Doctors and parents accuse ‘dark’ medical body of suggesting that Down’s Syndrome babies should be aborted to save NHS money

DOCTORS and parents have slammed a leading medical body caught up in a "dark" debate about aborting babies with Down's Syndrome.

Medics have accused the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of suggesting that Down's Syndrome babies should be aborted to save the NHS money.

Over 100 medical professionals signed a letter attacking the health body after it suggested that the NHS should calculate the "cost effectiveness" of supporting those with the condition.

And parents have also waded in after the College called for a "rigorous economic analysis" of the lifetime cost posed by caring for someone with Down's Syndrome.

The medical body sparked an emotional debate over the ethics of aborting babies with Down's Syndrome during a consultation over a new blood test, which can detect the condition in unborn children.

Doctors slammed the body in the joint letter claiming that the College advocates "that women with a prenatal diagnosis of Down’s syndrome should end their pregnancy."

And Sally Phillips, the Bridget Jones actress who fronted BBC2 documentary A World Without Down’s Syndrome?, said the suggestion was "dark."

The TV star, whose son Oliver has Down's Syndrome, has also spoken out against the controversial prenatal tests which can detect the condition in the womb.

She previously claimed the experimental test, which is expected to be approved by the NHS, should be a cause for concern for parents, adding: "We’re worried.

"Down’s syndrome isn’t a disease, it’s a type of person.

“People who have Down’s syndrome may be different but they are worth no less than anyone else. We are all human beings. We all count.”

A response from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists defended the controversial Down's tests, claiming they allow parents to make "an informed choice."