Paralympic legend Tanni Grey-Thompson says her parents probably would have aborted her if they had known about her disability.
She said that “pregnancies are being terminated far more than before and disability is seen as a negative thing”.
Her comments follow a series of successful in-womb surgeries to correct spina bifida.
Spina bifida
The Cardiff-born Paralympian was born with the condition, which prevents the spinal cord from developing properly in the womb.
Spina bifida usually damages the nervous system, leading to problems such as weakness or total paralysis of the legs.
Baroness Grey-Thompson said: “When I was born there weren’t the diagnostics for spina bifida.
“My mum had a really open conversation with me even when I was quite young, and she said they probably would have terminated the pregnancy if they’d known.”
Life worth living
According to spina bifida charity ‘Shine’, more than 200 children are born with the condition every year in the UK.
And a 2012 study by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information in the US, indicated that 63 per cent of babies diagnosed with spina bifida are aborted.
Gordon Flannery, writing on Twitter, said he was glad her parents chose life.
He called her “an inspirational lady that proves the truth that all life is worth living”.