UN Official Criticizes "Liberal Eugenics" in Annual Report

Catalina Devandas Aguilar

Catalina Devandas Aguilar, a Costa Rican Lawyer and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, recently submitted an annual report criticizing the increased adoption of ideals she describes as "ableism" and "liberal eugenics." In the report, she denounces practices such as euthanasia and abortion targeted at those with disabilities.

Here are some excerpts from the report:

“Indeed, ableist social norms and market pressures make it imperative to have the ‘best possible child’ with the best possible chances at life. Some utilitarian bioethicists have further argued that genetic enhancement is a moral obligation and that it is ethical to give parents the option to euthanize their newborns with disabilities.”

“Such practices may reinforce and socially validate the message that persons with disabilities ought not to have been born. Legislative frameworks that extend the time frame for a lawful abortion or, exceptionally, permit abortion in the presence of fetal impairment aggravate this message.

“In addition, as the consequence is a smaller number of persons with disabilities being born, some fear a reduction in disability advocacy and social support for persons with disabilities. Furthermore, health policies and abortion laws that perpetuate deep-rooted stereotypes and stigma against persons with disabilities also undermine women’s reproductive autonomy and choice.”

“From a disability rights perspective, there is a grave concern that legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide could put at risk the lives of persons with disabilities. If assisted dying is made available for all persons with a health condition or impairment, regardless of whether they are terminally ill or not, a social assumption might follow that it is better to be dead than to live with a disability.”

Click here to read her full report.