Citizens of France can no longer claim “the right not to be born”. Last
November, the French Supreme Court awarded damages to a child with Down’s
syndrome, arguing that the child had the right not to be born—doctors
should have diagnosed the condition and the fetus would in all likelihood have
been aborted. Doctors subsequently refused to do ultrasound scans for fear of
being sued if they missed something. Concerns also grew that the number of
abortions would rise. The French parliament has now overturned the ruling that
established the right.
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