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Row over T-shirt calling for ‘extinction’ of Down Syndrome

Posted By Patrick Fitzgerald On In | Comments Disabled

The UK actress Sally Phillips, whose son Olly has Down Syndrome, has criticised Amazon, after the website was to used to sell Down Syndrome “hatewear” [1] T-shirts.

One T-shirt seen on Amazon UK last week bore the slogan: “Let’s make Down syndrome extinct!” Another read: “F*ck Down syndrome.” The listings have since been removed.
Phillips presented a BBC documentary in 2016 called ‘A World Without Down Syndrome’ which highlighted that in countries like Iceland almost all Down Syndrome babies are aborted once diagnosed.

She said: “Eugenic ideas are really taking hold — the idea that there is this subclass of humans and it is better we get rid of them. If you have a world view in which you regard academic intelligence or money-making possibilities as the ultimate goal . . . then you feel perfectly justified in saying these things.

“It would break my heart if Olly saw anyone wearing those T-shirts.”

Meanwhile, a petition to ban Amazon sellers from selling the T-shirts has been signed by more than 5,000 people.

“Many people from the Down Syndrome Community have contacted Amazon time and time again [2] to remove product inciting Hate speech against people who have Down’s syndrome,” the petition reads.