At the end of November, in the High Court, the case of Toombes v Dr Philip Mitchell was heard before Rosalind Coe QC, acting judge. The claimant, 20-year-old Evie Toombes, sued her mother’s GP, Dr Mitchell, on the grounds of her own wrongful conception. Had […]
Downright Discrimination – the issues in the Heidi Crowter case
On July 6th and 7th 2021, Heidi Crowter made history. She is the first woman with Down syndrome to take the State to court over the discrimination inherent in our abortion law. Her co-claimants Máire Lea-Wilson and her son Aidan (pictured) also feel passionately about […]
‘I don’t want a baby like that’
The Sunday Times this weekend reported that ‘the number of babies born with Down’s syndrome has fallen by 30% in NHS hospitals that have introduced a new form of screening.’ This new test, NIPT (non- invasive prenatal testing), is safer than amniocentesis, but Down syndrome […]
Human dignity – a perspective from disability
‘In a hyper-competitive culture in which even baking a cake is a fight almost to the death… what does it mean to live a fulfilled life; to be fully human?’ This question was posed by actress and comedienne Sally Phillips in the lecture she gave […]