Appendix 1. Background information Prenatal Related Discrimination – Article 5 The development of increasingly precise screening technologies raises the possibility that Down Syndrome and other disabilities, or indeed other human characteristics, could be eliminated across the world in years to come. While limited data about screening/termination rates is available in New Zealand, internationally screening/termination practices are at such a rate that Down Syndrome could soon be eliminated from regions of the world. Iceland, for example, has reportedly not had any Down Syndrome births for five years 10 while in 2014, termination rates in Denmark were reportedly 98 percent, which according to a local survey was considered by 60 percent of Danes to be a positive development.11 A disability-selective antenatal screening policy that has the purpose or effect of birth prevention of a protected minority group could be considered as raising issues of discrimination insofar as it impacts the social (and other rights) of the protected group. Practically, birth prevention of a specific group impacts on that group and the wider disability community in that it increases stigma in society, means there are fewer people with lived experience to advocate for protections and services, and adds to the notion that disability is a negative experience rather than a facet of human diversity. When parents are presented with a positive result for Down Syndrome it is important that they receive balanced information as to the implications of having a child with a disability, to make consent informed. This should include options and information about raising a child with Down Syndrome, not just the option of termination. Back to top. Māori/Pasifika – Article 6 Māori have a relatively high disability rate for a population with a relatively young age structure. The 2013 Disability Survey12 identified one in four Māori as disabled, with the most common types of impairment being those related to mobility. Disabled Māori tend to have poorer outcomes than non-disabled Māori in terms of both material well-being and quality of life, with the material disparities being the most marked: a.) In 2013, just over half of disabled Māori adults were participating in the labour force, but they had a relatively high unemployment rate of 17 percent. b.) Disabled Māori adults tended to have lower incomes than other Māori, with over twothirds having personal annual incomes of $30,000 or less. 10 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37500189 11 http://cphpost.dk/news/down-syndrome-heading-for-extinction-in-denmark.html 12 http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/health/disabilities/DisabilitySurvey_HOTP2013.aspx Page 10