A couple in Australia have been granted permission to sue an ultrasound clinic for not diagnosing their daughter with Down’s syndrome.
The couple claim they would have aborted their child, who is now four years old, if they knew she might have the condition.
The unnamed parents are seeking damages for the costs of raising their daughter as well as their future loss of earnings to care for her.
Low risk
In August 2014 the mother underwent an ultrasound at a Queensland Gold Coast clinic to detect any genetic abnormalities.
A sonographer and a doctor subsequently advised them not to undergo further testing as the risk was in the “low range”.
But when she was born in 2015, their daughter required intensive care. The couple are suing medics for “wrongful birth”. The mother is also suing for personal injury.
Compensation
In the UK in 2017, it was revealed that the NHS had given £70 million in compensation to parents who said they would have aborted their children if they had known they were disabled.
These payments took place over the previous five years and included claims for conditions such as Down’s syndrome.
In the video below, Karen Gaffney, international advocate for people with Down’s syndrome, explains how “every life has value”.