Richard Dawkins: "Abort babies with Down Syndrome"

[The Hammer]

Richard Dawkins on fetuses with Down's Syndrome: 'Abort it and try again - it would be immoral to bring it into the world'

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/pe...d-9681549.html

"994 human beings with Down's Syndrome deliberately killed before birth in England and Wales in 2012. Is that civilized?" he was asked.

"Yes, it is very civilized. These are fetuses, diagnosed before they have human feelings" Dawkins responded.

Someone said "I honestly don't know what I would do if I were pregnant with a kid with Down Syndrome. Real ethical dilemma"

Dawkins replied "Abort it and try again. It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice"

[Sparked_26]

How would it be immoral to bring it into the world?

I can't get my head around that. I am not against abortion at all in the right circumstances and I accept the human feelings argument. But to see it as immoral is nasty. My long term girlfriend has Down syndrome relatives and they are perfectly happy. The likelihood of ourselves having a Down syndrome baby increases the later we leave it to have a baby but if we did we would keep it.

I am a lapsed catholic but I really don't think an established couple should ever abort a pregnancy. If you want a ready made baby - adopt, foster, and **** off! We don't all need to pass our genes on - there are enough of us already.

[Accountoffline]

Fuck that piece of shit, every person has a right to live regardless his inability/disability to live life like other people.

Whats immoral is his view on the matter, being different due to something out of your control shouldn't be seen as a defect it should be seen as being unique. I have met some extremely caring lovely people with d/s.

I'd rather have 100 people suffering from d/s in my neighbourhood rather than some rapist/murderer/pedo scumbag.

Fucking knobhead, that article has really pissed me off now.

[Sane Man]

I fully support abortion. So if someone wants to abort a baby for whatever reason then that is up to them.

My girlfriend and I would keep such a baby.

That's our choice. It might not be the right choice for everyone.

But for Dawkins to say it is "immoral" makes him look like a right ****. And I'm actually a fan of most of what he says.

[squealpiggy]

It's a brave statement on a messy issue. If I had a child with Downs Syndrome I'm not sure if I would be comfortable carrying it to term either. I'm not sure if I could live with raising a child not for 18 years but for my entire life until I'm too old to care for them myself and then what? Insitutionalise them? Is that kindness?

Bear in mind that this has been a moral issue for maybe fifty years. Prior to that children with serious birth defects would be hidden shamefully away in attics and asylums and prior to that they'd be left in the wilderness as babies to die.

[Funky_Monk]

Fuck that piece of shit, every person has a right to live regardless his inability/disability to live life like other people.

Whats immoral is his view on the matter, being different due to something out of your control shouldn't be seen as a defect it should be seen as being unique. I have met some extremely caring lovely people with d/s.

I'd rather have 100 people suffering from d/s in my neighbourhood rather than some rapist/murderer/pedo scumbag.

Fucking knobhead, that article has really pissed me off now.

This ^ makes me sad.

Why don't you think for a moment before posting

[redpilladvocate]

This ^ makes me sad.

Why don't you think for a moment before posting

i share your feeling.

what dawkins said is 100% correct. who the hell wants a downs baby?

I'd rather have 100 people suffering from d/s in my neighbourhood rather than some rapist/murderer/pedo scumbag.

i'm going to go out on a limb here and take a wild guess... dawkins feels the exact same way.

[BodiesInFlight]

It's a tricky subject, but i think we need to start talking about these things as a society. especially with rapid population growth and not enough food to feed the world.

I read that some native tribes will abort a baby if there is anything seriously wrong with it as it's bad for the gene pool and is a hindrance on their society, as each person within that tribe contributes something. Obviously the way of life is very different so i'm not drawing direct comparison, but it's a good point for debate.

On another note, they also abort any baby that is not planned. they have to make sure they are all looked after and that they can sustain the economy and all have enough food without ****ing up the environment, something else that we fail to do as a society in the civilized world.

It's obviously an emotive discussion but one that should be had with perspective and objectivity. I'm unsure either way as i'm not in any position to make a valid opinion, i see both sides have points though.

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

If you actually listen to what the man says, he's not condoning killing babies as some of you are trying to equate.

The question, is a fetus a baby? I would say no, and I'm for people having a choice in what they do with their bodies.

If you found out lets say that the fetus in your belly was blind, or had one arm, would you abort? If it's not a baby yet, and still a fetus, I don't think that's such a horrible thing to do. Now of course you should have the right to keep it but that should also be up to you.

[Canelo Phresh]

It's a brave statement on a messy issue. If I had a child with Downs Syndrome I'm not sure if I would be comfortable carrying it to term either. I'm not sure if I could live with raising a child not for 18 years but for my entire life until I'm too old to care for them myself and then what? Insitutionalise them? Is that kindness?

Bear in mind that this has been a moral issue for maybe fifty years. Prior to that children with serious birth defects would be hidden shamefully away in attics and asylums and prior to that they'd be left in the wilderness as babies to die.

Seig heil, mein Fuhrer!