Shortland Street slammed by Down syndrome community
NewsHub 1 August 2018
Family First Comment: More disturbing rubbish on TVNZ…
“The word ‘abortion’ was used straight away and that’s very confronting and offending to people with Down syndrome, and their parents,” says Kim Porthouse, a spokesperson for the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association (NZDSA). In the show, Warner says the genetic disorder will mean the child suffers severe medical issues that “will crush” Carlson. “These inflammatory statements are incredibly ill-informed and coming from a doctor it just reinforces a lot of the prejudice that having a child with Down syndrome is a burden,” says Mrs Porthouse.
Members of New Zealand’s Down syndrome community say they are “appalled” by an “insensitive and ignorant” recent Shortland Street storyline.
But the show’s broadcaster TVNZ and production company South Pacific Pictures are defending it.
In the soap opera, couple Zoe Carlson and Chris Warner discovers their unborn baby is likely to have Down syndrome.
“The word ‘abortion’ was used straight away and that’s very confronting and offending to people with Down syndrome, and their parents,” says Kim Porthouse, a spokesperson for the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association (NZDSA).
In the show, Warner says the genetic disorder will mean the child suffers severe medical issues that “will crush” Carlson.
“These inflammatory statements are incredibly ill-informed and coming from a doctor it just reinforces a lot of the prejudice that having a child with Down syndrome is a burden,” says Mrs Porthouse.
READ MORE: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2018/07/shortland-street-slammed-by-down-syndrome-community.html
