ARC's policy
ARC has a non-directive approach, taking the view that parents are best placed to make decisions regarding their pregnancy that are right for them in the context of their individual family circumstances. Our aim is to ensure that they are enabled to make decisions they are best able to live with.
ARC believes that parents should have equitable access to NHS antenatal screening tests and diagnostic services throughout the UK that meet National Screening Committee standards.
ARC believes that health professionals tasked with giving parents information about screening and testing should have had specific training in communication skills in order to facilitate informed and supported decision-making.
ARC believes that telling parents that their unborn baby has an abnormality and supporting them through the painful decisions that may ensue is a challenging area of practice for health professionals. In order to provide sensitive individualised care in these difficult circumstances, health professionals must be trained in the requisite skills and have access to support for themselves.
ARC is committed to working with health professionals at every level to ensure that parents have the best possible quality of care.
ARC knows from contact with thousands of parents that the decision to terminate a wanted pregnancy after the diagnosis of abnormality is never made lightly.
ARC aims to help parents gain the support they need to be able to come to terms with their bereavement and move on positively with their lives.