Iceland Rapped by Philippines Over Abortion Rate of Down Syndrome Children

The United Nations has these roundtables now and again where countries speak a little bit about its own nation’s shortcomings. And then all the other countries representatives speak about what they perceive to be that nation’s shortcomings. It’s called the Universal Periodic Review in the Human Rights Council.

Last month, Iceland listened to the other countries wax eloquently about Iceland’s shortcomings. One issue that didn’t get a great deal of discussion was Iceland’s horrific way of dealing with Down syndrome Children when diagnosed in utero.

In fact, only the Philippines and Iran, said anything about this. (Something tells me Iran hadn’t done their homework and were just piggybacking off Iceland’s remarks.) But the silence from the rest of the world on this issue is deafening.

Bio Edge reports:

In 2017 CBS News featured a report on the virtual disappearance of Down syndrome children in Iceland which outraged people around the world. According to the European Down Syndrome Association, “Since prenatal screening tests were introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, the vast majority of women – close to 100 percent – who received a positive test for Down syndrome terminated their pregnancy.”

Iceland’s government defended its record in 2018. “It is a core principle of Icelandic society to respect people with disabilities as part of human diversity,” it stated. It denied that the government was pressuring women to abort Down syndrome children. This is probably true, but Down syndrome kids are not welcomed. Only two or three are born each year.

At the UN meeting, according to the invaluable C-FAM newsletter, “The delegate from the Philippines said Iceland should ‘take immediate and effective steps to combat discrimination against persons with disabilities, particularly those with Down syndrome and strengthen public awareness campaigns to uphold their rights and provide comprehensive support and assistance to concerned persons and their families.’ Iran also specifically called on Iceland to address discrimination against persons with Down syndrome.”

Iceland submitted its own report to the UN about its human rights record. It made no mention of Down syndrome children.

It is probably unfair to single out Iceland on this score. According to C-FAM, “Denmark has a rate of 98%, the United Kingdom aborts 90%, and while reliable statistics for the United States are difficult to find, estimates put the rate at around 65%.”