{"id":1635934,"date":"2022-09-08T03:02:51","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T07:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1635934"},"modified":"2022-09-08T03:03:23","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T07:03:23","slug":"europe-silences-people-with-down-syndrome-to-soothe-women-who-think-its-ok-to-kill-them-in-the-womb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/europe-silences-people-with-down-syndrome-to-soothe-women-who-think-its-ok-to-kill-them-in-the-womb\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe Silences People With Down Syndrome To Soothe Women Who Think It\u2019s OK To Kill Them In The Womb"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Feurope-silences-people-with-down-syndrome-to-soothe-women-who-think-its-ok-to-kill-them-in-the-womb%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1635934&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>On Thursday, after a long legal battle, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) struck a blow against free speech and dignity for people with disabilities by failing to rule in favor of a French Down syndrome advocacy organization. The court <a href=\"https:\/\/hudoc.echr.coe.int\/eng#%7B%22itemid%22:[%22001-219149%22]%7D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">found<\/a> inadmissible a petition from Fondation J\u00e9r\u00f4me Lejeune, France\u2019s leading organization for Down\u2019s syndrome research and care, which claimed the French state television\u2019s 2016 decision to ban one of its messages constituted unjust censorship.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The message, a television adaptation of the video \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ju-q4OnBtNU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dear Future Mom<\/a>,\u201d offers encouragement to a mother expecting a baby with Down syndrome. Several individuals with the condition share some of the fulfilling moments in their lives. It ends with them embracing their mothers. The group\u2019s goal with the video was to dispel misconceptions about people with Down syndrome.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"4fS5b\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Such an innocuous goal caused it to run afoul of the French Broadcasting Council, however.\u00a0The broadcasting authority called the production \u201cdisturbing\u201d to the consciences of some women and claimed it was not \u201ca message of general interest.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The ECHR ruling is morally troubling because it favors the sensibilities of post-abortive women over those of individuals who have Down syndrome and their families. It\u2019s legally troubling because it is a blatant attack against free speech. And it\u2019s logically troubling because though the video allegedly does not portray \u201ca message of general interest,\u201d it has <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/free-speech-protections-undermined-by-echr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">won<\/a> awards from artistic and creative organizations across Europe, including one in Cannes, and currently boasts more than 8.4 million views on YouTube.\u00a0As in many such cases, the ECHR\u2019s ruling is more about political preferences than any semblance of law or rights.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe government should never exert pressure to silence the peaceful voices of its citizens. It is particularly egregious that the censored voices, in this case, were those of persons with Down syndrome. This outcome sends the signal that persons with disabilities are somehow less worthy of being seen and heard in the public square,\u201d said Elyssa Koren, director of legal communications for ADF International, the legal advocacy group representing Fondation J\u00e9r\u00f4me Lejeune. \u201cThe implication here is that the voices of Down syndrome advocates do not merit \u2018general interest,\u2019 which serves only to contribute to a culture of discrimination.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is by no means the first time European courts have exerted naked politics. Last year, after Poland endeavored to reform its judiciary, still plagued with communist-era cronyism, the ECHR attempted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/polish-minister-says-european-rights-law-breaches-constitution-2021-07-29\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">impose<\/a> its political will on the country with a ruling that violated the Polish constitution. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rp.pl\/opinie-prawne\/art403111-sebastian-kaleta-hiszpanski-przepis-na-praworzadnosc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spain<\/a>, having enacted very similar reforms, suffered no such scrutiny. The ECHR is just one of the European institutions that have displayed little hesitation in <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/03\/10\/western-leaders-who-cry-undemocratic-and-authoritarian-should-look-in-the-mirror\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">overstepping<\/a> their constitutional boundaries.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yet, the <em>Lejeune<\/em> case sets a particularly unacceptable precedent because it denies support to a vulnerable group \u2014 an actually vulnerable group that doesn\u2019t have an annual pride month sponsored by transnational corporations. This calls for particular vigilance in support of these vulnerable fellow citizens, as the European bureaucratic apparatus, vocally antagonistic in matters of <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanconservative.com\/articles\/news\/eu-parliament-chides-poland-and-us-over-abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">life<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifesitenews.com\/news\/hungary-rebukes-eu-demand-to-change-anti-pedophilia-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">family<\/a>, seems to offer, at best, a relegated place for them in the Europe of tomorrow.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>European bureaucrats need not look far for inspiration for such a chilling societal development.\u00a0 It is visible just 1,300 miles away from the EU Parliament, on the same continent, in a country that is subject to virtually all EU laws through its membership in the European Economic Area.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/down-syndrome-iceland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Iceland<\/a>, with its minuscule and isolated population \u2014 and therefore understandably familiar relationship with genetic testing (cousin-marriage is an uncomfortably realistic possibility there) \u2014 has been a pioneer in tacit euthanasia.<\/p>\n<p>Icelandic law mandates that pregnant women be offered prenatal screening tests for genetic abnormalities, and 80-85 percent of mothers undergo them. The abortion rate of babies designated likely to have Down syndrome is nearly 100 percent. One to three children with Down syndrome are born in Iceland in an average year.\u00a0So sensitive was the Icelandic government to international reports on this topic that, in 2018, it released a press <a href=\"https:\/\/www.government.is\/diplomatic-missions\/embassy-article\/2018\/03\/26\/Facts-about-Downs-syndrome-and-pre-natal-screening-in-Iceland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> clarifying that it does not prevent mothers from giving birth to children with Down syndrome.<\/p>\n<p>K\u00e1ri Stef\u00e1nsson, neurologist and founder of deCODE genetics, Inc., a company that has analyzed the genetics of virtually the entire Icelandic population, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/down-syndrome-iceland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admits<\/a>, \u201cMy understanding is that we have basically eradicated, almost, Down syndrome from our society \u2014 that there is hardly ever a child with Down syndrome in Iceland anymore.\u201d He adds, \u201cIt reflects a relatively heavy-handed genetic counseling \u2026 and I don\u2019t think that heavy-handed genetic counseling is desirable. \u2026 You\u2019re having impact on decisions that are not medical, in a way.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One need not be especially imaginative to envision such a \u201cheavy-handed\u201d approach in continental Europe. EU bureaucrats have been clear in their support for abortion on demand.\u00a0 Their commitment to \u201chuman rights\u201d extends only to those who are politically convenient.\u00a0 Europeans living with Down syndrome, and their loving mothers, seem not to meet that definition.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t buy the rhetoric coming out of Brussels about human rights or rule of law. Those who find themselves on the wrong side of the political fence will be left to their own devices. Thus, it is especially important that private organizations energetically engage in efforts like \u201cDear Future Mom.\u201d Such efforts might provide the only voice available to those who need it most.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Michael O\u2019Shea is a visiting fellow at the Danube Institute. He is part of the Budapest Fellowship Program, sponsored by the Hungary Foundation and the Mathias Corvinus Collegium.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Thursday, after a long legal battle, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) struck a blow against free speech and dignity for people with disabilities by failing to rule<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":619,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1635934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1635934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/619"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1635934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1635934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1635934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1635934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1635934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}