My own uncle had Down Syndrome and he passed away last year from cancer at the age of 54. He was the absolute light of our lives and taught us the true value of life and beauty of disability. He touched so many lives and left a permanent mark on each heart. His life had value and he had a full quality of life.
But sadly babies with Down Syndrome are being aborted. 90%* diagnosed in England and over 50%** who were diagnosed in Dublin last year were aborted. Life is the right of every child. It is not a special privilege of the fortunate, the planned and the ‘perfect’. I believe in equal rights, I believe in the equal right to life. That’s why I’m pro-life on campus!
*Parliamentary Enquiry into Abortion on Grounds of Disability, UK, 2013.
**Irish Independent, May 10th 2018.