Controversial Down’s syndrome test introduced in Scotland

October 2, 2020  — The Christian Institute reports: “The introduction of controversial prenatal screenings for Down’s syndrome in Scotland is very likely to lead to more abortions, a campaign group has warned.

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), which tests unborn babies for certain conditions more accurately, is now being implemented in NHS hospitals across Scotland.

But Don’t Screen Us Out has called on the Scottish Government to consider the impact it will have on the number of children who may be aborted.

Spokeswoman Lynn Murray said: ‘Disability campaigners have repeatedly called on the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland to carry out an impact assessment of the proposed rollout. Sadly these calls have been ignored.

‘Figures released last year realised the fears of the Down’s syndrome community that rolling out these tests would lead to a large drop in the number of babies with Down’s syndrome’…”  (Unfortunately, this is nothing new.  There has been a focus on Down’s Syndrome babies in the past several years.  Dr. Van Impe has shared this before, but I feel that there is a need to repeat it.

In March of 2016, there was a program aired in the Netherlands entitled “The Last Downer” which was produced by a Christian group who wanted to promote debate about the value of people with Down Syndrome.  In this program there was a clip that showed a spokesman from The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment telling a man with Down Syndrome that it takes the nation approximately 48,000 Euros per year to care for a person with Down Syndrome compared to 5,000 Euros for a “normal person.”  The web page of Life Site News https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/watch-dutch-research-institute-chillingly-tells-man-with-down-syndrome-how stated: “Putting a price tag on people with genetic abnormalities so that they feel like burdens that society is better without is not new. Civilized people around the world were confounded as to how the average German could have tolerated or ignored the Nazi Holocaust decades ago. But the “Ultimate Solution” started with the idea that there is such a thing as a human “life not worthy to be lived.”   This program prompted a tweet by Princeton professor Robert P. George – “People! People!!! Do you not see where this goes??? Do the Dutch, who suffered under–and in many cases heroically resisted–Hitler’s domination, forget that the “final solution” began with the dehumanization and eugenic killing of the handicapped?”  In January 2017, the Dutch Health Minister stated: “Society should accept screening out of children with Down’s syndrome.”  In August 2017, CBSN: On Assignment aired a program that stated: “With the rise of prenatal screening tests across Europe and the United States, the number of babies born with Down syndrome has significantly decreased, but few countries have come as close to eradicating Down syndrome births as Iceland.”  How are they eradicating it? “Since prenatal screening tests were introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, the vast majority of women — close to 100 percent — who received a positive test for Down syndrome terminated their pregnancy.”  This prompted a tweet from actress Patricia Heaton: “Iceland isn’t actually eliminating Down Syndrome. They’re just killing everybody that has it. Big difference.” 

Twelve to fourteen million Jews, Soviets, Poles, Yugoslavians, gypsies, and men, women and children with mental and physical handicaps were killed in Hitler’s holocaust.  According to the Guttmacher Institute: “During 2010–2014, an estimated 56 million induced abortions occurred each year worldwide. This number represents an increase from 50 million annually during 1990–1994, mainly because of population growth.”  Keeping it at that estimate, there have been over 392 million induced abortions worldwide since 2010.  The population of the United States in 2017 was 325.7 million. 

What does the Bible say about the unborn?  Samson told Delilah “…I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb…” – Judges 16:17.  David stated: “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” – Psalm 139:13-17.  God told Jeremiah “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” – Jeremiah 1:5.  Luke 1:41 – 45 states: “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:   And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.  And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.  And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” 

Does this mean that abortion is the unpardonable sin?  No.  II Corinthians 5:21 states: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Romans 3:22-26 states: “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” And we have the wonderful promise of I John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”)