The European Court of Human Rights has refused to review a ban in France of an ad that drew attention to the very high number of children with Down Syndrome who are aborted each year.

The Fondation Jérôme Lejeune had claimed that the French Broadcasting Council’s designation of the video as not “a message of general interest” constituted unjust censorship.

This ruling came in spite of the fact that the French government itself had recognised, both in the domestic proceedings as well as before the Court, that the broadcasting authority’s letter had “significantly influenced the behavior of the television channels, inviting them to avoid future broadcasting of the concerned message”.

“Freedom of expression is the foundation of every free and democratic society, enshrined in international human rights law. We believe that every voice deserves a chance to be heard, which is why we represented Fondation Jérôme Lejeune at the European Court of Human Rights. This is a failure of justice not just for people with Down syndrome and disability rights advocates, but for all concerned with free expression in Europe,” said Jean-Paul Van De Walle, serving as legal counsel, Europe, for ADF International.