T he prominent Oxford scientist Richard Dawkins recently issued a controversial tweet advising a woman to "abort it and try again" if she was pregnant with a baby with Down's syndrome. He said "it would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice". The tweet caused a storm on social media, and Dawkins was forced to apologise. [See The Guardian's report .] Even though genetics and science can reveal impairments and limitations, they aren't good predictors of life. Recently I read a feature about Chris Burke, the celebrated American actor with Down's syndrome. I also recall another story of a talented girl with Down's syndrome, Bryann Burgess , who qualified as a music teacher after undergoing a course of study and an internship at South Carolina University. I wonder what Dawkins would say about them. The world has a wealth of talented "disabled" people. The famous animal science professor Dr Temple Grandin, who has auti...
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