DOWN'S SYNDROME, DON'T SCREEN US OUT CAMPAIGN

That this House joins people with Down’s syndrome, their families and advocacy groups supporting the Don’t Screen Us Out campaign in being deeply concerned that the UK National Screening Committee has proposed that cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing be introduced into the UK’s Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (FASP); acknowledges that these proposals are projected to lead to 25 fewer miscarriages, but are also projected to result in 92 more children with Down’s syndrome being terminated each year, given that 90 per cent of babies identified with Down’s syndrome are terminated annually, having a profound and discriminatory effect on the community of people with Down’s syndrome; notes that this violates the UK’s treaty obligations to the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); considers that the current lack of non-directional medial support and balanced information for parents whose child is diagnosed with foetal disability constitutes a failure to implement article 23, section 3 of the CRPD which calls for early and comprehensive support for children with Down’s and their families; calls on the Government to delay implementation of cfDNA screening until reforms are introduced that adequately deliver this support; and urges that a formal inquiry be undertaken to ensure the FASP is fully compliant with the CRPD and other relevant disability rights standards.