Disability rights campaigners say plans to widen ante-natal testing for Down's syndrome could increase the pressure on parents to abort babies with the condition.

Jane Campbell, disability rights activist and chairperson of the Social Care Institute for Excellence, said, although she supported a women's right to choose whether to have an abortion, she was unconvinced people would make decisions based on a full understanding of the condition.

"Disabled people are still not seen as having equal rights as non-disabled," Campbell said. "Until that is the case, there will be a pressure on parents of disabled children to think about the possibility of abortion rather than valuing a new life."

The Department of Health announced plans to offer the test to all women from April.