By Kirsten Deane in The Age [Melbourne, Australia]:

Some obstetricians are calling for more extensive prenatal screening for Down syndrome, but those who call for screening can’t have it both ways. They can’t argue that greater screening enables greater choice while at the same time promoting halving the birth rate through abortion. That’s not individual choice, that’s eugenics.

… Like every other child born in Victoria, those babies deserve equality and respect. They have the potential to lead full and rewarding lives as contributing members of their families and the broader community. What holds them back is not their intellectual disability but the negative attitudes and limitations imposed upon them by others.

We believe the barriers that limit the opportunities of people with Down syndrome are constructions of society’s making. As such, they can be dismantled. We should be working to change the world, not eliminate people with Down syndrome from it.

(Kirsten Deane is a former journalist and president of Down Syndrome Victoria.)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 1:01 pm and is filed under abortion, Down syndrome, international, prenatal diagnosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.