The Church of England’s ruling body has voted unanimously in favour of valuing people with Down’s syndrome. The General Synod backed a motion calling on the government to ensure that parents who have been told their unborn child has Down’s syndrome will be given “comprehensive, unbiased information” regarding the condition. Newcome said the debate was not about the ethics of abortion, pointing out that the church’s position on that issue is clearly stated. He said: “Although the motion today has partly been prompted by some people’s concern that the abortion rate for those diagnosed with Down’s syndrome could increase to nearly 100 per cent, the rights and wrongs of abortion itself are not the purpose of our discussion.”He also said the motion was not an attack on non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), a test for Down’s syndrome for expectant mothers. Newcome said the motion was “definitely not an attempt to tell women what they should do when faced with a desperately difficult personal decision”.

Source: The Irish Times February 11, 2018 07:52 UTC