UK Killed 735 Babies in Abortions Just Because They Had Down Syndrome

The most recent abortion statistics released by the Department of Health and Social Care today show that there were 735 abortions where a baby had Down’s syndrome in 2023, an increase of 7.3% from 2019 when there were 656.

The statistics also show there were 10 late-term abortions at 24 weeks gestation or over where the baby had Down’s syndrome for residents of England and Wales.

There were 3,205 abortions for babies with disabilities in 2023, an increase of 81 (2.59%) from 3,124 in the previous year. The number of late-term abortions at 24 weeks gestation or over where the baby had a disability was 300 in 2023 for residents of England and Wales, an increase of 44 (17.19%) from 256 in the previous year.

In 2023, 40 babies with a cleft lip or cleft palate were aborted. There were 5 late-term abortions at 24 weeks and over where a baby had a cleft lip or cleft palate for residents of England and Wales.

Under the current law, abortion is allowed up to birth if a baby has a disability including Down’s syndrome.

The abortion time limit under Section 1(1)(a) of the Abortion Act is set at 24 weeks, but for cases in which a baby is thought to have a disability, including Down’s syndrome, abortion is currently available up to birth.

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Figures released on 28 March 2024 show that 87.26% of all babies prenatally diagnosed with Down’s syndrome in England and the Crown Dependencies were screened out by abortion in 2021.

The actual numbers are probably higher than reported due to underreporting of disability abortion statistics. A 2013 review showed 886 abortions for Down’s syndrome in England and Wales in 2010, but only 482 were reported in abortion statistics from the Department of Health and Social Care. The underreporting was confirmed by a 2014 Department of Health and Social Care review.

The private availability of cfDNA testing (otherwise known as NIPT) is likely already leading to an increase in the numbers of children with Down’s syndrome being screened out by termination. The rolling-out of these tests on the NHS, who were already recommending the private tests to expectant mothers, may also be having an impact on the number of terminations.

An investigation by The Sunday Times found that the number of babies born with Down’s syndrome has fallen by 30% in NHS hospitals that have introduced the new form of screening.

The figures, which were released by 26 hospital trusts in England under freedom of information laws, account for about a fifth of the hospital trusts that offer maternity services. They show that more women who have the new test go on to have abortions.

This situation is set to get worse as the Government’s evaluative implementation of Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing as part of the Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme gets underway.

Polling has shown that the majority of people in England, Wales and Scotland think that disability should not be a ground for abortion at all, with only one in three people thinking it is acceptable to ban abortion for gender or race but allow it for disability.

Lynn Murray, spokesperson for the Don’t Screen Us Out campaign, said:

“As a mother of a 25-year-old daughter who has Down’s syndrome, I see every day the unique joy she brings to our family and the continuing positive impact she has on others around her.

“It is deeply alarming that despite the leaps that advocacy groups have made in raising awareness in support of people with Down’s syndrome, abortion in the case of Down’s syndrome remains so commonplace and widespread in the UK. In fact, we hear from parents all the time how abortion was repeatedly presented to them in the hospital as the solution following the receipt of the news that their baby had Down’s syndrome.

“We rightly recognise that discrimination against people with Down’s syndrome is unacceptable after birth, but our abortion law allows direct discrimination before birth.

“The Government implementation of NIPT in NHS Hospitals began on 1 June 2021 and projections show that there will likely be a steep increase in the numbers of children with Down’s syndrome screened out by termination unless there is an immediate intervention.

“In England and Wales, around 90% of babies diagnosed with Down’s syndrome are aborted. This raises questions for the Government about the purpose of prenatal screening and a law which encourages this situation to occur.”

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