Ellie, 32, was born was dyspraxia, a neurodevelopmental condition that affects motor skills and coordination. However, before she was born, it was “expected” by hospital staff that she would be aborted.
“During the pregnancy, there was some concern, and a test was offered, but it was made very, very clear to my wife that if the test was taken and proved positive, it would be expected that we ask for a termination”, the Most Rev Justin Welby explained to the General Synod.
“It Was Not A Neutral Process, Because They Said It’s Expensive.”
Archbishop Welby was speaking to the General Synod in York at a motion opposing the view that child disability is a tragedy, is too expensive and ought to be prevented.
Praising his daughter, Archbishop Welby continued: “She’s precious because she’s wonderful, she’s kind, she is someone who gets cross and gets happy and gets sad.” He added: “I hope that this motion passes, not just because of Ellie, but because of our belief in human dignity.”
The motion was approved by 312 votes to zero. Archdeacon Ven Pete Spiers, who proposed the motion, also called on the Government to ensure that parents are not pressured to abort a child.
While abortion in most cases is allowed up to 24 weeks in the UK, unborn babies considered to be “seriously handicapped” may be aborted up to birth.
“One Of The Great Healthcare Scandals Of Our Time”
Daniel Frampton, SPUC’s Editorial Officer, said: “The pressure many parents face to abort unborn children is one of the great healthcare scandals of our time. Archbishop Welby and his wife’s experience of this is far from unique.
“The harmful narrative that disabled children are necessarily unwanted and a burden on the state has increasingly come to dominate the thinking of medical professionals in Britain. It’s up to the Government to correct this profoundly prejudiced approach that kills hundreds of unborn babies deemed ‘unworthy’ of life every year.
“Nations are to be judged on how they treat their most vulnerable people, especially disabled children who are unable to speak for themselves. The UK continues to fail this test. It needn’t be this way, and SPUC implores Westminster’s new intake of MPs to set a new life-affirming standard that embraces all people.”
Children With Down’s Syndrome Targeted By Abortion
87.26% of unborn babies prenatally diagnosed with Down’s syndrome in England and Wales (and Crown Dependencies) were aborted in 2021, according to NHS data.
SPUC has reported on numerous instances of parents who felt pressured to abort unborn children, including Natalie O’Rourke from London who was booked in for an abortion without her knowledge after her son was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome.
Another mother was reported “They really seemed to push and really seemed to want us to terminate”, she recalled.
