the soul of our country, and I firmly believe God will hold us accountable for our actions during this moment of history. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of my heroes in history, and this quote, which encapsulates a great truth, is often attributed to him: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

For more information about Kurt and Chloe’s work, visit embracedonterase.org.