A round of applause for the baby food company, Gerber, for selecting the first ever child with Down syndrome, to be the coveted Gerber baby of the year!

In celebrating the company’s ground-breaking decision, Gerber CEO and President Bill Partyka said: "Every year, we choose the baby who best exemplifies Gerber's longstanding heritage of recognizing that every baby is a Gerber baby. This year, Lucas is the perfect fit."

A perfect fit indeed. The winner, Lucas Warren is an adorable 18-month-old heartthrob from Georgia whose smile has captivated hearts everywhere.

Meet Lucas, the smily 18-month-old from Dalton, Georgia. He is the 2018 Gerber baby and the first ever official Gerber baby with Down syndrome. pic.twitter.com/Dc1m3FUZ8w — CBS News (@CBSNews) February 7, 2018

Love it! Lucas is 2018's #GerberBaby winner and the first child with Down syndrome to be named in Gerber's 90-year history! https://t.co/GAw20FzR6Q — Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) February 7, 2018

Meet Lucas, the 2018 Gerber baby who just made history https://t.co/qObu6fqqJh pic.twitter.com/1aUhAfz4et — Mashable (@mashable) February 7, 2018



This news could not come at a more welcome time. The world watched last year as Iceland publicly bragged about the fact that they’ve almost completely “ eradicated the down syndrome births in their country.” And by “eradicated” they mean aborted out of existence. Denmark is now trying to follow suit. It was announced that only four children with Down syndrome were born in 2016. Two years prior, according to the Daily Wire, Denmark stated that 98 percent of unborn babies who tested positive for Down syndrome were aborted that year.

Just as devastating is the fact that these nations tout these declining numbers as “progress.” Societies who mark and eradicate lives they deem unworthy is not progress. In fact, it’s the opposite. Just as Pope John Paul II said, “A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members and among the most vulnerable are surely the unborn and the dying.”

By massively terminating children with Down syndrome, Iceland and Denmark are sending a damaging message to those with disabilities everywhere: you must fit our societies view of what a “normal” child is, or you are not welcome.

But a leading baby food company (maybe without even realizing it) has spoken up against this lie and taken a stand against the hate and discrimination against the disabled. Gerber has encouraged little Lucas Warren and other children with special needs by letting them know they are valued just like other babies.

My children are past the baby food stage but at the next opportunity given, you better believe I will be buying Gerber baby food and donating it to a local shelter or mother in need. Other pro-life individuals should do so as well. When corporations stand up against wrongful cultural pressure and chose to support what’s right, likeminded advocates should provide reinforcement.

Thank you, Gerber, for leading on this issue and providing a special boy, with a very special opportunity. Thank you for showing that every life has value, even if that life looks different than the poster child of the past.

Mary Vought (@MaryVought) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. She is a Republican strategist.

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