Years and Years' Ruth Madeley burst into tears after the Government rejected claims that the law discriminates against disabled people in new Channel 4 documentary, Disability and Abortion: The Hardest Choice. In the documentary film, the actress, who herself was born with spina bifida, and actor and swimmer Ruben Reuter (who has Downs Syndrome) explore the complex relationship between abortion and disability.
British law states that unborn babies diagnosed as being at risk of severe impairments or health conditions can be terminated up until full term. In 2021 - after disability campaigners lost a landmark court case that asked for the law to be changed on the grounds it discriminates against disabled people, Ruth breaks down in tears. She says: "This doesn't feel right. Not all disabilities are a death sentence."
With that, Ruth and Ruben are determined to meet people who can help them understand why the courts have taken their decision. "Are we wrong?" asks Ruth, as she sets out to learn more.
The hour-long film concludes with Ruth meeting a woman named Cerianne, who chose to abort her child after finding out he had spina bifida - the same condition as Ruth. Ahead of meeting her, Ruth says: "I don't know what it is like to be pregnant with a child who has a disability," before stating her belief that her conversation with Cerianne will be a "hard conversation" to have.
Cerianne, who now has two other children, tells Ruth about her late son, Bailey. "I went for my 20 week scan and I remember being excited to find out if it was a boy or a girl. I remember the sonographer being quite blunt and just saying, 'I can see here that your baby does have spina bifida'. Just like that." Earlier in the documentary, Ruth discovers that her own mother received similar 'blunt' treatment from medical professionals.
"I was told that there's no way that a child like that would ever be able to have children of their own. I was also told, at one point, that there was a chance that he could be in a vegetative state," Cerianne tells Ruth as she opens up about what led her to decide to terminate her pregnancy.
She says: "Choosing to have him would give him a life of pain, misery and discomfort," and therefore, a few days later, Cerianne chose to end the pregnancy. She calls the experience "the worst moment of [her] life".
Ruth then asks her how it feels to see that she, who also has spina bifida, is managing her disability. She replies: "It is hard to see that he could have lived a perfectly fine life, but I do feel absolute comfort that I did the best I could for him."
Reflecting on her conversation with Cerianne, Ruth says: "I can see why she did it and I respect why she did it," before reporting her findings back to Ruben.
Ruth tells Ruben: "It gives women time doesn't it? It allows them time to research disability and not rush into the decision. I guess if you remove that law, you're forcing women to look after babies that they can't help or take of. That doesn't help anyone does it?" He agrees and the pair decide that, instead of focusing on the negativity surrounding disability, they'd both strive to "show the world how fabulous [they] are".
Disability & Abortion: The Hardest Choice airs on Channel 4 at 10pm on Monday, August 22
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