Diseases and disabilities (Belgium)

 Remove filter "Belgium"

“To be or not to be”: actors with Down's Syndrome give a performance of Hamlet that challenges prejudices

This Shakespearean tragedy has been revisited by Peruvian playwright Chela De Ferrari and her “Teatro La Plaza” company, made up of eight actors, all of whom have Down's syndrome. They tell us their dreams, their hopes, their struggles to be considered as people, autonomous, capable of love, as well as their claim to be different. They share their suffering and their desire to be understood. They believe that “theater is perhaps the last resort” because it...

Read more 

EIB NEWS : UN criticises Belgium for ‘high rate’ of abortions linked to prenatal Down’s Syndrome tests

The fact that the negative perception of people with disabilities leads to a high rate of abortions due to Down's syndrome is in practice linked to the widespread use of the NIP-test as a screening method in Belgium. This non-invasive blood test is routinely offered to pregnant women, and is fully reimbursed by the Belgian state. Although healthcare providers are supposed to leave the choice to couples faced with the news of a disability, more than 95% of pregnancies are nevertheless...

Read more 

Belgium under the UN’s microscope regarding the rights of people with disabilities: between inclusion and the extinction of Down's syndrome

In terms of bioethics, it remains to be seen whether the CRPD will examine the social and ethical implications of widespread prenatal screening for Down's syndrome in Belgium, using the NIP-test. This non-invasive blood test is routinely offered to pregnant women, and is fully reimbursed by the Belgian state. There is no official campaign to encourage women and couples to keep the child or, conversely, to have an abortion if a trisomy is detected (particularly for Down’s syndrome,...

Read more