It's high time to reasonably adjust our disability laws
Recent comments from Richard Dawkins highlight a hole in our civil rights protections
The 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.
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 autism, was once misdiagnosed as unteachable. But she turned her picture-based thinking into an asset in her career.
Stephen Wiltshire, the artist who has a gift in drawing life-like, detailed cityscapes after brief observations, is autistic and had no language until the age of nine. Queen Elizabeth awarded him an MBE in 2006.
There is also a non-verbal, autistic young gentleman, Brad Fremmerlid, who has a special talent for putting furniture together and has a small business in Edmonton, Canada.
