The father of a man with Down Syndrome has said Irish society needs to decide whether it wants to have children with Down Syndrome in it. He made the remarks in an interview with The Hard Shoulder on Newstalk.

Michael O’Dowd (pictured with his son. Conor) was speaking after Iona Institute CEO and Sunday Independent columnist David Quinn said in his latest column that Down Syndrome is disappearing from the world as a result of  the vast majority of parents opting for abortion after they are told the child they are expecting has the condition.

He cited a statistic that 95pc of parents diagnosed with a Down Syndrome baby at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital choose an abortion.

Mr O’Dowd, a former Mayor of Drogheda and Aontú representative, told The Hard Shoulder people need to have a less negative view of what life is like with the condition for both parents and those who have it.

You can listen to the item here.