WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — The U.S. House of Representatives has voted unanimously for a bipartisan bill that would establish America’s first dedicated Down syndrome research program, to provide life-affirming help for those born with the condition and their families.

H.R.3491, the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act, would establish under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) the “INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE” (INCLUDE) Project.

The project would be tasked with conducting “high-risk, high-reward research on the effects of trisomy 21 on human development and health”; research to “facilitate improved understanding of Down syndrome and co-occurring conditions and development of new interventions”; “expanding the number of clinical trials that are inclusive of, or expressly for, participants with Down syndrome”; “research on the biological mechanisms in individuals with Down syndrome pertaining to structural, functional, and behavioral anomalies and dysfunction as well as stunted growth”; research to improve diagnosis and treatment of related conditions; researching the “the causes of increased prevalence, and concurrent treatment, of co-occurring conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and autoimmunity, in individuals with Down syndrome”; and “research, training, and investigation on improving the quality of life of individuals with Down syndrome and their families.”

Live Action explains that the bill is named after DeOndra Dixon, who passed away in 2020. Dixon was the sister of actor Jamie Foxx, who founded the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, which led the charge for the bill. 

“My heart is shattered into a million pieces,” Foxx said of his sister’s death. “My beautiful loving sister Deondra has transitioned … I say transitioned because she will always be alive … anyone who knew my sis … knew that she was a bright light,” he wrote, adding, “Well I know she is in heaven now dancing with her wings on … tho my pain is unbelievable I smile when I think of all of the great memories that she left me … my family … and her friends.”

“GLOBAL is incredibly grateful for the overwhelming bipartisan support for the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act and for the unanimous House passage,” Michelle Sie Whitten, president and CEO of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, said in a press release. “It is so important that we honor GLOBAL Ambassador DeOndra Dixon. This legislation will help preserve her extraordinary legacy by making the NIH INCLUDE Project permanent and ensuring that life-saving Down syndrome research will continue and grow.

“GLOBAL helped catalyze INCLUDE into existence as the first NIH-wide Down syndrome research program, and it is already transforming the field and improving health outcomes,” she added. “We deeply appreciate the leadership and tenacity of Representatives Diana DeGette and Richard Hudson, and their bipartisan colleagues. Now we need the Senate to act so that this transformative bill can become law.”

Down syndrome, or Trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder typically associated with physical growth delays, distinct facial traits, and often intellectual disability. Despite these challenges, a 2011 study published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics found that 99 percent of people with Down syndrome described themselves as “happy,” and only four percent of parents with Down children expressed regret about having their child.

Prominent individuals with Down syndrome, such as snow cone business owner Blake Pyron, writer John Franklin Stephens, and advocate Charlotte Fien serve as examples of their community. Yet around the world, Down syndrome is seen as a justification for aborting preborn children.

The pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute has estimated that abortion reduces the U.S. Down community by 30 percent. Overseas, it’s been estimated that 90 percent of babies in Great Britain to receive a Down syndrome diagnosis are aborted, 65 percent in Norway, virtually 100 percent in Iceland, and 95 percent in Spain.

More information about the myths and facts pertaining to Trisomy 21 can be found at the National Down Syndrome Society’s website.

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