Bishops voice concern over screening for autism

The Bishops of England and Wales have voiced concern over reports about new research from Cambridge University, which could lead to babies in the womb being screened for autism. Currently babies can be screened for a number of conditions, including Downs Syndrome. If a test proves positive, mothers are given the option of having an abortion. Charles Wookey, Assistant General Secretary to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales said: "The debate prompted by the possibility of genetic testing for autism in the womb needs to be channelled creatively. What our society is contemplating are the first steps of a truly revolutionary and inhuman path. The only way out is to rediscover the fundamental dignity and value of every human life from its first beginnings. Without this firm moral bedrock, we are in grave danger of sliding inexorably towards a new eugenics."