Atheist author and professor Robert Dawkins was met with intense criticism when he declared that an unborn child who has Down syndrome or other "serious" disabilities should be aborted, saying that it would be a "wise and sensible" decision.
A tweet from 2014 by the "God Delusion" author was unearthed, in which he argued with a woman who was pregnant with a baby who had Down syndrome, writing, "Abort it and try again. It would be immoral to bring into the world if you have the choice."
Dawkins was confronted by RTE radio host Brendan O'Connor, who himself has a child who is afflicted with Down syndrome. The host asked, "You are speaking to someone who did bring someone like that into the world...why is it immoral not to abort it?"
Backtracking a little bit, the atheist said his 2014 tweet was "probably putting it a bit too strongly." Dawkins theorized 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 syndrome."
When pressed for evidence about the rate of suffering when bringing a child with Down syndrome versus bringing in a normal, healthy child, Dawkins backtracked and said he doesn't "know it for certain" but believes it is "plausible." He admitted, "I have no direct evidence."
Dawkins, who claims to know about the levels of happiness a parent with a child who has Down syndrome feels, admitted that he did not "intimately" know anyone who has the disease. He backtracked on his "immoral" statement and argued instead that it would be "wise and sensible" to abort babies with Down syndrome.
The atheist professor and author faced backlash on social media following the interview, with several Twitter users airing their displeasure over his comments while praising O'Connor's composure while speaking to Dawkins. Twitter user Aidan Gallagher wrote, "In one sentence Dawkins single handedly created more suffering in the world than the entire population of people with Down Syndrome. I can only pity him."
Joseph Johnson took to Twitter to react to Dawkins' controversial statements, saying, "There are plenty of neurotypical rapists and murders in this world. I have to think they've brought more suffering into the world than children with Down's Syndrome have."
The Christian Post reported that Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson criticized Dawkins and his comments, calling him "horrific" for using his platform to "[display] such blatant disregard for the facts of life for people with Down's syndrome and other disabilities who, like all humans, are capable of living full and enriching lives."
"The evidence shows that children with Down's syndrome and their families are just as capable of happiness and fulfillment as the rest of society," Robinson argued in defense of families who have made the decision to raise children with Down syndrome. "It is sad that professor Dawkins cannot or will not acknowledge this."
Last month, the American Humanist Association (AHA) stripped Dawkins of his "Humanist of the Year" honor for repeatedly "demeaning marginalized groups under 'the guise of scientific discourse,'" Forbes reported.
