Beginning of the End
Beth Meers
2nd year chemistry student.
About the Project
Down’s syndrome, medically known as trisomy 21, is a condition caused by an additional copy of the 21st chromosome. Prenatal testing for trisomy 21 is routinely offered to older mothers under the NHS, and through IVF it is now possible to screen embryos for it prior to implantation. Under the 1967 Abortion Act, termination on the basis of trisomy 21 is legal up to birth under Ground E – a legal category which disability rights organisations such as Don’t Screen Us Out argue is discriminatory. The focus within genetic testing highlights a state framework which position trisomy 21 as a condition to be eliminated rather than accommodated to – a logic which echoes historical eugenics movements. Despite how routine these procedures have become most people outside of personal experience of genetic testing have little understanding of what they involve and how they are used to further the eugenic agenda. This painting aims to change that, functioning as a visual timeline moving through preimplantation genetic testing, amniocentesis and post-24-week termination, making visible a process largely hidden from public consciousness. This work doesn’t seek to restrict access to abortion, instead the issue is taken with the state and medical establishment’s role in framing chromosomal difference as a problem which requires solving. The painting will use vivid colour to depict embryos and foetuses, contrasting against greyscale medical equipment such as needles. Hopefully this will encourage the viewer to consider who decides which lives are worth living.