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The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has disclosed that hospital staff pressured his wife Caroline to consider aborting their disabled daughter during pregnancy.
Speaking at the General Synod in York, Welby explained that his daughter Ellie had dyspraxia; a condition affecting movement and coordination.
Hospital staff suggested abortion if a disability test returned positive results, highlighting the financial burden of raising a disabled child.
Ellie is now 32.
“Before [Ellie] was born, during the pregnancy there was some concern and a test was ordered.
“But it was made very, very clear to my wife that if the test was taken and proved positive, it would be expected that we ask for a termination.
“It was not a neutral process, because they said it’s expensive.”
He described Ellie as “precious because she’s wonderful, she’s kind, she is someone who gets cross and gets happy and gets sad. She’s not that severely disabled.”
Welby has previously stated he does not pray for Ellie in relation to her disability. He regards it as part of who she is.
Support for parents needed
The comments of Welby follow a motion by Ven Pete Spiers, an archdeacon from Liverpool who challenges the notion that raising children with disabilities is a tragedy.
Spiers’ motion called for healthcare providers to provide better support for parents of disabled children. He also pressed for unbiased information about conditions diagnosed during pregnancy.
The motion passed unanimously at the Synod, with 312 votes in favour and none against.
The Church of England opposes abortions based on disability and, at a 2013 parliamentary debate, called the law allowing such terminations “discriminatory”.
The 1967 Abortion Act permits terminations up to 24 weeks. There are exceptions to the Act for severe disability or risk to the mother’s life beyond that period.
The General Synod, established in 1970, is the national assembly of the Church of England. It approves legislation affecting the Church and debates matters of national and international importance.
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