Choice 42 tackles the question of genetic screening and abortion of unborn children with Down syndrome in their latest video. Estimates are that 70 to 90% of pregnancies with a diagnosis of Down syndrome end in abortion in western nations. The number depends on the country. An August 2017 CBSN “On Assignment” report found that in Iceland, only one or two babies with Down Syndrome are born annually due to increased prenatal screening. That’s almost 100%.
According to the Daily Mail (February 3rd 2018): “The arrival of a child with Down syndrome is an increasing rarity in Denmark. There were 80 born in 1999- but by 2016 the number had fallen to just 24.”
In France a diagnosis of Down syndrome for an unborn child results in abortion 77% of the time. In the United States, it’s about 67%. Lifenews.com reported that “approximately 95% of babies diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome are aborted in Australia.”
In the absence of reliable data for Canada, it’s reasonable to assume that the number falls somewhere in that range of 70 to 98%.
