Sally Phillips’s son was diagnosed with Down Syndrome when he was just ten days old. She said she expected tragedy, but instead, she got comedy.
It’s now prompted the Bridget Jones actress to make the documentary, “A World Without Down Syndrome.” It is about her fears that by introducing such advanced screening tests in the UK, the number of terminations will rise. She worries what a world without a Down Syndrome would do to the current community of people who have the condition.
Currently, the new test to be offered by the NHS will give expectant mothers a non-invasive, 99 per cent chance of knowing if their unborn baby has Down Syndrome. As it stands, nine out of 10 British women choose abortion if their baby is diagnosed during pregnancy.
She starts off the documentary introducing us to her son Ollie. She says he likes chocolate ice-cream, painting, and that he happens to have Down Syndrome.
Clutching a picture of her lovable 11-year-old son, she sets out on a mission to discover WHY this condition is often seen as so malevolent. Sally interviews a range of people across all the different areas relating to this subject. She meets parents, experts, scientists, and travels from Iceland to California to try to understand why this test is necessary. The foundation on which her entire argument is built is Sally’s question; “why wouldn’t anyone want a child like mine.” And it is straight from the heart.
“why wouldn’t anyone want a child like mine.”
And it is straight from the heart.
She meets with one doctor who described raising a child with the condition as “a burden” because it is a mental disability, and that child might live for a long time and would need to be cared for. Sally asked what kind of world do we want to live in where we refuse to look after those who need our help?
It is a well-made and thought-provoking film on the debate surrounding screening in general, and not just for Down Syndrome. During a particularly climatic part of the programme, Sally meets with a woman called Kate who chose to terminate her pregnancy when she discovered her child would have had Down Syndrome. They watch a video clip of a young American gymnast, who also has the condition and who has been extremely successful. Sally asked Kate if this girl’s life was “any less valid” than anyone else’s. Kate explains that although she thought the girl’s achievements were amazing, it is a very difficult life and it is not the life she would want for her own child.
But this isn’t a guilt-trip for those who do choose to terminate. Sally admits she is pro-choice. But she is trying to say it is unfair to pitch it as a woman’s choice when the education provided about life with a child with Down Syndrome is not accurately reflected.
It is not a black or white issue. We live in a world where having a disabled child is said to be a tragedy that should be side-stepped, while at the same time a woman who chooses NOT to go ahead with pregnancy in cases where there could be abnormalities, is made feel selfish. Neither case is right, and neither examines the real heart of the issue.
This documentary has brought up a very important discussion around disability.
At the end of the film, Sally points out that to be flawed is to be human, and asks where will it all end if we begin to screen out these imperfections, one condition at a time?
You can also have a look at this Irish Mum’s story: Discovering My Baby Girl Had Down Syndrome
