Free prenatal diagnostic testing has intensified the search for and early detection of genetic abnormalities, most notably Down syndrome. The inevitable consequence has been a surge in abortion—widespread across Northern Europe, where in some countries people with Down syndrome have nearly vanished. High abortion rates in these cases are also common in parts of northern Italy. We can no longer hide the eugenic drift promoted by laws that shape mentality and condition choices, and by increasingly sophisticated diagnostic techniques, including the so-called NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing), marketed as an innovative and non-invasive screening test.
"It often happens," John Paul II wrote in Evangelium vitae (1995), "that these techniques are put to the service of a eugenic mentality, which accepts selective abortion to prevent the birth of children affected by various types of abnormalities. Such a mentality is deeply reprehensible, because it presumes to measure the value of a human life solely by standards of 'normalcy' and physical well-being." And in Evangelii gaudium (2013), Pope Francis reminds us that "the defense of unborn life is intimately linked to the defense of every human right. It presupposes the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development. He or she is an end in themselves, never a means."
Some might argue that the right to life—and a good quality of life—for people with Down syndrome is assured by the cognitive, emotional, relational, communicative, social, practical, and recreational capacities we see in so many of them. The media often highlight people with Down syndrome for their productive abilities, their inclination toward social participation, the warmth they bring to relationships. But what if they could not do these things?
Every person is unique and irreplaceable. Human diversity is a value. The concept of normalcy is ambiguous. There are also people with Down syndrome who face significant cognitive challenges, relational and behavioral difficulties that shape their personal and community life, requiring ongoing support. Uncertain about what awaits, and worried about the burden such care will place on family members, many conclude that abortion is the better choice. Yet they are no less human and no less worthy of existence than anyone else.
A pedagogical vision and educational accompaniment offer the way beyond the danger of abortion. Such a vision recognizes the originality of each person—unique and irreplaceable—with their own personality, their distinctive and dynamic way of being, expressing themselves, acting, relating, communicating, and loving. It allows us to promote, value, and personalize life in any circumstance and at any age. No one left out. From this vision flows educational accompaniment that makes it possible to concretely ensure a life project—the daily integral development of the person, a healthy dependence, and a beautiful existence filled with meaning—all thanks to a welcoming community that adapts dynamically to the person, opening possibilities and guaranteeing freedom. This is true inclusion.
Yet services for people with intellectual disabilities too often work against it. Rather than becoming warm, open, joyful educational communities in the family style, they shrink to mere care and medical management. The pandemic made this worse, trapping residents in what amounts to neo-institutionalization—locked away for more than a year, socially isolated, their contact with family stripped away or reduced to rigid, reductive protocols.
