On the same program, Ironside argued that an abortion could be "moral" if the child is disabled or "totally unwanted," saying it could even be "selfish" not to kill one's child in a eugenic abortion.
"Abortion can often be seen as something wicked or irresponsible but in fact it can be a moral and unselfish act," she said. "If a baby is to be born severely disabled or totally unwanted, surely abortion is the act of a loving mother."
Stunned BBC viewers complained to the network following Ironside's infanticide remarks. Clair Lewis, an advocate for disabled individuals, excoriated the columnist for advocating the eugenic elimination of disabled people.
"The problems that disabled people face will not be fixed by killing off unborn children," said Lewis.
GP Peter Evans, a member of the Christian Medical Fellowship, told UK media that it is "very dangerous" for individuals to decide who ought to live and who should die.
"For us to make judgments that people are not worth life, not worth the opportunity to live, is a very dangerous thing," Evans said.
Despite the widespread disgust with Ironside’s remarks, The Guardian, a prominent left-leaning UK newspaper, quickly ran a piece by columnist Zoe Williams defending them as "valid" and "brave."
