Press Release from the Iona Institute
Ireland has embraced eugenics says new paper from The Iona Institute
We must debate what is happening before we have an ‘Ireland without Down Syndrome’
Tuesday, April 4, 2023 – The former Master of the Rotunda, Dr Fergal Malone, recently revealed that over 90pc of patients at the hospital opt for abortion once they are told the baby they are expecting has Down Syndrome. A new paper from the Iona Institute says this shows Ireland has now embraced eugenics, a philosophy which distinguishes between those considered ‘fit’ for life and those deemed not.
Eugenics in the past was usually coercive, but today it is voluntary and is the result of pregnancy screening tests that are becoming more sophisticated, non-invasive, cheaper and can be performed at an earlier stage of pregnancy.
This has led to an upsurge in many countries in the number of babies with non-fatal genetic abnormalities such as Down Syndrome who are being aborted. In Denmark, for example, very few children with Down Syndrome are being born anymore.
A number of years ago, the actor, Sally Phillips, made a BBC documentary called ‘A World Without Down Syndrome’ in which she expressed concern that in the years ahead very few people with the condition will exist anymore. She herself has a child with Down Syndrome.
British commentator, Dominic Lawson, who also has a child with Down Syndrome, has repeatedly said that the elimination of people with the condition is a form of eugenics.
This philosophy is now taking root in Ireland, even though abortion for reasons of non-fatal genetic abnormalities cannot take place here. They are mainly performed in England.
During the abortion referendum of 2018, Dr Malone said in an interview that 56 percent of babies with Down Syndrome were aborted once the condition was diagnosed by the hospital. Now he says the figure is 95 percent. This alone speaks volumes about what is happening.
Commenting on the figure, David Quinn of The Iona Institute said: “This should worry even those who are pro-choice. It indicates that the condition is being too negatively portrayed. As early screening is rolled over to more people in the future, the number of children with Down Syndrome whose lives end in abortion is also likely to grow until we might be in the same position as Denmark. We need to debate what is taking place before we have an Ireland without Down Syndrome.”
The document can be found here.
ENDS
