One of Us strongly denounces all forms of prenatal discrimination, especially when children are selected or eliminated before birth on the grounds of disability. Such practices undermine the equal dignity of every human being and contradict the spirit of international human rights instruments. This page presents key warnings issued by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and by UNESCO.
CRPD – Warning Against Disability-Selective Prenatal Screening
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), in its General Comment No. 6 (2018) on Equality and Non-Discrimination, warns against modern forms of discrimination, including disability-selective antenatal screening policies. Such practices undermine the recognition of the equal worth of every person.
“States parties should address stigmatization through modern forms of discrimination, such as disability-selective antenatal screening policies that go against the recognition of the equal worth of every person.”
CRPD – General Comment No. 6 (2018)
Reference: CRPD – General Comment No. 6 (2018) · Bioethics News summary
UNESCO – Bioethics Concerns on Prenatal Selection
The UNESCO International Bioethics Committee (IBC), in its Report on Updating Its Reflection on the Human Genome and Human Rights (2015), raises serious ethical concerns about the widespread use of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and embryo selection (PGD). It warns that these practices may reinforce exclusionary attitudes towards persons with disabilities and indirectly imply that certain lives are less worth living.
“A widespread use of NIPT, namely as general screening in order to detect abnormalities, followed by an abortion, is […] seen by some as a sign of exclusion towards people affected by such conditions, indirectly implying that certain lives are more worth living than others.”
UNESCO International Bioethics Committee, 2015
Reference: UNESCO IBC – Report on the Human Genome and Human Rights (2015, PDF)