BBC Radio 2 listeners have objected to abortion for Down’s syndrome, following a phone-in debate on the Jeremy Vine show. Last year, presenter Mr Vine examined the recent push by the government and NHS for more accurate prenatal testing to identify Down’s syndrome.
Around 92 per cent of children diagnosed with Down’s syndrome in England and Wales are aborted at present. This is set to rise, should the government’s screening plans take shape.
Blogger Claire Farrington, whose son, Theo, has Down’s syndrome, joined Mr Vine on the show and claimed the new tests were not ‘progress’ at all. Following this, many listeners phoned in, including a student at Goldsmiths, called Charlotte, who has Down’s syndrome.
She told listeners: ‘Down’s isn’t a reason to abort. I have a great life’. Mr Vine commented: ‘Some advances are not advances, that’s what we’re coming to here’.
