The Archbishop of Canterbury has revealed his wife felt pressured to abort their disabled child by hospital staff.
Justin Welby‘s daughter, Ellie, who is now aged 32, suffers from dyspraxia – a condition which affects movement and co-ordination.
He told the General Synod in York it was ‘expected’ his wife Caroline would opt for an abortion if the disability test she was offered when she was pregnant came back positive.
The Archbishop said hospital staff discussed with him and his wife the high costs associated with raising children with disabilities, The Telegraph has reported.
Mr Welby said: ‘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.
The Archbishop of Canterbury (pictured with his wife Caroline) has revealed she felt pressured to abort their disabled child by hospital staff
Justin Welby ‘s daughter, Ellie, who is now aged 32, suffers from dyspraxia – a condition which affects movement and co-ordination
‘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’.
Mr Welby’s has previously said he does not pray for Ellie in relation to her disability because it is part of her.
The Archbishop’s comments came after Ven Pete Spiers, an archdeacon from Liverpool, put forward a motion challenging the assumption that raising children with disabilities is a tragedy.
Archdeacon Spiers called for better support for the parents of disabled children from healthcare providers.
He also wants the Government to ensure parents received unbiased information about the condition their unborn child has been diagnosed with.
Archdeacon Spiers’s motion passed unanimously at the Synod by 312 votes for and zero against.
Mr Welby’s (pictured speaking to parliament) has previously said he does not pray for Ellie in relation to her disability because it is part of her
The Archbishop’s comments came after Ven Pete Spiers, an archdeacon from Liverpool, put forward a motion challenging the assumption that raising children with disabilities is a tragedy
The Church of England is opposed to abortions carried out because the unborn child is disabled.
During a parliamentary debate on the subject in 2013, the Church described the law as ‘discriminatory’.
The Abortion Act which was introduced in the UK in 1967 allows terminations up until 24 weeks.
There are very limited circumstances that allow an abortion after 24 weeks, for example if the mother’s life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability.
The General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England which first came into being in 1970.
It considers and approves legislation affecting the whole of the Church of England.
This includes formulating new forms of worship and debating matters of national and international importance.