Mother sues NHS for ‘wrongful birth’

A mother is suing the NHS for over £200,000 for failing to diagnose her son with Down’s syndrome.

Edyta Mordel from Reading told the High Court she would have aborted the child if she knew he had the condition.

Mordel is suing for the costs of caring for her son, now four-years-old, and for the effect on her ability to work.

Diagnosis

When she discovered she was pregnant in 2014, Mordel claims she told a midwife that she wished to undergo the screening for Down’s syndrome.

Lawyers for the NHS say that she was offered the test, but declined it.

Mordel’s medical notes record that she was “very upset and angry” when her son was diagnosed at birth.

Pay-outs

In 2017, it was revealed that the NHS had given £70 million in compensation to parents who said they would have aborted their children if they knew they were disabled.

These payments took place over five years and included claims for conditions such as Down’s syndrome.

Watch families who decided not to abort their disabled children as they speak to The Christian Institute Choose Life series.

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