Dawkins and disabilities: what makes a life worthwhile?

Unless you've been living under a rock, or - like my mother - are blissfully unaware of what's going on in social media, you've probably heard about Richard Dawkins' infamous advice on Twitter to people expecting a child with Down's syndrome: abort it and try again. He later qualified his statement, but still insists that bringing such a child into the world is immoral, " based upon his own moral philosophy which in turn is based on a desire to increase happiness and reduce suffering."

This story strikes a nerve with me for two reasons.

For a start, I have a disability myself. I have Asperger's syndrome, which is an autistic spectrum disorder. Yes, it does make my life more difficult or even more painful at times. Does that mean I would rather not be alive? Of course not. Besides, happiness is not necessarily the absence of suffering. Of course, circumstances affect our happiness, but they do not necessarily crush it: if it were the case, people who are poor or ill would never be happy, yet this is simply not true (I'm not going to discuss how the pursuit of pleasure can actually impair our capacity for happiness today, though). And I know my parents love me just as I am, despite the difficulties they've had with me over the years.

Actually, I'm not the only person with an autistic spectrum disorder who's responded to Dawkins. The lady who mentioned the dilemma posed by learning your unborn child has Down's syndrome asked him where he'd draw the line, since she has an ASD. He replied "People on that spectrum have a great deal to contribute, Maybe even an enhanced ability in some respects."

I think that argument is flawed. Firstly, someone's contribution to society does not determine the worth of their lives, and that is very fortunate. How do you decide whose contribution is worth keeping? Besides, you cannot possibly know what contribution a child will make (or not) before they're even born. This guy has Down's syndrome and his contribution is pretty amazing, and he is only one example of the many things people like him are capable of. Moreover, people with ASD do not necessarily have enhanced skills. Some of us are highly intelligent, other of average intelligence, and other stills have severe developmental delay. Some have incredible intelligence but their autism is so severe that they cannot unlock their potential. None of this, however, is a criteria for the worth of our lives.

Which brings me to my second point. I used to work with children and teenagers who had various learning disabilities, including Down's syndrome - and some disabilities that are a lot more profound. Many of them had severe and complex developmental disabilities. They could not feed themselves, they could not talk, they could not walk. Does this mean their lives were not worth living?

Each one of them had a personality and a smile. A smile, do you understand what that means? A smile that says "I am happy to be here with you", "I am happy to see you". They had their likes and dislikes; they responded to people and situations in different ways. They felt the same emotions you and I do.They expressed happiness, fear, or frustration and cause people around them happiness, sadness, or frustration, just like we do. Who are we to say that their lives are not worth living? Since they can show enjoyment of certain things, dislike or distress of others, it demonstrates they feel the same emotions we do, even if they can't articulate them like we can.

Let me tell you about Gary (named changed). Gary was one of those children. I was blessed to be his key worker for 4 weeks. I got to know him and Gary had the happiest, liveliest personality you could imagine. When he smiled, it looks like the sun was radiating through his face. He would clap his hands in mine and laugh quietly. I could tell he was happy to see me. Gary passed away when he was 15. I miss him. I loved that boy very much. He was a human being and he had just as much a right to live as anyone else.

Mr Dawkins' statement leans towards eugenism, and that's evil in my books. I don't think we have the right to decide for another human being whether their life is worth living or not.