The General Synod of the Church of England made their first request to the brand new government and unusually it was something that everybody within the chamber could support. In a multi-faceted motion that was inspired by the experience of Christine, a church member from Wigan, Synod voted to call on “His Majesty’s Government and healthcare providers to make sure that moms whose unborn child could also be disabled in any way are given comprehensive and unbiased information concerning the condition and support available to them”.
Rev Pete Spiers, who’s himself affected by the drug thalidomide, proposed the motion, which began by affirming that “every body is exclusive and precious and made within the image of God”; challenged the “common assumption that bringing a disabled child into the world is a tragedy to be avoided”; and called for greater “support for fogeys and families of kids born with disabilities” from each public authorities and church bodies.
He spoke of a casual group in his diocese, referred to as The Magnificat Group, that brings together “individuals with experiences of disability, baby loss and of excellent and bad examples of support and advice given to oldsters and to children when hearing the news of an unexpected pregnancy”.
With greater than 3,000 abortions in England and Wales because of disability every year, Pete shared his concern that “The Church was in peril of falling into silence over a problem deemed too difficult.” Yet he needn’t have fearful. For almost an hour a stream of Synod members shared their experiences and their support for the motion.
There were those, like Pete, who gave thanks they’d been born before genetic screening was common. Mary Bucknall, who along together with her sister, was born profoundly deaf, said, “Some would argue that it will be higher to not be born in any respect with a disability, nonetheless I do consider that God had a purpose when he created the disabled people within the womb – in order that his love and care may very well be displayed for all to see. I personally have experienced God’s love and care through many wonderful people I actually have met on my life journey.”
Lay Synod member Rebecca Chapman described “the treadmill of testing” she faced when soft markers showed up on her 20-week scan. The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke about Ellie, his neurodivergent daughter, now 32, and the test offered to his wife while pregnant, when it was made very clear that if it “proved positive, it will be expected that we asked for a termination. It was not a neutral process because they said, ‘It’s expensive’.”
Another member of Deaf Anglicans Together, Elaine Heath, signed her speech to an interpreter. She spoke of her own experience of being pregnant at 38 and of the doctors who said, “‘Well, gosh you are nearly 40’ and so that they said I would wish a test … I didn’t want them to try this because I didn’t wish to have an abortion”.
Parents spoke of the thrill and struggles of bringing up disabled children, those with Down’s Syndrome, the neurodiverse, those with severe learning difficulties or invisible physical disabilities.
There was not a dry eye in the home as one grandmother spoke of the experience of supporting her daughter and son-in-law as “they grappled with the data” that their “precious baby boy had developed severe brain impairment, incompatible with life … I used to be privileged to call and bless my beautiful grandson who I do know is with Jesus,” she said. But she asked for prayer for her daughter who has struggled to search out “appropriate support that acknowledges her pain as a mother with empty arms”.
A standard theme amongst parents of disabled children was the challenge of supporting them into maturity, as Rev Alice Kemp, said, “It’s a extremely difficult time, that transition time when all of the support you had from hospitals, kid’s hospitals, schools, therapists, disappears – sometimes overnight. Transition is supposed to be gradual but the fact is it is not and we regularly we discover ourselves at our youngsters’s 18th birthday and the world is modified.”
Communities like L’Arche were praised, as were those that supply opportunities for meaningful employment. Rev Kate Wharton said that the highlight of her time at Synod was hearing the campaigner, Heidi Crowter, preach a semon on Psalm 139: “Heidi said this, ‘God made us – each bit – including my extra chromosome. God made our inmost being, which I feel is who we actually are so we must always use our whole person for God’s glory.”
Time ran out before Rev Neil Barber, who also has the enjoyment of knowing the Crowter family, could share his story of parenting a toddler with significant learning disabilities.
“Parents of kids with additional needs often carry huge unseen burdens in lots of areas of their lives, and there are too many bad news stories of families with special needs giving up on church since it’s just too difficult,” he said after the talk. “I thank God for a church community who’ve loved and blessed my family – through our son’s childhood and now into maturity. It takes effort and determination. But it’ll only really occur when, from the grass roots up, church is literally excellent news to all. And, as Heidi identified to me, that’s nothing lower than Jesus requires.”
Sir Keir Starmer may hope to run a government unburdened by doctrine – but after Sunday’s debate there isn’t any doubt that the General Synod wishes to remind him, and his parliamentary colleagues, that every body is exclusive and precious and made within the image of God.
The whole debate might be watched here
