Dawkins’ views on Downs spark horror

Renowned atheist Richard Dawkins has reignited anger over his views on Down’s syndrome and abortion.

In a recent interview with Brendan O’Connor, an Irish radio presenter who has a child of his own with Down’s syndrome, Dawkins said aborting Down’s babies would be ‘wise’.

The exchange came some years after Dawkins commented on Twitter in 2014 that Down’s babies in the womb should be aborted. He said: ‘It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice.’

When pushed on his previous use of the word ‘immoral’, Dawkins backtracked, instead choosing the words ‘wise and sensible’ in relation to whether Down’s babies should be aborted, ‘given that the amount of suffering in the world probably does not go down, probably does go up, compared to having another child who doesn’t have Down’s syndrome’.

However, he admitted he had no evidence for saying that. Dawkins’ latest expression of his views have been criticised as nothing more than eugenics. O’Connor asked Dawkins, who is 80 years old, if he knew anyone with Down’s syndrome. ‘No, not intimately’, he responded.