A new report has examined the use of genetic screening which has led to almost 100 per cent of babies diagnosed with Down’s syndrome being aborted in Iceland.
CBS News visited the country to investigate the high abortion rate.
One abortionist told them they do not see abortion as murder, just “a thing that we ended”.
‘Doesn’t feel good’
The news outlet spoke with a woman with Down’s who is living a full and healthy life.
She said people “just see Down’s. They don’t see me”. Adding: “It doesn’t feel good. I want people to see that I am just like everybody else.”
But abortionist Helga Sol Olafsdottir claimed that Iceland sees Down’s abortion as “preventing suffering for the child and also for the family”.
Abortion regret
She said: “We don’t look at abortion as murder. We look at it as a thing that we ended. We ended a possible life that may have had a huge complication.”
“And I think that is more right than seeing it as murder – that’s so black and white”, she added.
When Olafsdottir was asked if she has ever met women who regret having abortions she said “of course”, but she continues to advise that: “This is your life. You have the right to choose how your life will look like.”
Heavy-handed
As the screening test used is reportedly only 85 per cent accurate, some parents have received inaccurate test results.
Geneticist Kari Stefansson said the country has “basically eradicated” Down’s syndrome from Icelandic society.
When asked what the abortion rate says about the country’s society, he said it reflects a “relatively heavy-handed genetic counseling”, but he said that was not “desirable”.
‘Innocent babies’
Iceland has a population of about 330,000 and on average just one or two children are born with Down’s syndrome each year.
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, said her heart “breaks” for Iceland’s babies, aborted “because society has deemed certain people underserving of life”.
She added: “I pray this report will wake up the people of Iceland to the discriminatory killing occurring amongst them. I pray they wake up before even more human beings fall victim to this disgusting mindset.”
And Emmy award-winning actress Patricia Heaton slammed the notion that Iceland is eliminating Down syndrome, saying “they’re just killing everyone who has it.”
Iceland isn't actually eliminating Down Syndrome. They're just killing everybody that has it. Big difference. #Downsyndrome #abortion https://t.co/gAONIzqRXW
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) August 15, 2017