Popular discourse about Down Syndrome is inexorably tied to abortion debates, and understandably so. In Australia, non-invasive pre-natal testing for Down Syndrome was celebrated in 2017 on 60 Minutes as making possible a world without Down Syndrome. Some places, such as Iceland and Denmark, have a 97 and 100 percent rate of abortions after pre-natal screening shows that an unborn child has Down Syndrome. Writing in the Washington Post in 2018, conservative George F. Will called this “genocide,” before noting that the United States of America is not too far behind, with 67 percent of pregnancies ending in abortion after pre-natal screening indicated the unborn child had Down Syndrome.
true
Want to keep reading?
Subscribe for free to access this article and all of our archives.
I'm very grateful for the work of MO and have really appreciated the things I've learned and the companion that it has been for me on my spiritual journey.
Mere Orthodoxy member
Thank you for offering thoughtful, reasonable and decent commentary. It is a boon to my sanity at this stage of my life in this cultural moment.
Mere Orthodoxy member
Mere Orthodoxy is (for me) a counterpoint to social media, a place of depth and critical thought.
Mere Orthodoxy member
You're in. Check your inbox.
Something went wrong. Try again.
Joshua Heavin
Rev. Dr. Joshua Heavin (PhD, Aberdeen) serves as Curate for Pastoral Care at Christ Church Cathedral in Plano, Texas; he is the book reviews editor for Pro Ecclesia, the journal of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology; and he is an adjunct professor in the School of Christian Thought at Houston Christian University and West Texas A&M University.
.png?width=5000&height=2188&name=Mere%20Orthodoxy%20-%20Banner.png%20(1).png)
