[Society for the Protection of Unborn Children] A mother, who said that she would have aborted her baby if she knew that he had Down syndrome, has been awarded financial compensation from the NHS, which could amount to £200,000.
Edyta Mordel, aged 33, pursued legal action against the NHS for ‘wrongful birth’ after medical staff allegedly failed to test her unborn baby for Down syndrome, and so deprived her of the opportunity to end his life through abortion.
Mordel’s medical notes say she was “very upset and angry” when her son, Aleksander, was diagnosed after his birth in 2015. However, the hospital’s ultrasound reports system recorded “Down’s screening declined”, showing that Mordel had been offered a screening process, and had refused it.
Mr Justice Jay, who presided over the ‘wrongful birth’ case, has now ruled that Mordel is entitled to a damages pay-out from the NHS trust. Mordel’s lawyers have asserted that she should receive a pay-out sum larger than £200,000.
Eradicating Down Syndrome Babies
Mordel’s Barrister, Coldagh Bradley QC, said that a prenatal test would have revealed a high chance of a Down syndrome diagnosis.
He said: “Miss Mordel would have been offered an abortion and her partner, Aleksander’s father, Lukasz Cieciura, agreed they would have terminated the pregnancy.”
Using an ultrasound, blood test and the mother’s age, a prenatal combination test is carried out. This determines whether an unborn child is likely to have a chromosomal abnormality such as Down syndrome.
Prenatal testing is commonly used to eradicate babies with Down syndrome and other chromosomal conditions. In Iceland, almost 100% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted. Each year, on average, only two babies with Down syndrome are allowed to be born in Iceland.
To keep reading, click here.
[Editor’s Note: This article was first written and published by Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. Title change by Pulpit and Pen]
