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Down syndrome advocates has complained to international court

A group of advocates for individuals with Down syndrome has complained to an international human rights court that New Zealand’s prenatal screening program effectively targets disabled children for systematic eradication through abortion, reports LifeSiteNews.com.

Right to Life New Zealand (RTLNZ) revealed that they have joined their name to the complaint in a press release Tuesday. The complaint is being lodged at the International Criminal Court in The Hague by a group of thirty-seven parents or siblings who have a family member with Down syndrome.

The complaint names the Minister of Health in the New Zealand government as the person responsible for authorizing the national antenatal screening program in February 2010.

RTLNZ says the complaint has been lodged with the Office of the Prosecutor under the provisions of Article 15.1 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It alleges breaches of Article 6 and 7 of the Statute through the persecution of an identifiable group of the population, namely those with Down syndrome and the deprivation of their right to life, which the group points out is the foundation of their human rights.

“Midwives and Doctors are required to offer the antenatal screening to every woman who is pregnant. The purpose of this programme is to detect babies with Down syndrome and other conditions. Women whose baby tests positive for Down syndrome are to be offered the opportunity to terminate the life of their child,” stated RTLNZ.

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TAGS: Down syndrome advocates New Zealand abortion

[07/06/2011]

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