Re: Re:killing of unborn children with downs - genocide | scoop news

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Killing of Unborn Children with Downs - Genocide

Wednesday, 18 August 2010, 5:06 pm

Press Release: Right To Life New Zealand Inc

The Killing of Unborn Children with Down syndrome  – 

GenocideIt is the opinion of this Society that the

government is guilty of genocide, a crime against humanity

which is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the

Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. New

Zealand is a signatory to the Convention that was passed by

the General Assembly on 9 December 1948.Relevant section

of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the

Crime of Genocide

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Article II: In the present Convention,

genocide means any of the following acts committed with

intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national,

ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:(a)   

Killing members of the group;( Causing serious bodily

or mental harm to members of the group;© Deliberately

inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to

bring about its physical destruction in whole or in

part;(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births

within the group;(e) Forcibly transferring children of

the group to another group.  Our complaint is that

in February 2010 the government of New Zealand instituted

the “Antenatal Screening for Down Syndrome and other

conditions - Quality Improvements” programme. This

programme was introduced by the Ministry of Health following

advice from the Ministry’s National Screening Unit [NSU]

without public consultation. Cabinet papers obtained under

the Official Information Act state that the outcomes of the

programme will be a reduction in the number of births of

people with Down syndrome, with around 90% of unborn

children diagnosed with the condition being

aborted.  The programme is funded by the state and

targets all pregnant women in New Zealand in their first

trimester on the basis of providing information to women to

make decisions about their pregnancies, including

abortion.  People with disabilities are the only group of

people in New Zealand targeted for selective abortion. Down

syndrome, and other conditions that are targeted, are

genetic conditions that have no cure. The basis of first

trimester screening is to enable woman to have an abortion

within the 20 week timeframe if an abnormality is detected.

Other reasons for prenatal diagnosis, such as parent

education, hospital selection and delivery management, do

not require testing during the first trimester and can be

safely left until the later stages of pregnancy.  The

preventing of birth of a group of people falls within the

definition of genocide under international

law.  This Programme was introduced by the

Ministry of Health following advice from the Ministry’s

National Screening Unit [NSU]. Documentation obtained under

the Official Information Act from the Ministry of Health

included the document Summary of Key Informant Interviews

Antenatal Down Syndrome Screening Final Report which states

that, “The programme will be cost beneficial for the

population and the health system. The scan highlighted

literature that supported the premise that the economic

costs of screening outweigh the high costs associated with

the long term care needs of an individual with Down

syndrome.” This is eugenics which proclaims that

only the perfect have a right to be born. The screening

programme is a search and destroy mission and is a further

major step on the slippery slope. The government seeks to

conceal the true purpose of the programme by calling it a

“quality improvement” rather than national screening

programme. The government states that it is providing a

service to families by giving them a choice whether to

terminate the life of the child with Down syndrome or to

allow the child to be born. We should be aware that this is

part of a strategy of social conditioning. Right to Life

contends that the government has decided that children with

Down syndrome are not valued or wanted in our community. Its

intention then is to encourage families to abort children

with Down syndrome. The insidious option to terminate the

life of the child will ultimately become a duty to kill the

child before birth. With the acceptance of eugenics

ultimately it may be expected that with the rationing of

diminishing health resources the health care for the

disabled will be restricted. It is the opinion of

this Society that the screening programme is in violation of

Article II [d] of the Convention, Imposing measures intended

to prevent births within the group. People with Down

syndrome fall within the definition of “disabled

persons” and are recognized under the UN Declaration on

the Rights of Disabled Persons as a group which forms part

of a nation. Under that Declaration disabled persons “have

the same civil and political rights as other human beings”

and must be protected, against all exploitation, all

regulations and all treatment of a discriminatory, abusive

or degrading nature.” These rights are further reinforced

under Article 10 of the Convention on the Rights of

Disabled, which states “State Parties reaffirm that every

human being has the inherent right to life and shall take

all necessary measures to ensure its effective enjoyment by

persons with disabilities on an equal basis with

others.”      We request that the government

cease this screening programme. In the event that the

screening programme is not terminated Right to Life New

Zealand will lay a formal complaint with the United Nations

[The Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of

Genocide] against the government of New Zealand for genocide

by imposing measures to prevent births of children with Down

syndrome. The World Health Organisation [WHO], states

that the classification for Down syndrome is a “mild to

moderate disability.” Most children with Down syndrome

participate in public and private educational programs.

Educators and researchers are still discovering the full

educational potential of people with Down syndrome. Today

people with Down syndrome live at home with their families

and are active participants in the educational, social and

recreational activities of their community. People with Down

syndrome are valued members of their families and their

communities, contributing to society in a variety of ways.

Women who have an unborn child diagnosed with Down syndrome

or any other disability need and deserve the support and

compassion of the community to accept their child as a

valued and loved member of the family and

community. The government should promote a culture of

life by ensuring that families who have unborn children with

Down syndrome receive compassion and are given all the

encouragement and support needed to bring their child to

birth. After the birth of their child they should be

provided with the services necessary to assist them in

providing for the special needs of their child. 

  

 

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, Executive DirectorReece's Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministrywww.reecesrainbow.org

 

" Because every family deserves the blessing of a child with Down syndrome.... "