A&E breaks new ground with "Born This Way"

Last December, cable network A&E broke new ground with Born This Way, a reality television series starring seven young adults with Down syndrome.

Born This Way captures the group-home housemates sometimes counseling each other and at other times griping at life’s petty annoyances. In one episode, John swears and bemoans the cost of a corsage he’s buying for a dance date. He exclaims, “Do you know how much chicken I can get for $20?!”

The parents, continuing to play major roles in their children’s lives, also get screen time. Their perspectives defy conventional attitudes. At the end of the first season, John’s mother, Joyce, explains that she rejected her doctor’s advice to abort her son.

“I’m thankful,” Joyce says, “that God gave me a chance to be part of his life.”

Use this link to read the entire Born This Way review in World Magazine.