On the 22nd of June 2016 TV3′s Tonight with Vincent Browne hosted an abortion debate between AAA/PBP TD Ruth Coppinger and the Pro-life Campaign’s Cora Sherlock.

Things got somewhat heated when Sherlock made a point about what she saw as the possible consequences of liberalising Ireland’s abortion regime, and a factual dispute ensued over the number of children diagnosed with Down Syndrome aborted in the UK.

On the programme Ms. Cora Sherlock stated that 90% of Down Syndrome diagnoses in England end in termination while Ms. Coppinger, a TD, claimed that Ms. Cora Sherlock was incorrect and that that statistic was 44%.

Given that fact that the figure for 90% is the accepted by both sides of the debate as correct (allowing variations year on year) it was most odd that Deputy Coppinger would suggest 44%. As the host of programme was unable to adjudicate on the correct statistic, the matter was not resolved on the programme and no doubt many viewers might have believed that the 44% was correct given that many people finds it hard to believe that any civilised society would be aborting 90% of unborn children diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome.

It is even possible to believe that Deputy Coppinger found that statistic hard to believe.

Of course 90% of unborn children diagnosed with Down’s syndrome in England and Wales are aborted and not surprisingly Factcheck confirmed this and Deputy Coppinger was found to be fibbing.

Here is the link to the Factcheck story.