Don’t Screen Us Out, a campaign highlighting concerns over the proposed use of a new pre-natal test for Down's syndrome, was launched last week.
The new test uses NIPT (non-invasive prenatal testing) to screen a pregnant mother's blood for tiny fragments of DNA.
These fragments (cell-free DNA) are then checked for abnormalities, including Down’s syndrome, or trisomy 21. The screening is offered between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy.
The Don't Screen Us Out campaign, led by international advocacy group Saving Down Syndrome, warns that the new test will "enable a kind of informal eugenics in which certain kinds of disabled people are effectively ‘screened out’ of the population before they are even born."
More lives lost
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has recommended that the new screening procedure, also called the cfDNA test, be added into the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme.
The test is touted as a safer option than amniocentesis, which is the current test recommended to women who have a one in 150 or greater chance of having a baby with Down’s syndrome. Unlike cfDNA testing, amniocentesis carries with it the risk of miscarriage.
But critics of cfDNA testing point out that more children will be found to have Down’s using this new method, which will lead to more babies’ lives being lost. Currently, nine out of 10 babies who test positive for Down’s syndrome are aborted.
In a response to the UK NSC's consultation on cfDNA screening published last October, Christian Concern highlighted that this new procedure could lead to an additional 92 abortions on the basis of a Down’s syndrome diagnosis every year.
New campaign highlights dangers
Don’t Screen Us Out encourages people to ask their MPs to oppose the new cfDNA screening process, which will enable an “informal eugenics” in British society.
The UNESCO International Bioethics Committee has also issued a strong warning on the ethical implications of approving such a test. The committee’s report states:
"A widespread use of NIPT, namely as general screening in order to detect abnormalities, followed by an abortion, is perceived by some people as an evidence of the will to avoid permanent pain in a lifetime, by others as a sign of a situation of the exclusion society gives to people affected by this illness, meaning indirectly that certain lives are worth living, and others less."
The same report says that there is no way to ensure that this technique, which would also provide information on the gender of the child at an earlier stage in pregnancy, would not be used for 'gender-abortion'.
'All lives valued'
People with Down’s syndrome can lead happy and fulfilling lives, and many are making unique contributions to society. An American woman with Down’s syndrome runs a non-profit to encourage full inclusion of people with Down’s syndrome, and an Australian teenager with Down’s is pursuing a career as a model.
Andrea Williams, Christian Concern's Chief Executive, said: "It is shocking that our health service will be further facilitating abortion on the basis of disability. Babies with Down's syndrome are created in God’s image and their lives are infinitely valuable to him – and ought to be treasured by us."
Related News:
Challenging Society's perception of Down's syndrome
Prenatal test may lead to gender-abortions
Related Coverage:
Safer Down's test backed for NHS use (BBC)
New test recommended for fetal anomaly screening (The Royal College of Midwives)
Report of the IBC on Updating Its Reflection on the Human Genome and Human Rights (unesco)