MEDISCOPE | ISSUE 2 | 02 DECEMBER 2020

was claimed to be ‘more accurate than ever’
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but what exactly are they testing for?
Fundamentally they are screening for
whether the fetus has a ‘correct’ number of
chromosomes or not but in fact, this starts to
imply that to be a ‘normal’ human being, you
have to have 46 chromosomes. In one of the
leaflets that the NHS hands out to mothers
after screening, a list of complications such
as ‘heart problems, gut problems, hearing
problems, vision problems, thyroid problems
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and dementia’ are listed. Simply listing these
complications makes the condition sound
very severe however these are complications
that any fetus could have. Anyone can grow
up to have ‘heart problems, gut problems,
etc’. In the past, when people have received
phone calls confirming a positive test for
Down’s, healthcare workers have said things
like ‘I’m ever so sorry but I have really bad
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news’. Why is it bad news?
After receiving a positive result for Down's
Syndrome, 90% of women in the UK abort
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their babies. In Iceland, this is worse - 10/10
women abort their babies. There is generally
a negative outlook about conditions like this
and eradicating the Down’s Syndrome
community implies that society views people
with this condition to be ‘imperfect’. This
therefore suggests that those without the
condition are completely ‘perfect’. In fact,
what is perfect?
We all know that ‘perfect’ is indefinable. In
this day and age, it has become accepted to
abort babies with Down’s Syndrome and
other genetic conditions. Although I am prochoice
and believe that women should have
the ability to choose what they want, I also
feel that this is completely ruthless. I have a
sister with Down’s Syndrome and in all
honesty, although she has a few learning
difficulties and other conditions, she is no
different from me or you. She has her own
hobbies, dreams and passion and radiates
such positive energy that I honestly could not
survive without her! The negative view on
people with genetic conditions like Down’s
has to be changed. Perhaps doctors and
healthcare professionals need to stop listing
‘all the things that could go wrong’ and start
talking about what could go right. They need
to start talking about how those with Down's
Syndrome are people filled with individuality,
emotions and life!
Many religions state that abortion should
only be allowed if the woman has an illness
since that could harm both the mother and
the fetus. Some also argue that abortion
should only be allowed in instances like rape
or incest but this suggests that for a woman
to have a right for her own body, someone
has to violate it first. In conclusion, I believe
that abortion should be legal in all countries
since equality is important and women
should be given the right to choose what’s
best for themselves and for their bodies.
Although providing analgesia will not resolve
the issue of a fetus’ right to life, it could
potentially solve the issue of fetal pain and
make sure that fetus’ die somewhat
‘peacefully’.
However, I do also believe that the outlook on
abortion due to genetic conditions should be
changed since aborting babies since they are
genetically different to a ‘normal’ human is
irrational.
A child with Down's Syndrome
ETHICS - ABORTION
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