Disability and Abortion

I am not my disability.  

I just happen to have a condition known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), or in layman’s terms, “brittle bones”. From birth till my late teens, my bones broke easily and I suffered countless fractures. I have a short stature and I use a wheelchair.  People do not cease to remind me that I am very different. However, God has assured me that I am uniquely made, just like any individual. The emphasis that people place on my disability does frustrate me. But what is God’s purpose for me as a person born according to His will?

Recently, I mourned the death of two unborn children. I learnt that two out of seventeen pregnant women who were Zika-positive last year, underwent abortions. To quote from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the clinical advisory group (CAG) - "the consequences can be more serious if a pregnant woman is infected, as Zika virus infection can cause microcephaly in the unborn foetus of pregnant women." The website adds: microcephaly is a congenital condition in which the head size is much smaller than usual for a baby of the same age, race and sex. Microcephaly can be caused by a variety of genetic and environmental factors, such as Down Syndrome, exposure to drugs, alcohol or other toxins in the womb, rubella and a few other infections during pregnancy. There is no specific treatment for this condition.

Abortion was readily pushed out as an option. Is it hard to understand why these two mothers opted for abortions, given the fear and pressure?

In 1969, when moving the Abortion Bill in Parliament, the then-Health Minister Chua Sian Chin claimed that “it would be an act of kindness or even a moral obligation to avoid the tragedy and the serious repercussions to the parents, the child, and society alike by permitting abortion”. Conversely, he said that “it is an acknowledged social evil to countenance the breeding of defectives in society”.

One of the grounds that abortion was permitted under the Abortion Bill was the “eugenic ground”, where abortion was permitted if “there is substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped”.

One of the reasons given by the Government to justify keeping the cut-off time of abortion at 24 weeks is to allow these mothers whose unborn children are found to have “structural abnormalities” to “consider the implications and make an informed decision as to whether to keep or abort the child”.

Even today, the contents of pre-abortion counselling “may be adapted for women diagnosed with foetal abnormalities”.

I experienced great sorrow upon reading all these statements.  There is such a deeply entrenched fear and misconceptions about people with disabilities. I find it extremely saddening that many unborn babies are deemed to have no right to live and no future simply because they are diagnosed with defects, especially at a time when medical advances can be used to maximise their potential rather than strike them off from human society.

This is also an obvious show of double standards in our society.

On one hand, we recently celebrated the achievements of our Paralympic gold medallists like Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh. We hold the annual Purple Parade to promote the inclusion of people with special needs.

Yet on the other hand, society sends the message that disabled children are unworthy of life, as a special group of people singled out for the option of abortion.

When I was born, I was "untouchable" because my bones would break at every touch. I could very well have been labelled a "grossly handicapped child" facing long-term severe disability and dependence. My life could have been terminated if my parents had received such a prognosis. But because medical technology was not so advanced in the 1970s, I had a chance at life. Through parental support, medical treatment and personal determination to excel, I am now an educator with the ability to impact lives. All unborn children with disabilities need, as I had, is the universal right to live.

The government of the United Kingdom is currently considering an Abortion (Disability Equality) Bill, proposed by Lord Kevin Shinkwin, himself a person with a disability.

In one of his speeches, Lord Shinkwin said, “I utterly reject this medical mindset that clings to the idea that a disabled baby is a medical failure to be eradicated through abortion. I beg no one for my equality. I know I have as much right as anyone to be alive.”

I could not agree more. As a person made in the image of God, I know my value and worth comes from God.

And while the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy the lives of children in our society, I know that my Lord Jesus came to not only give life, but to give life to the full (John 10:10).

It is true that people with disabilities like myself face special challenges in life, and parents expecting a child with special needs are bound to have concerns and fears. However, it was these special challenges that brought me to Christ and instilled in me priceless values. The perfect love of God drives out all fear (1 John 4:18). For God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). That is why I can now speak up for the needy. Even people with severe disabilities are born to gift us with precious life lessons.

The Church must model our Lord’s example of unconditional love, regardless of how “able” or “disabled” anyone might be. We must believe in the purpose that God has for every person on this earth and rise up to support every family who have children with special needs. In doing this, we show our love for God, as well as love our neighbours as ourselves.