We are supporting Ciara’s peition and please read on and support the petition also. You can sign the petition here 

My name is Ciara. I have a learning disability. I am also married and thinking about maybe having children in the future. According to OkCupid, the world might be a better place if I didn’t.

Recently, a colleague showed me a question that the dating site OkCupid asks people when they sign up. The site asks:

“Would the world be a better place if people with low IQs were not allowed to reproduce.”

I was horrified. The question is inappropriate, offensive and discriminatory.

If the same question was asked about people of different races or sexuality there would be outrage.

It should be the same for people with a learning disability.

A learning disability is defined as a reduced intellectual ability, not a reduced parenting ability. It should not matter who you are when you have children just that you will love them and do everything you can to raise them in the right way.

Since I was diagnosed with a learning disability when I was ten I’ve been told: ‘you will never’, ‘you can’t’, ‘you won’t’. All negative attitudes. It was hard for me to imagine then that I would ever achieve anything I dreamed of in my life. However, now I am married, have a great job working at Mencap, and live an independent and happy life.

I hate that anyone with a learning disability could be made to feel the world would be better if they didn’t have children. That’s why I want Ok Cupid to immediately remove the question and apologise for any offence it has caused.
Thank you,
Ciara Lawrence
Campaigns Support Officer at Mencap