October 22. Coinciding with the liturgical feast of Saint John Paul II, the highly anticipated documentary “The Power of Love: Jérôme Lejeune (1926-1994)” arrives in theaters today . This work is designed to pay tribute to and rediscover the imposing human, scientific, and spiritual stature of one of the staunchest defenders of human dignity in the 20th century.

The distinguished French physician and researcher, a world-renowned figure in the field of genetics, dedicated his life to giving a face, a voice, and protection to the most vulnerable. His unwavering refusal to use medicine to eliminate the sick and his commitment to protecting the human status of the embryo—whom he tenderly described as ” the smallest of the smallest humans “—earned him the recognition of the scientific community, but also marginalization and profound suffering, which he faced with exemplary fortitude.

For the creators of this audiovisual project, immersing themselves in his story has been a transformative experience of veneration and learning about true selflessness. This testimony resonates with renewed relevance today as the medical and religious communities pray and await the long-awaited beatification of the distinguished geneticist in the Catholic Church.

The documentary about Jérôme Lejeune , discoverer of Trisomy 21, ” The Power of Love,” has been released.

HM Television presents its latest work: “The Power of Love”, a documentary dedicated to the French doctor and researcher Jérôme Lejeune, on the centenary of his birth (1926-1994).

Pope Francis declared him venerable on January 21, 2021, recognizing the heroic virtues of a man who, at only thirty-two years old, became world-famous for his discovery of trisomy 21. He discovered that people with Down syndrome have extra genetic material: an additional chromosome in pair 21. Instead of 46, they have 47 chromosomes. It was the first time in human history that the genetic cause of a syndrome had been discovered.

With this discovery, Dr. Jérôme Lejeune became the founder of modern genetics. It was 1958. Shortly afterward, the abortion law began to be debated in France. To his dismay, Dr. Lejeune discovered that his discovery was being used for the selective abortion of children with trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome.

Despite the difficulties, Jérôme Lejeune never stopped researching. He had a hunch that if the cause of Down syndrome lay in the genes, then by acting on them, its effects could be mitigated and the quality of life of people with trisomy 21 improved. At the same time, he dedicated his life to advocating for children with Down syndrome. He declared: “I had the impression that if I, their doctor, didn’t defend them, no one else would. If I had remained silent, it would have been like abandoning them out of cowardice just as they were being condemned to extermination.”

He was aware that his decision would result in the withdrawal of public funding, ostracism from the scientific community, and even the loss of the Nobel Prize. He joked that “if chromosomes ever had even the slightest chance of winning the Nobel, I know I’ve wrung their necks. But between that and wrung the necks of little ones, is there anything to consider?”

But while the scientific community rejected him because his Christian morality shone a light on consciences that wished to be lulled to sleep, the Church did not abandon him. Jérôme Lejeune was appointed a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1974 by Pope Paul VI, in recognition of his scientific work and his defense of human life. He enjoyed the friendship of Saint John Paul II, who appointed him in 1994 the first president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. After the researcher’s death, just thirty-three days after his appointment, the Pope wrote a tribute letter to Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris, in which he called Dr. Lejeune “Servant of Life” and declared: “If the Father who is in heaven called him from this earth on the day of Christ’s Resurrection, it is difficult not to see in this coincidence a sign.” We are witnessing the death of a great 20th-century Christian, a man for whom the defense of life became an apostolate. In the current world situation, this form of lay apostolate is particularly necessary.

At a time when human life is so under attack, when abortion is spoken of as “a right” and euthanasia is normalized, we must take up the mantle offered to us by Jérôme Lejeune and continue his apostolate in defense of life. That is why, in “The Power of Love,” we have brought together a group of experts who have felt called to defend his legacy and continue his work. Perhaps the most prominent figure is his daughter, Karin Le Méné. Karin does not usually give interviews, but HM Television’s approach to this project about her father moved her to participate in this documentary, in which she states: “For my father, all human life was sacred; every human being had the right to live, regardless of age, illness, or social status. He loved his patients, and he loved them because he saw them as people, children of God, not as ‘monsters,’ as people with Down syndrome were often called.”

Alongside Karin Le Méné we will find her husband, Jean-Marie Le Méné, president of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation and four members of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation Spain:

• Dra. Monica Lopez Barahona, president of the Jérôme Lejeune Spain Foundation;
• Mr. Pablo Siegrist Ridruejo, Director General of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation Spain;
• Dr. Elena Postigo Solana, president of the Jérôme Lejeune International Chair of Bioethics;
• and Dr. Pilar García Fernández, Medical Director and Pediatrician.

The documentary narrates Jérôme Lejeune’s commitment to defending life and the human person, a commitment that sprang from his deep faith and his desire to serve the Lord, assuming all the consequences that this brought to his personal and professional life.