Russian Call For 'Postnatal Abortion' Sparks Furor Among Parents Of Disabled

In late December, Snezhana Mitina received a tearful phone call from her friend Svetlana. Sobbing, Svetlana explained she had just read a newspaper article calling for babies with mental disabilities to be killed at birth. The author, Aleksandr Nikonov, used the word "debil" -- a deeply offensive term in Russian -- to characterize such children. He argued that parents should have the right to euthanize newborns diagnosed with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. The article, which ran under the headline "Finish Them Off, So They Don't Suffer," went on to describe what Nikonov termed "postnatal abortion" as an act of mercy. Radio Free Europe, The Caleb Report