Life is calling for the abortion laws to be revised with a view to stopping the abortion of babies with disabilities, following the revelation that 339 babies were aborted for Downs Syndrome in the first six months of this year. 

Health Minister Helen Whately revealed the statistics in answering a parliamentary question from Fiona Bruce MP.  

Life’s Director of Advocacy Liz Parsons said “Today marks 53 years since the Abortion Act was passed. In that time we have grown up as a society which embraces and advocates for equality and freedom from discrimination for all human beings. Yet the Abortion Act after 5 decades continues to empower abortion providers with the ability to terminate thousands of human beings up until birth if they have a disability. The Act is inherently discriminatory, outdated and incongruent with the principles of equality and justice for all human beings.  

The fact that every single day two babies are aborted because they have Down’s Syndrome is shocking and unacceptable in any just and equal society. It is despicable that in this age, a woman with Down’s Syndrome feels she must seek protection for babies with Down’s Syndrome, through the courts of law. Are we moving towards a Down’s-syndrome-free Britain? Are the lawmakers sitting in the House of Commons happy with this sad state of affairs? 

Just yesterday we read the story carried by the BBC where a woman pregnant with a baby with Down’s Syndrome was offered an abortion on 15 occasions, despite saying it wasn’t an option for her. She was even offered a late-term surgical abortion at 38 weeks. 

 As we mark Down’s Syndrome Awareness Month, we should reflect on whether we want a society that ends the lives of thousands of human beings because they have a disability. It is time that those responsible for creating laws be reminded of their responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in society and act now to correct the unjust and discriminatory 1967 Abortion Act.” 

Source: lifecharity.org.uk