Horizon 255x4 - Spina Bifida & Me

One in every 1,000 pregnancies in Britain has a spine or braindefect like spina bifida. Thirty years ago, actress RuthMadeley was one of them. Despite having spina bifida herself,it is a condition she doesn't fully understand. In thisprogramme, Ruth sets out to discover why she has it, whetherit could have been prevented and what it means for herfuture.Ruth meets the lord campaigning for a change in the lawthat he says could prevent thousands of birth defects. And shediscovers that a pioneering surgery could offer a differentfuture for babies diagnosed with spina bifida, by operating onthem before they are even born. She discovers how this surgerywas invented, meets the families whose lives it has changedand follows the team of British surgeons preparing to performthis extraordinary foetal surgery in the UK for the very firsttime. But Ruth also examines attitudes in Britain today andasks whether we should change the way we see disability.