British reality star speaks out against eugenic Down syndrome abortions

Aitch, a British rapper and reality star, has spoken out against eugenic abortion laws in the United Kingdom, saying people with Down syndrome are a blessing.

Key Takeaways:

Harrison James Armstrong, known as "Aitch," is a rapper and reality star, now appearing on "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Outta Here!"
His 13-year-old sister, Gracie, has Down syndrome, and he has dedicated several songs to her, including one featuring Ed Sheeran.
In a new interview with the Daily Mail, Aitch slammed the UK's eugenic abortion laws, and said Down syndrome is not something to fear.

The Details:

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Aitch said he chose to appear on "I'm a Celebrity" to raise awareness for people with Down syndrome, and in honor of his sister, Gracie:

"I'm not only just doing it for people with Down Syndrome, I'm doing it for people around as well. I don't want anyone to be like disheartened or feel s*** if they do find out someone in the family's got Down Syndrome. It's a blessing. You're going to have the best time of your life as long as you're spending it with that person.

My main thing, really and truly, is because I don't want Down Syndrome to be seen as a negative thing. I don't want anyone to go like, oh yeah, my kid's got Down Syndrome, or my sister's got Down Syndrome. And anyone to have the reply of, 'Oh, I'm sorry to hear that' because it's just definitely not the case. They're the best people in the world."

Aitch previously partnered with superstar singer Ed Sheeran to release "My G" in honor of Gracie; all of the funds from the song were donated to the Down's Syndrome Association. He introduced the song on Instagram, calling Gracie "the most perfect girl I've ever met" and saying he wouldn't change his life with her for the world.

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He also criticized the UK's eugenic abortion laws, in which a person with a disability can be killed by abortion up to birth, while UK law restricts other abortions at 24 weeks.

"I've just learned certain things over the years that make me a bit sad. In terms of you can be a day before giving birth, and if you find out your child's got Down Syndrome, you can still have the option to terminate it," he said. "Whereas in another situation, if your kid doesn't have that, you've only got a certain amount of time before you can abort."

The Backstory:

The UK has discriminatory laws regarding abortion. Abortion is not permitted past 24 weeks pregnancy, unless the preborn child has any diagnosed disability — even as minor and easily correctable as a cleft lip — and then the abortion is permitted. Unsurprisingly, as prenatal testing has increased, so, too, have eugenic abortions.

Efforts to remove the eugenic exception for disability-based abortions have failed. Heidi Crowter, a woman with Down syndrome, has been fighting to end discriminatory abortions, but to no avail. She has promised to continue fighting, no matter what.

“The fight is not over,” she said. “We face discrimination every day in schools, in the workplace and in society. Thanks to the verdict, the judges have upheld discrimination in the womb too… [W]hen the going got tough, he kept going, and I’m going to do the same, because I want to succeed in changing the law to stop babies like me being aborted up to birth, because it’s downright discrimination. I’m not giving up, let’s do this.”

The Bottom Line:

Every child has an intrinsic right to life, with or without a disability. Having a condition like Down syndrome does not make a person's life less valuable, or mark them as deserving of death.

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