From here:
Richard Dawkins, the atheist writer, has claimed it is “immoral” to allow unborn babies with Down’s syndrome to live.
Having finally noticed about himself what others have known for years, he went on to say:
“Apparently I’m a horrid monster for recommending what actually happens to the great majority of Down Syndrome foetuses. They are aborted.”
Few atheists, including Richard Dawkins since he regularly tells anyone who will listen what he thinks is moral, are willing to live with the consequences of their beliefs. Without God, there can be no objective morality; without God there is no human essence, no common human nature; without God, we choose what we become, our essence is defined by that choice and the choice is arbitrary, as is the morality which results from the choice.
Richard Dawkins has chosen human feelings as the measure of whether a person is really a person; a foetus does not feel – supposedly – so, as a non-person, it is disposable. From a Christian perspective, a person is made in God’s image at the time of conception; that perspective makes Dawkins’ view – horrid and monstrous.
One consolation is that the Dawkins horrid monster atheistic persona is but a tepid copy of that enjoyed by murderous 20th century practitioners from Stalin to Pol Pot: they systematised atheism, imposed it on everyone they could and drove it to its inevitable, foul conclusion.
Yeah, he’s nuts.
During my wife’s last pregnancy we were informed that there was a chance that our child would be born with Down’s Syndrome. It was a horrible thing for the medical profession to do to us. I can only surmise that they thought they were doing us a favour and that with this “information” we might consider our options (i.e. abortion rather than burdening ourselves with a challenged child). My wife and I discussed this and no sooner had the conversation began than we discovered that we both had the same position. This child was going to live, be loved and cared for, no matter what! Our child was born, had some difficulties with clearing her airway and that resulted in a torn lung. It was a rough start, but not the one that the medical profession warned us about. Today she is healthy, intelligent, energetic, and full of life.
My nephew on the other hand was born with a syndrome (not Down’s and I cannot remember the name of the syndrome that he has). He is kind, gentle, outgoing, friendly, and also full of life. He is loved greatly by his entire family, and no-one has any right to tell his parents that they made a wrong decision!
If this Richard Dawkins actually thinks that some people do not deserve to live, than I strongly suggest he take a long hard look in the mirror.
The coffee shop I go to has a service person named Ralphie, and I give him a ride quite often in my cab, to and from his work. He is kind, conscientious, courteous, caring, helpful and totally wonderful to be with. I once asked his 80 year mother whom he lives with, and he takes care of, about her life with Ralphie, and she told me, “He is the greatest blessing of my life”. She bore him, gave birth to him, loved him, and raised him to be a wonderful person and blessing to others, and in a profession where I see and interact with hundreds of people of all types, abilities, and status, he is head and shoulder above them as a vibrant and essential part of society, (myself included). After being with him I tell the Lord I am sorry I am not the person I should be, and that he wants me to be. Richard Dawkins is an insignificant, selfish, ignoramus and I pray that God will get ahold of him to save and forgive him.
Dawkins would have to be a most compelling argument for retrospective contraception. Particularly given his comments on other people as reported in this article.
Richard Dawkins spouts from ignorance! We had the privilege of raising a daughter with Down Syndrome. She lived 40 years. Her greatest attribute was love. We could never have imagined it at her birth, but she turned out to be one of our greatest blessings ever. We thank God for entrusting her to us, and look forward to being with her again when He calls us home.
Jean Vanier spent much of his life surrounded by people who were born with Down Syndrome. He established his L’Arche communities around the world. He was himself transformed as where many others by the unconditional love poured out on him and freely given to any visitors who stopped by these special communities. Many people feel they should be referred to a as “Up People” because of the constant state of happiness they appear to always be in and the Grace they offer to complete strangers. Nothing Down about them! They truly reflect the love of the Father and the Son. “You will know them by their love” If the rest of us could love so unconditionally and forgive so easily what a wonderful world it would be.
Tragically people like Richard Dawkins think they are their own god – note I did not spell GOD – and therefore live by their own narrow thinking. The day will come when he will have to bow the knee before our Lord as will everyone. We pray that he may be brought to the truth of the Gospel even if that takes a 2 x 4 to the head!! Only then will he have any heavenly home.