Editor’s note. This comes from SPUC—the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.
The Department of Health announced on Saturday that it has approved Non Invasive Pre-Natal Testing for use on the National Health Service which campaigners say will increase the number of abortions for babies with Down syndrome, and have a devastating impact on the Down syndrome community.
[According to the Daily Mail, the decision “follows a controversial consultation in which the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists suggested ‘cost-effectiveness’ of caring for people with Down’s could be considered as a factor. It called for a ‘rigorous economic analysis’, including lifetime care costs.”]
The news came as 279 medical professionals signed a letter accusing the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of “advocating that women with a prenatal diagnosis of Down’s syndrome should end their pregnancy.” The letter added, “We utterly reject the implicit premise that the value of a human being is based on their economic contribution to society.”
SPUC comment
“The decision by the department of health to proceed with a new high-resolution screening programme is deeply disturbing,” said Paul Tully, SPUC’s general secretary:
“It signals a determination by the department to eliminate people with Down syndrome and others with disabilities. Aborting the unborn because they are disabled is an affront to all those with disabilities in society.
“It sends out the message that people like them are not wanted and will not be tolerated. It shows a cold disregard for the hundreds of families and individuals who live with conditions like Down syndrome. Despite the joy and humanity they bring to the world, their lives are counted as worthless.”