User:RahalMccall69

@@@ He s done it again. British evolutionary biologist, atheist and provocateur Richard Dawkins has ignited another firestorm on Twitter after expressing his views about what a woman should do if told her fetus has Down syndrome.  It was only a few weeks ago that The God Delusion author sparked a savage backlash for tweeting Date rape is bad. Stranger rape at knifepoint is worse, while illustrating an argument about logical reasoning.    This latest cyber slanging match started when Dawkins posted a link to a story about the plight of women in Ireland where abortion is largely illegal, even in the case of rape, incest or fetal deformity. Ireland is a civilised country except in this 1 area: You d think the Roman Church would have lost all influence.

Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) 

It provoked a strong reaction from Twitter users and Dawkins responded in his characteristically insensitive style. 

994 human beings with Down s Syndrome deliberately killed before birth in England and Wales in 2012. Is that civilised?
Aidan McCourt (@AidanMcCourt) 
Yes, it is very civilised. These are fetuses, diagnosed before they have human feelings.
Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) 

Then a woman using the Twitter handle @InYourFaceNYer joined the conversation, saying she would have a real ethical dilemma if she found out her baby had Down syndrome.

 I honestly don t know what I would do if I were pregnant with a kid with Down Syndrome. Real ethical dilemma.
InYourFaceNewYorker (@InYourFaceNYer) 

Dawkins clearly would have no such <a href=http://architectscanterbury.co.uk/page.php?sale=Purses-Kate-Spade>Kate Spade Handbags</a> qualms and told her what she should do.  The woman should abort it and try again, Dawkins tweeted back. He went even further, saying it would be immoral for a woman to carry on with a pregnancy under such circumstances.

Abort it and try again. It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice.
Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) 

Not surprisingly, Dawkins response triggered a barrage of angry tweets.

You re not a philosopher, you re not moral, and your opinion is based on prejudice and ignorance.
Ms Bob McBoint (@BobMcBoint) 

 

  My child *might* get leukemia. Should I abort them now to avoid the risk?
Stephani (@whirlypearly) 

True to form, the thick-skinned Dawkins went on the defensive.  In point of fact, a majority of Down Syndrome fetuses in Europe and USA are aborted. What I recommended is not outlandish but the norm.

Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) 

  Woman said she wouldn t know whether to abort. I told her what I would do why. I OBVIOUSLY wouldn t TELL a woman what to do. Up to her.

Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) 

If <a href=http://www.cicviseu.net/page.php?sale=Tory-Burch-Beach-Bag>Tory Burch Beach Bag</a> I were a woman with a DS fetus I personally would abort. So do most women in fact. If you wouldn t, good luck to you, it s your decision,

Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) 

But Dawkins found some support among followers who either share his views or love his no-holds-barred approach.

What s the big deal ? Richard is just giving his opinion.
Michael Deutrom (@MuddyYid) 

 

why are people offended by this?
i miss Wilfred (@Bre2286) 

Not that upsetting some of his one million followers on Twitter bothers Dawkins one little bit. He later issued an apology of sorts on his for letting slip the dogs of Twitterwar, but didn t retreat from his views, not by an inch.  Noooo, Dawkins simply elaborated his argument that had been restricted by the 140-character limit on Twitter.  

what I was saying simply follows logically from the ordinary pro-choice stance that most us, I presume, espouse. My phraseology may have been tactlessly vulnerable to misunderstanding, but I can t help feeling that at least half the problem lies in a wanton eagerness to misunderstand. 

Dawkins is no stranger to controversy. In fact, as his Twitter account shows, he actively courts it. Last month he found himself in the middle of a social media uproar after he differentiated between date rape and stranger rape and mild pedophilia and violent pedophilia.   The conversation started with this post about the <a href=http://architectscanterbury.co.uk/page.php?sale=Kate-Spade-Pen-Necklace>Kate Spade Pen Necklace</a> Palestine-Israel conflict and evolved into a brain-twisting discussion about logical reasoning. It is reasonable to deplore both the original founding of the Jewish State of Israel aspirations now to destroy it

Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) 

To illustrate his point, Dawkins used the aforementioned crimes of rape and pedophilia.  Date rape is bad. Stranger rape at knifepoint is worse. If you think that s an endorsement of date rape, go away and learn how to think.

Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) 

  Mild pedophilia is bad. Violent pedophilia is worse. If you think that s an endorsement of mild pedophilia, go away and learn how to think.

Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) 

Naturally, this upset many social media users, particularly women.   I m glad is here to tell us objectively comparatively how bad our rapes were. Go away and learn compassion.

Sabine (public) (@ThatSabineGirl) 

 

there are no varying degrees separating any of the evil things you re trying to quantify. Evil is evil...stop it.
Ned Da Wino (@8bitanimal) 

But it s the kind of thing we ve come to expect from a man who has turned insulting entire segments of the population into something of a sport. Remember this tweet about Muslims? All the world s Muslims have fewer Nobel Prizes than Trinity College, Cambridge. They did great things in the Middle Ages, though.

Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) 

Oh, and the time he encouraged his followers to mock and ridicule religious people?

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/united-kingdom/140821/richard-dawkins-women-should-abort-if-fetus-has-down-syndrome