An extension in the screening program for Down syndrome that has been launched by the Ministry of Health may violate the rights of the disabled, as thought by Garth George, the father of a Down syndrome patient.

The Government started "Antenatal Screening for Down Syndrome and Other Conditions - Quality Improvements" program in February 2010, which according to pro-life sources was not introduced after discussing with public.

The newspaper termed the program as "an expanded, safer screening program to detect Down syndrome during pregnancy", as per which the screening of syndrome in babies doesn’t mean that health ministry wants to decrease the number of infants.

But, pro-life sources relying on the information gathered from cabinet papers attained under Official Information Act told that the program would aim at dampening the number of birth of babies with Down syndrome and decreasing this fraction by 90% through abortion.

The disabled people will be affected more by the program. The targeted conditions in the program have no treatment, thus the Government want people to opt abortion in such cases.

Ken Orr, spokesman for Right to Life, said, “This is eugenics, which proclaims that only the perfect have a right to be born. The screening program is a search and destroy mission and is a further major step on a slippery slope".