A letter urging Boris Johnson not to allow abortions up to birth for Down's syndrome babies has been signed by over 2,000 people with the condition and their families.
The open letter has been organised by the campaign group Don't Screen Us Out after a freedom of information request revealed that 710 late-term abortions for Down's syndrome - from 20 weeks onwards - took place in England and Wales between 2009 and 2018.
The Government has released a consultation on proposed abortion regulations for Northern Ireland, outlining that the procedure will be available up to either 12 or 14 weeks on request for any reason, including Down's syndrome.
Abortion on mental health grounds, though, will be available up to either 22 or 24 weeks, and abortions for 'fetal abnormality' are to be permitted up to birth provided that "the fetus if born would suffer a severe impairment, including a mental or physical disability which is likely to significantly limit either the length or quality of the child's life".
Don't Screen Me Out warned that the wording of the new legal framework as it stands is likely to open the door to abortion for any reason in Northern Ireland, including prenatal conditions like Down's syndrome - a radical change from the previous law, which did not permit disability-selective abortion.
Until now, abortion on the grounds of disability in Northern Ireland has been extremely rare. Figures from the Department of Health in Northern Ireland show that while 52 children with Down's syndrome were born in 2016, in the same year only one child was aborted in England and Wales.
This contrasts England and Wales, where 90% of babies diagnosed with Down's syndrome are aborted, according go Don't Screen Us Out. Official figures from the Department of Health show that there were 618 abortions for Down's syndrome in 2018, reflecting a 42% increase on the previous decade.
Lynn Murray, spokesperson for Don't Screen Us Out, said, "We are calling on the Government to urgently clarify that they will not introduce abortion for Down's syndrome to Northern Ireland. All that is required is for the Government to commit to add a simple provision to the abortion framework that will clearly outline that abortion for Down's syndrome will explicitly not be allowed.
"The proposed framework would likely lead to a big increase in abortion for congenital conditions detected pre-birth in Northern Ireland, and would reduce the numbers of our already very small community.
"This would have a devastating impact on the community of people with Down's syndrome in Northern Ireland. Our attitude towards people with disabilities has changed and our laws must reflect that."
Nicola Woods, from Belfast, is mother to Daniel, 7, who has Down's syndrome.
"Daniel is a delight. He lives in the moment, doesn't worry about mistakes he made last week or something difficult happening in the future," she said.
"His joy in the simple things of life has radiated to all those around him. People are deluded if they think this won't have a negative impact on the Down's syndrome community here in Northern Ireland when it is the safest place to be diagnosed with a disability."
She continued: "We in Northern Ireland should be left to make our own decisions about abortion law. People are keen to advocate for equality once babies are born, but not for the unborn child with a disability.
"Unborn children with disabilities are most vulnerable before they are born, where screening and abortion is the norm. Northern Ireland protects them and we want it to stay that way."
