{"id":198054,"date":"2019-03-18T15:59:22","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T20:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=198054"},"modified":"2019-03-15T14:35:05","modified_gmt":"2019-03-15T19:35:05","slug":"training-manual-abortion-down-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/training-manual-abortion-down-syndrome\/","title":{"rendered":"Training manual: Advising abortion for babies with Down syndrome can be ‘a blessed relief’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

In a 1996 book meant to teach abortion workers how to \u201ccounsel\u201d women considering abortion, the authors tell the workers to recommend abortion when the baby has a disability.\u00a0Pregnancy and Abortion Counseling<\/em>, by authors\u00a0Joanna Brien and Ida Fairbairn,\u00a0discusses \u201cnon-directive\u201d counseling (in which the abortion worker doesn\u2019t pressure the woman to choose abortion) and \u201cdirective\u201d counseling, in which abortion is actively encouraged. The authors claim that in cases of fetal anomaly, it is better for the parents if the abortion worker is \u201cdirective\u201d and encourages abortion:<\/p>\n

When counselling, the aim of the health professional involved would normally be to support a decision-making process but not to influence it. There has recently been lively debate whether a non-directive approach is possible or even ideal when fetal abnormality has been discovered. By not offering guidance are professionals merely disowning responsibility and choosing not to face the ethical dilemmas they have been instrumental in discovering? <\/em><\/p>\n

By receiving non-directive counselling the couple are urged to make their own impossible decision at a time when they are grief-stricken and in emotional turmoil. Couples in this kind of situation are often desperate to be advised what to do, and being able to say \u201cthe doctor advised us to have a termination\u201d can sometimes be a blessed relief\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Powerful documentary shows doctors\u2019 push to abort babies with Down syndrome<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Couples who are given a prenatal diagnosis already face a great deal of pressure to abort. A recent study<\/a> on parents of children with Down syndrome found that one in four couples encountered medical personnel who \u201cinsisted\u201d on abortion. The same study found that only 11% of couples who were told about a fetal anomaly and chose to give birth were satisfied with their doctors. Reasons for dissatisfaction included too much emphasis on abortion and not providing information about other resources.<\/p>\n

In an Australian survey of mothers<\/a>\u00a0whose children with Down syndrome were diagnosed in utero and who had their babies, two thirds of the women said that they were offered an abortion a second time after turning it down. One fifth said that medical professionals pressured them to have an abortion at every visit.<\/p>\n

This is an example of ableism connected to abortion. The lives of disabled children are devalued, and babies with disabilities are treated differently than those who would be born able-bodied.<\/p>\n

Source: Joanna Brien, Ida Fairbairn Pregnancy and Abortion Counseling<\/em> (London: Routledge, 1996) 130-131<\/p>\n

\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a> for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a 1996 book meant to teach abortion workers how to \u201ccounsel\u201d women considering abortion, the authors tell the workers to recommend abortion when the baby has a disability.\u00a0Pregnancy and Abortion Counseling, by authors\u00a0Joanna Brien and Ida Fairbairn,\u00a0discusses \u201cnon-directive\u201d counseling (in which the abortion worker doesn\u2019t pressure the woman to choose abortion) and \u201cdirective\u201d counseling, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153,"featured_media":66517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[7,3473],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTraining manual: Advising abortion for babies with Down syndrome can be 'a blessed relief'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""... 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Being able to say \u201cthe doctor advised us to have a termination\u201d can sometimes be a blessed relief." ~ Abortion worker training manual\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/training-manual-abortion-down-syndrome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Live Action News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-18T20:59:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-03-15T19:35:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/down-syndrome-2-e1436827089852.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sarah Terzo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sarah Terzo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/training-manual-abortion-down-syndrome\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/training-manual-abortion-down-syndrome\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sarah Terzo\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/2f32fb25f4ca350784baf5509b1b6eb2\"},\"headline\":\"Training manual: Advising abortion for babies with Down syndrome can be ‘a blessed relief’\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-18T20:59:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-15T19:35:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/training-manual-abortion-down-syndrome\/\"},\"wordCount\":427,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Human Rights\",\"Newsbreak\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/training-manual-abortion-down-syndrome\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/training-manual-abortion-down-syndrome\/\",\"name\":\"Training manual: Advising abortion for babies with Down syndrome can be 'a blessed relief'\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-18T20:59:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-15T19:35:05+00:00\",\"description\":\"\\\"... 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