"I may have Down’s Syndrome but I am a person first"

Many thanks to Pat Buckley of the European Life Network for an excellent follow-up to my post Downs Syndrome - not a reason for extermination. The following is from an SPUC paper on abortion:

In May 2003, the International Down Syndrome Screening Conference was held in London. A group of people with Down’s Syndrome had asked if they could speak at the conference but were not allowed to. They turned up anyway and one of them, Anya Souza, was finally allowed to say something about her own condition. She said:
“I can’t get rid of my Down’s Syndrome, but you can’t get rid of my happiness. You can’t get rid of the happiness I give others either. It’s doctors like you that want to test pregnant women and stop people like me being born. Together with my family and friends I have fought to prevent my separation from normal society. I have fought for my rights… I may have Down’s Syndrome but I am a person first.”

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