A new test has been developed that will be able to tell pregnant women, with 99% accuracy, whether their babies will have Down Syndrome.

However, parents of people with Down Syndrome have spoken out about the test, which they fear may lead to a rise in abortions of babies with the chromosomal anomaly.

“There is pressure being put on the medical profession … to have a pre-natal test, and in some cases there is an inordinate pressure on the mothers to terminate the baby,” said Pat Clarke CEO of Down Syndrome Ireland.