A new report from Insider Monkey examined which countries had the highest — and lowest — rates of Down syndrome, as well as why some countries had such low rates. Unsurprisingly, the reason was simple: abortion. The outlet praised the availability of “safe pregnancy termination” for allowing eugenic abortions to flourish.
The countries with the highest rates of Down syndrome are Ireland, Norway, and Malta, while the countries with the lowest rates are Iceland and Denmark. Much of what makes the difference is abortion.
According to the Down Syndrome Population Organization, there are 10.1 children per 10,000 live births with Down syndrome in Europe. While for Australia, the figure stands at 8.6 per 10,000 live births, owing to the advancement in prenatal screening. However, without elective termination, the current DS prevalence in Europe would have been 21.7 per 10,000 births.
Ever since advanced prenatal screening became accessible, a significant number of pregnancies with Down syndrome have been diagnosed in Australia and consequently terminated. Births with Down syndrome in Australia have reduced by 66% since the 1970s.
So if it wasn’t for elective pregnancy termination after a prenatal screening, which shows that the fetus is growing with a chromosomal abnormality, there would have been 23,156 people with Down syndrome in Australia. But because of timely diagnosis and the availability of safe pregnancy termination, the current Down syndrome population is 13,426 in the country. Although the current number has gone up from 2,852 people with the syndrome in 1950, it’s still progress, given the nation’s population surge between the 1950s and 2020s.
Abortion is a growing threat to the Down syndrome community; in Europe, the birth rate for babies with Down syndrome has dropped 54%. Denmark and Iceland both, as cited in the report, have nearly eradicated Down syndrome through abortion. Denmark specifically made international headlines when just 18 children with the condition were born in 2019. Iceland boasted of having a nearly 100% abortion rate for preborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome. Australian media also excitedly praised prenatal screening which they said could “effectively end Down syndrome.”
