A MOBILE anti-abortion billboard featuring the image of a child with Down syndrome has caused deep offence in Killarney and complaints has been made to An Garda Siochana.
A truck transporting the billboard was parked at a number of high visibility locations near the town – particularly adjacent to busy roundabouts – over the past two days.
The message accompanying the image of a young boy was similar to billboards located around the country – including in the centre of Macroom town – with a slogan: ‘In Britain 90% of babies with Down Syndrome are aborted. Don’t let that happen here’.
The father of one young girl with Down syndrome told KillarneyToday.com that he was disgusted by the billboard and he insisted that it was “offensive and completely wrong”.
Mark Treyvaud said tests to determine whether a child in the womb could have Down syndrome are not standard in this country and the vast majority of parents don’t find out until the child is born.
The Killarney father of two said the campaign makes it very difficult for parents who have to explain to their other children, of a young age, when they ask why such billboards are being used.
“On television there is a watershed before material that could cause offence or upset can be shown so why can’t it be the same for billboards on public roads?” he asked.
Mark said he considered the billboard to be in very bad taste and it had upset him greatly.
“How dare they put that out there. At the end of the day everybody has to live with their own choices and not everybody wants to let a man in his 80s over in the Vatican, who never had children, decide what they should or shouldn’t do,” he said.
Another local woman contacted KillarneyToday.com to say she was horrified by the billboard and that it was a danger on the road as it distracted motorists.
“Whoever is responsible for that should be taken to task. It is very upsetting to many people to have that sort of material forced on them. Surely they should require planning permission for that kind of thing,” she said.
Kerry Pro Life campaign chairman, Cllr John Joe Culloty, said his organisation was not responsible for the mobile billboard campaign and he said it was important to respect everyone’s views.
He said in a divisive campaign, there is often a tendency for some people to take things to the limit.
Down Syndrome Ireland has appealed to all sides in the debate not to use children and adults with Down syndrome to promote their campaign views.
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