Antenatal Results & Choices (ARC) was founded as “Support Around Termination for Foetal Abnormality” (SAFTA). It claims to be "the only national charity which provides non-directive support and information to parents throughout the antenatal testing process."
In July 2008 ARC lobbied MPs, urging them to vote against amendments which sought to curb abortion in limited ways. ARC's briefing for MPs cited various arguments in favour of abortion on the grounds of disability, such as:
- "forcing a woman to continue a pregnancy when the fetus was known to be seriously abnormal would be ‘inhumane’."
- "the majority of women are in favour of termination being available if a significant disability is diagnosed."
- "preventing abortion on the grounds of fetal abnormality after 24 weeks would be extremely detrimental to those women who discover an abnormality at a late stage."
- "Removing fetal abnormality as grounds for abortion at all gestations would particularly affect those parents who know they are carriers of a genetic disorder and risk having a baby with the condition."
- "Abortion on grounds of fetal abnormality is not eugenics".
Comments on this blog? Email them to johnsmeaton@spuc.org.uk
Sign up for alerts to new blog-posts and/or for SPUC's other email services
Follow SPUC on Twitter
Join SPUC's Facebook group
Please support SPUC. Please donate, join, and/or leave a legacy
