Early screening of pregnant women for potentially fatal conditions in their babies is being recommended to give women the option to have abortions earlier.
At present women have an ultrasound scan at 20 weeks to check for serious abnormalities in their babies. But now blood tests, in combination with a scan at 12 weeks, will be made available to detect certain rare genetic abnormalities.
The proposal for earlier screening comes from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) whose Director of Programmes, Dr Anne Mackie, says: “This recommendation would give women access to support and enable them to make important choices at an earlier stage of their pregnancy.”
The new blood tests and earlier scan will look for abnormalities called Edward's and Patau's syndromes. It is rare for babies with these conditions to survive.
Andrea Williams said:
"Every human life is precious, whether affected by disability or not. By implying that abortion is a 'solution' to having a baby with a disability, our nation's public health bodies are sending out a very destructive message that some lives are more valuable than others.
"Even this week, we've heard yet another report of a mother who, having been advised by her doctors to have an abortion, continued with the pregnancy and gave birth to a child who has brought joy to her family in spite of disability."
