Is Iceland's 100% Termination Rate for Chromosomally Abnormal Pregnancies Ethical?
Throughout history, people with disabilities have been treated as moral and social inferiors. Often, those with certain disabilities have been relegated to live lives of segregation, resigned to institutions and facilities because they have been regarded as incapable of making decisions or caring for themselves, or because others, whether family or those in the community, did not want to bear the burden of their presence. I argue that this view of disability as burdensome has resulted in the near 100% termination rate in Iceland in pregnancies found to be chromosomally abnormal. Further, I argue that this negative perception of disability is a result of systematic coercion, and a violation of the ethical principles of autonomy and justice.