I was invited to appear on Channel 4 to speak about the potential implications of the new testing for Down’s. It was massively last minute and I arrived, straight from work and school pick up, at the train station with the clothes I had been wearing all day and 60 seconds to spare before the train arrived. I was face to face with a lady who feels many people with Down’s syndrome do not have a life worth living and are a burden on their parents.

So many things I wish I had said.  I wish I had pointed out that there is a “spectrum” throughout the whole of society, not just people with Down’s.  I wish I had pointed out that she is from my generation, a time of exclusion when “difference” was not included.  The kids in Seb’s class would find it crazy that anyone should think he shouldn’t be here.

But my overall message, I hope, came across in that no test could ever have predicted how fulfilling our lives would be from having Seb in it and that just as we are making such progress with inclusion, there will be less people with Down’s in our communities as the termination rate will likely increase to almost 100%.

You can view part of the interview here: