Disability advocates and families have erupted in anger on social as the president of a U.S. think tank made disturbing comments about the number of Down Syndrome children likely to be born because of a new law banning most abortions in Texas.
Richard Hanania, who is President of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology tweeted on Wednesday that the Heartbeat Act would lead to “five times as many children with Down Syndrome” – something he claimed would ‘increase negative stereotypes about red states [states where Republicans are in the majority]’.
“You can’t screen for Down syndrome before about 10 weeks, and something like 80% of Down syndrome fetuses are aborted,” he wrote. “If red states ban abortion, we could see a world where they have five times as many children with Down syndrome, and similar numbers for other disabilities.”
He then fretted that having increased numbers of children with disabilities could make these states “outliers in the whole developed world” – and lamented that “there are already negative stereotypes of Americans in these states, one can imagine it getting more extreme.”
Hanania then wondered if pro-life laws would continue to expand – and worried that red states might “ban genetic engineering and embryo selection, while other places go ahead?”
You can’t screen for Down syndrome before about 10 weeks, and something like 80% of Down syndrome fetuses are aborted. If red states ban abortion, we could see a world where they have five times as many children with Down syndrome, and similar numbers for other disabilities.
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) September 2, 2021
His remarks were met with fury on social media, as people with Down syndrome, their families, and disability advocates reacted to Hanania’s posts. His tweet received more than 6,000 replies, most of which seemed to take the researcher to task.
“Have you ever met a kid with Down syndrome, Richard? I have,” tweeted Conservative Partnership Institute senior director of policy Rachel Bovard. “He’s one of my brothers. Downs kids are pure joy. Setting public policy thresholds for what constitutes a ‘worthwhile’ human life is eugenics. Even Planned Parenthood isn’t dumb enough to say this out loud.”
https://twitter.com/rachelbovard/status/1433434460310097925
Disability rights advocate, Charlie Fien, who has Down Syndrome tweeted: We with Down’s syndrome also lead AMAZING LIVES. Did your friend’s kids speak at the United Nations twice? I did! Did your friend’s kids have 100,000 people listen to them speak in public? I did. MY Life, Our Lives are NOT less valuable than kids with 46 chromosomes.
https://twitter.com/fien_charlie/status/1433542065174966286
One commentator replied by posting Frank Stephen’s powerful speech on living with Down syndrome.
Press play and feel shame for yourself and the hate you hold. https://t.co/rBcLeHG726
— Kimberly Ross 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱🇹🇼 (@SouthernKeeks) September 2, 2021
And many parents posted their own responses.
Sad to think you don't believe that someone with Down Syndrome could live a fulfilling life.
My daughter @ClaraMcGruff just started Pre-K today and couldn't be more excited.
I welcome you to read her story.https://t.co/bIykMJGulz
— // Josh McGruff (@JoshMcGruff) September 2, 2021
In many European countries, including Britain, some 90% of babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted. In the U.S. , one 2012 study estimated the abortion rate for babies with the condition was 67%.
Hanania, who has written in The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, previously hosted a podcast on embryo Screening and the Future of Reproductive Choice. He responded to criticism of his post this week by saying that his comment was “an objective observation about the world and it’s triggering many people to just point out the actual implications of their beliefs.”
This is an objective observation about the world and it’s triggering many people to just point out the actual implications of their beliefs. https://t.co/BGOUW63Apo
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) September 2, 2021