The paradox of disability in abortion debates: bringing the pro-choice and disability rights communities together.

There is an unfortunate paradox that arises when proand anti-choice advocates talk about disabilities such as Down syndrome or spina bifida. The paradox works this way: On one hand, reproductive rights proponents can portray disability as a tragic state that justifies abortion—even for wanted pregnancies. At the same time, anti-choice advocates proclaim their value for all life, including individuals with and without disabilities. That paradox places disability rights advocates, generally a group that finds itself in the progressive political camp, on the same side as anti-choice advocates who are more usually associated with conservative political positions. On the other hand, the anti-choice camp has never championed policies that provide services for people with disabilities and their families, such as the Regional Center system and In-Home Support Services in California and their equivalents in other states [1]. These services, considered by many political conservatives to be entitlements and thus a place to cut funding, make it possible to meet the needs of families raising children, including children with disabilities. The pro-choice side, arguing for the right to terminate these pregnancies, tends to champion funding for the social services and support programs that meet all families' needs, including families of children with disabilities. A truth often ignored by anti-choice advocates—that raising a child with a disability has financial repercussions for the child's family—means that without such services, only the affluent can provide the support many children with disabilities require to thrive. So it seems that disability rights and reproductive rights can conflict and intertwine, particularly on the issue of later abortion. It is critical to untangle these paradoxical stances to acknowledge the disability community's perspective and to align with the values of the reproductive rights movement. As reproductive health providers and advocates, we must work to improve how we understand and talk about the intersection of disability and abortion for women, families, and society at large. Reproductive rights groups can strengthen their advocacy positions by including and respecting disability rights when fighting for the rights of women to choose how to plan their families. On April 13, 2010, the Nebraska legislature enacted a new law making later abortion more difficult to obtain,