The current debate comes on the heels of a Parliamentary Inquiry launched by MP Fiona Bruce into whether the Abortion Act 1967 unjustly discriminates against disabled babies by permitting abortion up to birth on disability grounds. Currently, the United Kingdom has a gestational law prohibiting abortions past 24 weeks for other reasons.

We read here that,

“The Inquiry concluded that the law on abortion for disability could fall foul of both the 2010 Equality Act and UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that a child “needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth.”

A report on the findings of the Inquiry revealed that:

• Approximately 90 per cent of unborn babies who are diagnosed with Down’s syndrome in England and Wales are aborted following prenatal testing.
• Around seven terminations for cleft lip, and five for cleft palate, have taken place in England and Wales since 2002.
• Following a disability diagnosis, many parents feel that they are“pushed towards” having an abortion without due consideration of other options, and many who decide to keep their child face discrimination.

The Inquiry recommended Parliament to remove the discriminatory aspects of the Act either by repealing section 1(1)(d), which permits terminations on disability grounds, or as a minimum, reducing the upper limit for disability abortions to make it equal to that of abortion on other grounds.

Let’s hope the UK Parliament will listen to this courageous MP and reviews the eugenic practice of terminating pregnancies on the basis of ability.

It is commonly understood that if, during prenatal testing, it is determined that the child has either a physical or mental handicap, then they are better off aborted. To accept this, a person must also accept that certain people are less valuable than others and their lives are not worth living; that society would be better off without them. This amounts to nothing short of a serious act of discrimination against people with disabilities. Abortions carried out because of perceived disabilities deprive the world of unique and precious individuals. When a woman discovers that her child in the womb will face exceptional challenges she will have many questions. Instead of encouraging her to end the life of her child through abortion, she should be surrounded with supportive measures and assistance to enable her to provide the special care required for her child when it is born.

Attempts to create a perfect society by destroying those who are less than perfect leaves all of us vulnerable – because we are not perfect. We need to pursue medical solutions to help those with unique challenges, not abort them based on eugenics.

He sarcastically says:

Yeah! Kill all the crack babies! And abused kids and stuff, because killing people is always the answer!

Why is it that some people argue in favour of abortion on demand by reasoning that if this wasn’t legal the world would be filled with degenerate and disenfranchised people?

The logic is so ridiculous. I mean, if it was truly believed that we need abortion to make the world a better place would it not make more sense to terminate the lives of those who are already neglected rather than those who might be neglected?

Anyways, check out more of Van Maren’s thoughts over at the Bridgehead.