World Down Syndrome Day: Remembering the Catholic doctor who discovered his cause

Every March 21, on World Down Syndrome Day, people around the world seek to raise awareness and promote the rights and well -being of those who have this condition.

The date “21/3” symbolizes the triplication of chromosome 21, the genetic cause of Down syndrome, discovered by Dr. Jérôme Lejeune, a Catholic doctor on the way to holiness.

In 2021, Lejeune, born in 1926 and died in 1994, was declared venerable for his heroic virtue, which included his defense of people with Down syndrome and his commitment to the protection of unborn children.

Aude Dugast, philosopher and postulator of the cause of canonization of Lejeune, as well as author of the book Jérôme Lejeune: A man of science and consciousnesshe described him as “an apostle of the Gospel of life.”

“Jérôme Lejeune was a man of great science and great faith, who used his immense intelligence at the service of his patients. Not to make money or gain power, but with humility, he used his intelligence to serve the humblest: children, their patients,” Dugast to CNA – Ewtn News.

Dugast was impressed by “the holiness of his intelligence.”

“His intelligence was magnetized by the truth, and it is, together with his deep and unconditional love for his patients, he gave him the strength to always testify in his favor. He was not afraid: nothing or anyone could make him deviate from his mission,” he said.

“An apostle of the Gospel of Life”

Lejeune is considered the “father of modern genetics” for his discovery in 1958 of the genetic cause of Down’s syndrome. According to Dugast, this finding represented a “genetic revolution” at a time when chromosomal diseases were practically unknown.

People with Down syndrome can present a variety of conditions, such as growth delay, different levels of intellectual disability and physical anomalies. This condition, also known as “Trisomy 21”, was not understood for centuries, which led to those who suffered it were marginalized until well into the nineteenth century, something that continues to occur in many places today.

Lejeune dedicated his life to investigating ways to help people with Down syndrome and defend their rights. Thanks in part to your research and efforts, the life expectancy of these people increased from 10 to 60 years.

“He demonstrated an unconditional love for his ‘little patients’ with Down syndrome and for all those with any type of mental disability,” Dugast explained. “I saw in each of them the suffering face of Christ and gave his life to try to cure them. He was a servant of life.”

Throughout his career, Lejeune received numerous awards for his scientific achievements, including the Kennedy award, awarded by President John F. Kennedy, and the Allan Memorial Award, the most important distinction in genetics. In addition, he received honorary doctorates from four universities and held an international position in the World Health Organization (WHO).

“As a great scientist, he showed the deep harmony between faith and science. This is an aspect of their holiness that inspires many scientists today,” Dugast said. “He saw God everywhere: in his research and in his life.”

A firm defender of life

Lejeune was a fervent defender of the right to life and condemned the abortion of children diagnosed with Down syndrome in the mother’s womb. He also opposed the prenatal tests that allowed the detection of trisomy 21 for selection purposes. In fact, he was the first scientist to argue in an American court that embryos have the right to life.

Ten years after his discovery of the extra chromosome in pair 21, Lejeune learned that his finding was being used to prenatally detect children with Down syndrome in order to abort them.

“It was a terrible shock, a heartbreaking pain for him,” Dugast said. “He decided to work even more to find a treatment that would free them from the threat of abortion as soon as possible. And he also decided to defend them publicly in scientific congresses around the world.”

Lejeune testified against abortion in numerous parliaments, including those of Canada, Australia and several European countries. He also intervened in multiple courts in the United States and spoke in the media.

However, by openly expressing its convictions Provida, Lejeune was rejected by the scientific community in France. He lost the financing of his investigations and academic positions were denied.

“It served life and really, despite the attacks he suffered and the risks for his career,” Dugast said. “He lost many things: the Nobel Prize, his research credits, his team in the Paris laboratory. But he never stopped defending the right to life of children with disabilities.”

“Everything in him was unified, harmonized: his intelligence adhered to the truth, his heart loved unconditionally, and that interior unity gave him a great strength and freedom,” Dugast continued. “This was how he became the heroic defender of the unborn, without fear of risking his career.”

Lejeune received recognition in the Catholic Church when San Juan Paul II appointed him president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Subsequently, the Pope appointed him as the first president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Lejeune passionately drafted his statutes and the oath of the servers of life, but only 33 days after his appointment, he died of lung cancer on Easter Sunday of 1994.

Way to the altars

“The same day of his death, 50 people signed a petition to the Vatican to open their canonization process,” Dugast said. “His fame of holiness is important in the United States, Latin America and Europe, and continues to grow.”

In 2007, the Catholic Church officially opened its cause of canonization. In 2021, Pope Francis declared Lejeune “venerable”, recognizing that he lived the virtues heroically.

For beatification, a miracle attributed to its intercession is needed.

Dugast has received devotee support worldwide, and his biography about Lejeune has been translated into several languages.

“The requests for prayers and relics of Jérôme Lejeune arrive from everywhere! From Australia to the United States, passing through Canada, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Philippines, Africa, India, New Zealand and, of course, Europe. Families pray with perseverance. This wave of faith and hope unites us in the communion of the saints,” he said.

“It is an extraordinary example for our world, which presumes to be very intelligent, but that is often far from the truth. It shows us the star we must follow,” Dugast concluded.

Lejeune’s legacy is still alive through the foundations created in his name by his family and colleagues.

The Jérôme Lejeune Institute in Paris serves 12,000 patients with genetic disabilities, from birth to the end of their lives. According to Dugast, it is “probably the world’s largest consultation center for patients with mental disabilities of genetic origin.”

In addition, the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation in Paris conducts research programs on Down syndrome and other chromosomal diseases. The organization has opened subsidiaries in the United States, Spain and Argentina.

On April 3, on the 31st anniversary of his death, the Association of Friends of Professor Lejeune will celebrate a Mass for Life in the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris at 6:00 pm (local time), chaired by Mons. Denis Dupont-Fauville, Canon Emeritus of Notre-Dame and Canon of Saint-Pierre.

Translated and adapted by ACI Press. Originally published in CNA.